We
Old Crow Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hardest work that ever I done
Been beneath that burning sun
Hauling tobacco around to cure
I would chop that wicked weed
Till our hands and fingers bleed
Working like a mule, maybe more

We been farming on this land
Since eighteen hundred ten
Through flood, drought, pestilence and war
Now I sure am sad to say
That I've lived to see this day
And we don't grow tobacco around here no more

We don't grow, we don't grow
Oh, it's still the only work we'll ever know
We don't grow, we don't grow
We don't grow tobacco around here no more

Grandpa told me this, I know
Change is coming, won't be slow
Knocking just like a thunder at the door
Fallow fields are all around
Empty barns just falling down
With iron weeds coming up through the floor

Once we growed it by the pound
Now the kids all moved to town
And all that's left are elderly and poor
Now I sure am sad to say
That I've lived to see this day
And we don't grow tobacco around here no more

We don't grow, we don't grow
Oh, it's still the only work we'll ever know
We don't grow, we don't grow
We don't grow tobacco around here no more

Ooh, yes, I sure am sad to say
This way of life has gone away




Now that we don't grow tobacco around here no more
Well, no, we don't grow tobacco around here no more

Overall Meaning

The song "We Don't Grow Tobacco" by Old Crow Medicine Show is a tribute to the dying tradition of tobacco farming. The lyrics describe the incredibly hard work involved in cultivating, chopping, and curing the crop, and the intense connection that many families in rural America have to the tradition of tobacco farming. The song is written from the perspective of a farmer who has watched as the industry has declined over time, and who is now witnessing an end to the practice in his own community.


Through the lyrics, the singer expresses a deep sense of loss for the way of life that they have known for generations. The line "Oh, it's still the only work we'll ever know" highlights the fact that, for many families in rural America, tobacco farming has been the primary source of income for decades. The devastation caused by the decline of the tobacco industry is palpable in the imagery of fallow fields and empty barns falling down.


At the same time, the song recognizes the inevitability of change. The line "Grandpa told me this, I know / Change is coming, won't be slow / Knocking just like a thunder at the door" suggests that the decline of the tobacco industry is part of a larger trend toward change and modernization across rural America. Ultimately, the song is a poignant reflection on the cost of progress, and the way that changes in economic and cultural systems can impact individual families and communities.


Line by Line Meaning

Hardest work that ever I done
I have worked very hard my entire life.


Been beneath that burning sun
I worked under the hot sun.


Hauling tobacco around to cure
I transported tobacco in order for it to be dried out.


I would chop that wicked weed
I would cut the tobacco plant.


Till our hands and fingers bleed
We worked so much that it caused our hands and fingers to hurt and bleed.


Working like a mule, maybe more
We worked really hard, like a mule carrying a heavy load.


We been farming on this land
We have been farming on this land for a very long time.


Since eighteen hundred ten
We have been farming on this land since the year 1810.


Through flood, drought, pestilence and war
We have experienced various natural disasters and wars while farming on this land.


Now I sure am sad to say
I am very sad to admit that...


That I've lived to see this day
I have lived long enough to witness...


And we don't grow tobacco around here no more
We no longer grow tobacco on this land.


We don't grow, we don't grow
We don't engage in this work anymore.


Oh, it's still the only work we'll ever know
It's the only kind of work we were ever experienced in.


Grandpa told me this, I know
My grandfather told me this fact.


Change is coming, won't be slow
Change is happening quickly.


Knocking just like a thunder at the door
Change is happening very suddenly and noticeably.


Fallow fields are all around
Fields where crops have not been planted are all over.


Empty barns just falling down
Empty barns, left unused, are deteriorating.


With iron weeds coming up through the floor
Weeds, some made of strong metal materials, are growing through the barn floor.


Once we growed it by the pound
We used to produce large amounts of tobacco.


Now the kids all moved to town
The younger generation has moved to the city.


And all that's left are elderly and poor
Only older people and poor people remain here.


Ooh, yes, I sure am sad to say
I truly am very unhappy about this situation.


This way of life has gone away
Our traditional way of living has disappeared.


Well, no, we don't grow tobacco around here no more
There is definitely no tobacco being grown where we live anymore.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Ketch Secor, Willie Watson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Jude Santillan

Well my friend, well I see your face so clearly 
Little bit tired, little bit worn through the years 
You sound nervous, you seem lonely
I hardly recognize your voice on the telephone

In between I remember
Just before we wound up broken down
Drive out to the edge of the highway
Follow that lonesome dead-end roadside sound

[Chorus:]
We're all in this thing together
Walkin' the line between faith and fear
This life don't last forever
When you cry I taste the salt in your tears

Well my friend, let's put this thing together
And walk the path that worn out feet have trod
If you wanted we can go home forever
Give up your jaded ways, spell your name to God

[Chorus]

All we are is a picture in a mirror
Fancy shoes to grace our feet
All that there is is a slow road to freedom
Heaven above and the devil beneath

[Chorus]



All comments from YouTube:

thekkur

This song nowadays makes my eyes water and puts hope in my heart

Jeffery Duke

It always did

iceonaboy

This song touches your heart with its tortured, soulfull delivery. I love it to bits!

Rosie B

My dad sang this to my son yesterday and it was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen 😩😩😩

Dakota Searcy

The fact that so many people here are posting where they heard this song and what it means to them is a beautiful thing. I feel that that is what this song is really how it should be. We aren't arguing over what's better, what's worse....its just the song. We really are all in this thing together.

Lian Ivan Bolhuis

this might be one of the very very few YouTube comment sections with no hate just passion and humanity...

Travis Kinch

I want this at my funeral, such a beautiful song

Deneene Smith

Jesus, how much does this resonate with everyone considering the current state of the world???!

dm g

Deneene Smith a lot 😢

Rahhhkel

Deneene Smith yup. 😞

More Comments

More Versions