"Texas Drought, Pt. 1" lyrics - RODNEY CROWELL

The sidewalks are blazing hot
Like white fire from a pistol shot
The sun at its zenith is proudly displayed
The old man across the street
Swears he can't stand the heat
He'd pay a king's ransom for one patch of shade

There's cracks in the creek bed deep
Dry dirt where the crawdads sleep
Dust in the birdbath is out of control
The tree frogs have ceased to sing
The fireflies have lost their zing
And life on the rice farm is taking a toll

[Chorus 1:]
Brazos River less than three feet deep
Watermelon farmer's wife can't sleep
Dust dripping from a windmill spout
Everybody wants to end this drought

[Bridge:]
The firetrucks and sirens scream
Like scenes from an old bad dream
The drought seeps into your bones
'Til your last sip of water's gone
And a rise from the ashes falls on your head

The jukebox plays Jimmy Reed
Dry winds blow tumbleweed
The blues and the night have a mind of their own
With beer joints to slake our thirst
We wait for the great cloud-burst
Praying "Let there be raindrops the size of a stone"

[Chorus 2:]
Witch doctor, beat the tom-tom loud
Helicopter pilot, seed the clouds
Baptist preacher, get your prayer book out
Somebody's got to end this drought
Cattle rancher, watch the skies all day
The sun is shining but you can't make hay
The only thing you wanna talk about
Is how on earth we're gonna end this drought
No doubt

[Outro:]
The sidewalks are blazing hot
Like white-fire from a pistol shot
The sun at its zenith is proudly displayed