Late in the fall, after the shuckin was done,
The whole family would go to the fields.
We took rakes, and matches and a kerosene jug
Just us, no wagons, no wheels
We would rake all the stalks into rows
Line them up with the wind
Drop a match on the coal oil spot
It was then that the fun would begin
The leaping flames would follow the smoke
Crackin and poppin corn sparks into the dark sky
We were burning the trashno joke
So when we plowed next spring the ground would be dry
On the cold fall nights, wed hug the fire
Staying close enuf to stay warm
Wed keep runnin and burnin till the work was done
Helping out, when we were just kids on the farm
Now I can still smell the heavy smoke,
And some say we did more harm than good
But the memories I have of poor farm folks
Things turned out a lot better than we thought they would