You can't live without hope that things will change for the better
You can't live without the dream of someone reading your letter
We've had dust storms before and spit out the dirt
We've had droughts before, but none quite like this
We've had winds that cut up your face all to pieces
Black blizzards that stripped all the paint off your car
Fires like twisters, no sisters of mercy
They come with no warning, only that sound
God is roaring drunk and out on the town
Next year, everything will come good
The rains they will fall and will dance on the hood
We'll fill up our bellies with plentiful food
We'll eat, drink, and be merry
Yeah, next year people wait and see
We're next year people, you and me
Henry got hit by lightening twice in head
He stood and walked away, we thought he was dead
Now he talks funny, says he's wired to the sky
He walks for miles and miles, and no one knows why
The bank men, they came and wrote things down on paper
We all went outside and just stood around
We were glad when they left, they brought nothing but heartache
And the seed we had planted, it stayed in the ground
Next year, everything will come good
The rains they will fall and will dance on the hood
We'll fill up our bellies with plentiful food
We'll eat, drink, and be merry
Yeah, next year people wait and see
We're next year people, you and me
Dry endless plains, and we've suffered the worst
Are we being punished or are we just cursed?
It's almost ten years, and no drop of rain
Only mocking blue skies bringing more of the same
Our mother was crying when they sent us to stay
With strangers in a town and we both ran away
Back to the dust and see Henry again
We're creatures of habit, don't you know
One day we'll reap what we sow.
Next year, everything will come good
The rains they will fall and will dance on the hood
We'll fill up our bellies with plentiful food
We'll eat, drink, and be merry
Yeah, next year people wait and see
We're next year people, you and me