The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream) lyrics

Way back in my memory there's a scene that I recall
Of a little run-down cabin in the woods
Where my dad never promised that our blue moon would turn gold
But he laid awake nights wishin' that it would

When the world was on our radio, hard work was on our minds
We lived our day-to-day in plain dirt fashion
With ol' overalls and cotton balls all strapped across your back
Man, it's hard to make believe there ain't nothing wrong

But momma kept the Bible read and daddy kept our family fed
And somewhere in between I must have grown
Cause someday I was dreamin' that a song that I was singin'
Takes me down the road to where I want to go
Now I know, it's a long hard road

Sometimes I remember when I stay up late at night
When the sun-up came, we got up and went

In the shadows of a working' day, our moonlight hours spent
Singin' songs along with Gramma's radio

Now I'm beatin' down a ol' blacktop road, sleepin' in a sack
Livin' in my memories all in vain
'Cause those city lights ain't all that bright, compared to what its like
To see lightning bugs go dancin' in the rain

See lightning bugs go dancin' in the rain
Momma played the guitar then, and daddy made the saw blade bend
And raindrops played the tin roof like a drum
But I just kept on dreamin' that a song that I was singin'
Takes me down the road to where my name is known
Now I'm gone, and its a long hard road
Yes, I know, Its a long hard road