Way out on the plains where the air is sweet And the earth is rich for the seedling wheat A man can hurt his back, but never his soul A good sweet earth can keep a man whole Oh the sun can blister and the hail can pound And the blizzard rage or the rivers flood the ground That man may cry bitter tears, but still, he'll stay He knows Mother Nature has some blues to play The grain belt blues, the grain belt blues C'mon you crops we need new shoes We got to get to mill and grind it just right Or there won't be any bread for supper tonight Yes, the spring will come and he'll plow once more He'll work that ground till his body is sore Why does he work, what is it for He knows he'll win when they add up the score Then one fine day, the grain will be ripe He can smoke after supper, good tobacco in his pipe He knows it's a bumper, he'll have cash to spend The grain belt blues will come to an end