Lyrics They're Tearin' the Labor Camps Down - Merle Haggard
I
guess
it′s
no
secret
eh
that
I
did
a
few
years
in
San
Quentin
And
on
my
release
I
noticed
that
a
lot
of
different
things
had
come
to
pass
While
I
was
out
of
circulation
Like
the
girls
dresses
were
shorter
and
the
freeways
were
wider
And
the
ole
steam
engines
were
gone
forever
But
the
one
thing
I
noticed
most
of
all
down
through
the
San
Joachin
valley
Was
the
disapperance
of
so
many
labor
camps
Where
once
I'd
lived
from
time
to
time
myself
I
noticed
that
that
one
there
at
Houston
California
was
gone
And
the
ole
crown′s
camp
that
lie
between
Formosa
and
Bakersfield
Was
just
a
barren
spot
with
a
few
cottonwood
trees
And
surrounded
by
an
olive
orchard
Tho
a
few
still
remain
like
the
ole
blackburn's
camp
out
on
weepatch
highway
It
was
an
evident
fact
that
someone
was
tryin'
to
do
away
with
them
all
And
I
couldn′t
help
but
wonder
what′s
gonna
happen
to
the
farm
workers
And
the
fruit
pickers
who
move
from
town
to
town
The
man
with
the
big
family
who
can't
afford
the
ole
high
standard
of
livin′
And
was
these
thoughts
and
my
mem'ries
that
inspired
me
to
write
this
song
I
came
back
to
this
ole
town
cause
my
home
was
here
And
to
try
to
find
some
things
I′d
left
behind
Tho'
I′ve
only
been
away
for
just
a
few
short
years
But
I'd
forgot
about
the
pace
of
modern
times
I
saw
changes
all
around
me
and
some
were
good
But
I
hardly
recognized
my
side
of
town
They
tore
down
the
swingin'
casing
from
the
cottowood
And
that
tree
was
all
that
marked
familar
ground
Oh
they′re
tearin′
the
labor
camps
down
And
I
feel
a
little
sentimental
shame
Where's
a
hungry
man
gonna
live
at
in
this
town
Oh
they′re
tearin'
the
labor
camps
down
[ Piano
]
The
Hilltop
family
market
had
been
moved
somewhere
And
the
name
was
changed
to
fit
the
newer
homes
The
folks
that
I
remember
were
no
longer
there
And
the
cabin
that
my
daddy
built
was
gone
Oh
they′re
tearin'
the
labor
camps
down...
They′re
tearin'
the
labor
camps
down...
1 Branded Man
2 Mama Tried
3 I'm a Lonesome Fugitive
4 Making Believe
5 Worried, Unhappy, Lonesome and Sorry
6 They're Tearin' the Labor Camps Down
7 White Line Fever
8 Sing Me Back Home
9 Someday We'll Look Back
10 Mississippi Delta Blues
11 Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)
12 Swinging Doors
13 The Family Bible
14 Hungry Eyes
15 Blues Stay Away from Me
16 The Bottle Let Me Down (Down Every Road Version)
17 Streets of Berlin
18 Turnin' Off a Memory
19 Okie from Muskogee
20 The Fightin' Side of Me (Live)
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