Leroy was a farmer and an honest man

Would have lived in Oklahoma all his days

He just wanted left alone to work a piece of land

But a hard wind come and blew his dreams away

So he headed for the West Coast thought he could not lose

Rollin' down the highway with the dustbowl blues



It's a thousand miles from Broken Bow to Bakersfield

And the highway's paved with heartaches all the way

Leroy drove on lookin' for a better deal

A place a man could settle down and stay

But the police at the state line beat him black and blue

Left him lyin' by the roadside with the dustbowl blues



They say California is a paradise

Hollywood turns night time into day

But up along the San Joaquin those city lights

Might as well be a million miles away

When your kids are cold and hungry wearin' worn out shoes

Standin' in the garden with the dustbowl blues