(S. Fromholz)

Six o'clock silence

Of a new day beginning,

Is heard in the small Texas town;

Like a signal from nowhere,

The people who live there

Are up and moving around.

'Cause there's bacon to fry,

And there's biscuits to bake,

On the stove that the Salvation Army won't take

And you open the windows,

And you turn on the fan,

'Cause it's hotter than hell

When the sun hits the land.

Walter and Fanny,

Well, they own the grocery

That sells most all that you need;

They've been up and working

Since early this morning,

They've got the whole village to feed;

Well they put out fresh eggs,

And throw bad ones away,

That rotted because

of the heat yesterday,

The store is all dark

so you can't see the flies,

That settle on round steak

and last Monday's pies.

Sleepy Hill's Drugstore

And the cafe are open,

The coffee is bubbling hot,

'Cause the folks that ain't working

Gonna sit there 'til sundown,

And talk about what they ain't got,

Someone just threw a clutch

In the old pickup truck,

It seems like they're riding

on a streak of bad luck;

The doctor bills came,

And the well has gone dry,

Seems their grown kids don't care,

Whether they live or die.