OLD JOHN DEERE (Fred Eaglesmith)
Contributed by: Fred Eaton

     G             D                    C                G
This letter that I write to you, Dad, I will not sign my name.

          G               D                  C               G
'Though I did not want to tell you, I felt I had to just the same.

         G                       D                        C                      G
Well, it rained for weeks and it flooded the creek, and I lost the whole crop of grain

        G                        D                    C                 G
And the man at the bank wouldn't lend me the money to plant that field again, so...

Chorus:
  G           D                 G
Today, Dad, I sold the old John Deere.
    C                                                     G
The man who bought it's gonna fix it up and put it in a museum.
               D
I guess that's where this whole thing's gone.
  C                                       G
A picture for people to pay to look upon. That's how they lived in the old days, son.
D                                               C                              D
Sheep's in the meadow, can't find the cows, and little boy blue's got a job in town.

And yesterday old McAllister came buy and said that he's had enough.
Between the government and the subsidies, he just couldn't keep up.
And if welfare cheques was farming, he'd simply just rather not.
And I didn't say nothing, Dad, as I watched him drive off, and...

(Chorus)

And Mary says it'll be okay, if nothing else goes wrong.
And she got a job at the five and dime, and the hours aren't too long.
I hope this letter finds you well. I'm sorry how it just goes on.
But I had to tell somebody, Dad, and you were the only one.
And today, Dad, I sold the old John Deere.