Hoe Your Row Clean

                 HOE YOUR ROW CLEAN

Those rows of cotton were so long when I was just a lad,
And hoeing weeds that grew between was a job we always had.
Yes, every summer sure enough each field we had to chop,
And clean out all that Johnson grass ‘til Dad said we could stop.

(Chorus) You can’t just chop the grass tops off, and ‘spect them not to grow.

Sometimes Dad hoed along with us, when he could spare the time,
And tell us stories of his life (which helped us get along fine),
But there we learned some lessons—yes, among them how to hoe:
You can’t just chop the grass tops off and ‘spect them not to grow.

(Chorus) You can’t just chop the grass tops off, and ‘spect them not to grow.

But when you tackle Johnson grass you must dig out the root!
Else sooner than you know it—whoops, here comes a brand new chute.
And when you hoe a cotton row, sure you will always know
What kind of feller hoed before, whether days or weeks ago.

(Chorus) You can’t just chop the grass tops off, and ‘spect them not to grow.

 For if the fellow did his job, dug roots and hoed it clean,
The next time round there’d be so few of weeds that came up green.
It just makes sense to do a job the right way first time through— ‘
Cause “hoeing your row clean” will sure return reward to you.

(Chorus) You can’t just chop the grass tops off, and ‘spect them not to grow.

 --Jay M. Richardson