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A Rumblin’ in the Land Lyrics by Tom Paxton

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I can hear the rumblin’ river as it rushes underground;
I can hear the breakers crashing; I can hear the breakers pound
I can stand beneath the waterfall and shout with all my might
I can hear a thousand voices making ready for a fight
I can ride through Colorado in a semi-trailer cab;
I can hang around the truck stops and hear them joke and gab
I can hear them tellin’ stories of the lives that they must lead
As they wonder how they’ll make it with so many mouths to feed
I can see the little hobo as he shuffles down the street;
I can hear him in the diner as he bums a bite to eat
For ten years he stoked the furnace ‘til the factory whistle blowed
Got laid off by automation boys and it put him on the road
And I met another fellow as I wandered all about
He was mining down at Heyser till his union sold him out
Yes, they worked him in the coalmines till his back and arms were sore
Then they put him on the blacklist boys and he can’t go back no more
I can see the sharecrop farmer as he wipes his sweaty brow
He can see the crop is failing but it ain’t his anyhow
I can see the dust cloud swirling on his played-outfarmin' land--
See him hunker down, and let it trickle through his hand
I met a fine young negro lad about seventeen or so;
He didn’t like those southern jails but he felt that he had to go
Saying, “Mom and dad were Negros and my son will be one too
And I guess it’s up to me because we’ve given up on you.”
And as I passed an air force base a young man I did meet
With his shiny wings of silver and his uniform so neat
Saying, “I don’t wanna bomb them sir; it fills me with dismay
But orders they are orders and you know I must obey.”
Well I’ve been walking through this country and my eyes are open wide
And the things I’ve seen and heard you couldn’t imagine if you tried
I’ve been listening to some people and one thing I understand--
A great flood is a-rising fast and there’s a rumblin’ in the land
Credits
Tom Paxton

Tom Paxton

About “A Rumblin’ in the Land” by Tom Paxton

Read the complete lyrics to "A Rumblin’ in the Land" by Tom Paxton. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"A Rumblin’ in the Land" is performed by Tom Paxton. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "A Rumblin’ in the Land", explore more songs by Tom Paxton using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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"A Rumblin’ in the Land" is credited to Tom Paxton. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

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Visit the Tom Paxton artist page at /artist/tom-paxton for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.