Now the first time I saw Woody he was standing in our yard
In the spring time 1935, was pouring down real hard
He said I’ll pay for room and board, maybe a month or two
My name’s Widrow Guthrie and I’m just rambling through
But call me Woody, my friends all do
If you call me Woody I might sing a little song for you

Now it was just my mom and me, a big house all alone
My daddy had gone to fight a war just never made it home
But each night ole Woody played his guitar, make up songs to sing
And would sing that midnight special, we would make them rafters ling
And we’d get happy, but we understood
That times were hard but for a while life was good

Now mama, she took the Woody, said she like to sing in style
God, she looks so pretty
And Woody made her smile
Taught me how to cut some smoke and sing and play guitar
How to say a prayer to heaven and wish upon a star
Yea, I know Woody, mama have been rambling in the night
I was only 12 years old, I could see it in their eyes

Mama came to me one hot July day
Said our Woody’s leaving son and she wiped the tear away
And Woody said these rambling thievers are mighty heavy load
Then he picked up his guitar and his sack and rolled on down the road

Goodbye Woody, we know you feeling bad
Goodbye Woody, what a time we’ve had

Now many years come and gone and I’m old but still alive
My old mind is wondering back to the summer of ‘35

Time had taken everything but one thing I still own
I can still pick up my guitar and sing a Woody Guthrie song

This land is your land with do re mi
Let the midnight special shine his ever loving light on me

Hold on, it’s been good to know you
Cause I’m going down the road feeling bad with it