Orchards Again
Words and music by Joe Ficklin © 1991

INSTRUMENTAL INTRO

  D            G           D       G
I lived in the valley when I was a child
  D            G                           A
I used to pick raspberries that would grow wild
    D            G          D           G
Our house was surrounded by millions of trees
         D        G                        A
‘Til the summer I scented the smoke on the breeze

	CHORUS
	        D            G             A          D
	For the farmers were burning their orchards a-gain
	        D           G          D         A
	To make way for the houses of women and men
	      D              G          D         A
	And a great cloud of smoke rose up to the sky
	     D           G           A           D
	As I watched the last of the apple trees die

I hopped on my bike and I rode for a while
‘Til I came to a place where the trees were all piled
Off in the distance a bulldozer sat
Grinning at me like some damned Cheshire “Cat”

	CHORUS
	For the farmers were burning their orchards a-gain
	To make way for the houses of women and men
	And a great cloud of smoke rose up to the sky
	As I watched the last of the apricots die

I met an old farmer, his face wet with tears
His family had tended this orchard for years
Now the bank’s full of money, but the trees are all gone
So he figures it’s time for the family to move on

	CHORUS:
	For the farmers were burning their orchards a-gain
	To make way for the houses of women and men
	And a great cloud of smoke rose up to the sky
	As I watched the last of the cherry trees die

The cities were dying and only a fool
Would stay in a place where such lawlessness ruled
The people were looking for someplace to stand
So they came to our valley and they bought all the land

	CHORUS
	For the farmers were burning their orchards a-gain
	To make way for the houses of women and me
	And a great cloud of smoke rose up to the sky
	As I watched the last of the orange trees die

When I got back home the front door was a jar
Father and Mother were loading the car
We drove from that valley for wide open plains
Looking back through the years, I can still feel the pain

	CHORUS:
	For the farmers were burning their orchards a-gain
	To make way for the houses of women and men
	And a great cloud of smoke rose up to the sky
	As I watched the last of the peach trees die

INSTRUMENTAL BREAK

Now I’ve come to the city and I’ll find a wide street
I’ll take a bulldozer and remove the concrete
I’ll gather some seeds from the bag at my knees
And I won’t leave again until there’s an orchard of trees

	CHORUS (much slower, finger picking)
	And no one will ever burn orchards again		D G  A D
	The burning of these trees has been outlawed by men	D G  D A
	And only white clouds will float up in the sky	D G  D G
	The scent on the breeze will be fresh apple pie	D G  A D