Dida Tañedo - An Ode to Farmers Lyrics

An Ode to Farmers
Driving along the roads of Salinas
Farm fields as far as the eyes can see
Fruit trees and corn lay neatly in a line
Grapevines in symmetry entwine
Could that be a rainbow or the sunlight's gleam
Red, orange, yellow in a sea of green
Bent over backs, all bowed and stooped
I take a closer look
Could my eyes be playing tricks on me
From afar, a stunning sight
Take some time from your life
To find out to what it's like
To witness these families' plight
They're farmers on hands and knees a-toiling
Each with sad stories to tell
Brown skin baked by the sun a-blazing
Their lives must feel inches from hell
Backbreaking labor with nary a rest
Painstaking care so we'll get it fresh
A bucket of tears and pain all around
All for a dollar a pound
Do we really think we can do what they can
Just give it a day
Do it their way
Leave our loved ones behind
The next time we bite
At these luscious delights
The wine that we drink
May a sip make us think
How they got to our table
Why bite the hands that feed
When they give us all we need
A taste that's been whet
Spurred by the sweat
From a job that we'll most prob'ly shun.
Do we really think we can do what they can
Just maybe we can
But I'm sure that I won't
It's a job that most people will shun
It's a job you and I will shun