By 5 a .m. I was in the woods
with an old tow sack
By 6 o 'clock
I'd made my trip
to the rabbit traps and back
My seven mama had them dressed
and crying in the pad
When daddy lived in Houston
and we lived off the land
They said that down in Houston
workers were hard to find
That a man couldn't make
his fortune there
while we just scraped for dimes
The money was just waiting there
for those with skillful hands
So Daddy moved to Houston
and we lived off the land
They say they built the biggest ship
that ever sailed the sea
But not all Daddy's money
came back to Mom and me
We didn't know the reason,
but we tried to understand
When Daddy lived in Houston
and we lived off the land
An d when the war was over,
Dad never made it home
And I think mama knew
he wouldn't come back all alone
It took a while
but now I know it never was his plan
When daddy left in Houston
and we lived off the land
When Daddy lived in Houston
and we lived off the land