Water on the parched lands

Songtext

[YES — THE MAIN THING I’D CHANGE IS THAT THE CURRENT “IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A RIVER…” LINE FEELS MORE LIKE SPOKEN EXPLANATION THAN A FOLK REFRAIN. I’D MAKE THE WATER SECTION SHORTER, MORE SINGABLE, AND TIE IT INTO THE “ALL OR NOTHING” IDEA: NOT A FLOOD, JUST ENOUGH RAIN.] [TRACK TITLE: PARCHED LANDS] [INTRO] water, water, water — send a little down (water) (Sussex needs ’ee now) [VERSE 1] sun beat hard on the brow o’ the down, dust in the field an’ the edge o’ the town, the ooze ran low an’ the Uck near dry, not one drop fallin’ from that white-hot sky. old Mister Lunn said, ii seen it afore — round ’ere it’s all or nothin’, that’s sure.” [CHORUS] parched lands, parched lands, dry to the bone, chalk on the hill an’ dust on the stone, no rain comin’, day after day, Sussex wunt be druv away. when the hard times come, us knows what is true — — water, water, water — send a little down, not a flood nor a river, just enough for the ground. come on, rain — Sussex needs ’ee now. [VERSE 2] grass turned yellow, the ’edges hung low, streams where us paddled got nowhere to go, fields cracked open, the cattle stood still, heat lay heavy from valley to hill. funny old county — flood one year, then us spends all summer prayin’ for rain. [CHORUS] parched lands, parched lands, dry to the bone, chalk on the hill an’ dust on the stone, no rain comin’, day after day, Sussex wunt be druv away. when the hard times come, us knows what is true — water, water, water — send a little down, not a flood nor a river, just enough for the ground. come on, rain — Sussex needs ’ee now. [VERSE 3] so ’ere’s to the family, ’ere’s to the friends, them as stay close when the good weather ends, when land turns hard an’ the long days burn, they keep us steady till better days turn. the earth may thirst beneath that blue — [BRIDGE - REFLECTIVE / STRIPPED BACK] water… water… water… not a flood, nor a river — just enough for the ground. come on, rain — Sussex needs ’ee now. [FINAL CHORUS] parched lands, parched lands, dry to the bone, chalk on the hill an’ dust on the stone, no rain comin’, day after day, Sussex wunt be druv away. whatever the season puts us through — water, water, water — send a little down, not a flood nor a river, just enough for the ground. come on, rain — Sussex needs ’ee now. [OUTRO] water, water, water — mind what us got, save every drop while the weather stays hot. water, water, water — till rain comes down, use it wi’ care in the field an’ the town. (water…) (Sussex needs ’ee now…)