LEAVE THIS LAND BEHIND

Because of the devastation left by the dust storms, many people decided to relocate. A sizable number of these people headed out to California. This was not an easy decision to make. Many of these people could trace their  family roots to the"Dust Bowl" areas back for generations.  The numbers of people who left their homes and land behind numbered in the tens of thousands. Because so many came from Oklahoma, these disaster refugees were often called "okies." Most of these dust storm refugees lived very poorly in their new homes.

 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection
used for educational purpose only

This song gives a sense of the despair that these people felt during these difficult times.They hoped that they would make new lives for themselves, with new homesteads. The last line of the poem says, "there is hope in sight." In reality, life was no such thing for most of these people. It was the middle of the Great Depression when most people were suffering. 

  
The Song


 IMPROVISAION #1




IMPROVISATION #2