Bakersfield Bound        (Chris Hillman/Steve Hill)


I was the youngest boy in a family of four
We lived in Oklahoma, the wind whistled through our door
We scratched out a living in the dirt and the clay
I never will forget it until my dying day

The dust storms they came at us, the sky turned cold and black
We packed up our belongings and never looked back
We rode out west toward the sun just a heartbeat  away
I never will forget it until my dying day

We were Bakersfield bound and the California dream
Down the road lay the promised land, our fields would all turn green
We were Bakersfield bound like so many gone before
Just to cross our river Jordan and reach the other shor

When we first set eyes on the San Joaquin was like a friend we always knew
The gates swung open so far and wide even God could drive through
We worked the crops from dawn to dusk, shared along the way
I never will forget it until my dying day

Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen
"Bakersfield Bound"  1996