Bill Harjes

The Earth Is the Lord’s

Honoring Bill Harjes

The Earth Is the Lord’s

On the day I was born
Dad was shocking wheat
When the doctor came out of the house
Said you have a new baby
Then we moved three miles east
Of his town Green Isle
To the farm that once was owned
By William Nile
The earth is the Lords
And the fullness thereof
The world and they that dwell therein. . . my friend

Back when I was born
People lived off the land
Fed the chickens, washed the eggs
And milked the cows by hand
Everybody had a garden
Everybody had chores
I didn’t know what it meant
In life to be bored
The earth is the Lords
And the fullness thereof
The world and they that dwell therein. . . my friend

We had work horses
Pulling a sulky plow
A two row cultivator
Three section drag on the ground
Grew up speaking German
With my family
When I road to school
I rode on my Shetland pony
The earth is the Lords
And the fullness thereof
The world and they that dwell therein. . . my friend

Then I got drafted
To serve in the military
Where I was stationed
In Germany
That’s where I met Dorothea
She became my wife
Now we have 15 grandchildren
She’s the love of my life
The earth is the Lords
And the fullness thereof
The world and they that dwell therein. . . my friend

Cherish your education
It will help you through
If you learn another language
My advice to you
What you pore into your head
No one can take away
There’s no replacement for love
What more can I say
The earth is the Lords
And the fullness thereof
The world and they that dwell therein. . . my friend

Words & music by Larry Long

© Larry Long 2008 / BMI