Well, thousands of folks back east, they say,
Are leavin' home most ev'ry day,
And they're beatin' the hot old dusty way
To the California line.
'Cross the desert sands they roll,
A-getting out of that old dust bowl,
And they think they're going to a sugar bowl,
Here's what they find:
The police at the port of entry say,
"You're number fourteen thousand for today."

[Chorus]
If you ain't got the do-re-mi, boys,
If you ain't got the do-re-mi,
Well you'd better go back to beautiful Texas,
Oklahoma, Georgia, Kansas, Tennessee.
California is a garden of Eden,
It's a paradise to live in or see.
But believe it or not,
You won't find it so hot,
If you ain't got the do-re-mi.

Well, if you want to buy you a home or farm,
That can't deal nobody harm,
Or take your vacations
By the mountains or sea,
Don't swap your old cow for a car,
You'd better stay right where you are;
Well you'd better take this little tip from me.
'Cause I look through the want ads every day,
And the headlines on the papers always say:

[Chorus]

Copyright: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, T.R.O. INC.
Writer(s): WOODY GUTHRIE