Pastures Of Plenty
Words and music Woody Guthrie
Released on Colombia River Collection (1988) and The Asch Recordings Vol. 1; This Land Is Your Land (1997)

This song is played a million different ways as it's been covered by many different artists; I've seen many different chord changes used.  But actually if you listen carefully Woody only uses one chord for almost all of the song and does all the melody with the singing (I've put the Am in brackets to indicate the chord suggested by the singing, but it's not actually played).  He mixes up the rhythm with various embellishments on the chord, usually a hammer-on 0h2 on the D-string.  Listen to the recording and it's not hard to pick up some others.

Capo fret 2

Intro w/harp:

C


C                                            (Am)
It's a mighty hard row that my poor hand has hoed,
My poor feet has traveled a hot dusty road.
Out of your Dust Bowl and Westward we rolled,
And your desert was hot and your mountains was cold.

{Harp interlude}

I worked in your orchards of peaches and prunes,
I slept on the ground in the light of your moon.
On the edge of your city you'll see us and then,
We come with the dust and we go with the wind.

California n' Arizona, I make all your crops,
Then it's North up to Oregon to gather your hops.
Dig the beets from your ground, cut the grapes from your vine,
To set on your table your light sparkling wine.

Green pastures of plenty from dry desert ground,
From that Grand Coulee Dam where the waters run down.
Every state in this Union us migrants have been,
                   G                             C
We'll work in this fight and we'll fight till we win.

Well It's always we rambled, that river and I,
All along your green valley, I'll work till I die.
My land I'll defend with my life if it be,
                                 G         C
Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free.