Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)
Encyclopedia
"Long Hard Road" is the title of a song written by Rodney Crowell
and recorded by American country music band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It was released in May 1984 as the lead single from the album, Plain Dirt Fashion
. The song became the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's first (of three) No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Singles
chart.
Years later, the protagonist has now apparently made it big in his chosen field (perhaps in music, as implied by the lyrics), and has the opportunity to reflect on his childhood. Here, he realizes he didn't have it so bad in the cotton fields and having the warmth and security of his family close by. As he bemoans missing things that marked his childhood — watching lightning bugs dance in the rain, listening to the raindrops beat on the tin roof of his log cabin home and hearing his parents make music with makeshift instruments — he is resigned to living out his dream, which he is determined to make come true.
Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell is a Grammy Award-winning musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music....
and recorded by American country music band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It was released in May 1984 as the lead single from the album, Plain Dirt Fashion
Plain Dirt Fashion
Plain Dirt Fashion is an album by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band which was released in 1984 by the record label Warner Bros. Records. This album went to #8 on the US Country charts. The three singles from this album all charted in the top 3. "Long Hard Road " went to 1, "I Love Only You" went to 3,...
. The song became the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's first (of three) No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Singles
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart.
Content
The song is told through the eyes of the son of a sharecropper, who along with his family was forced to work long, hard hours in a cotton field for little pay. Now a grown man, the main protagonist's memories of childhood are mainly pleasant, such as singing songs along with his grandmother's radio, hearing his mother read from the Bible and always having food to eat. However, his dreams take him to a better life:- "Someday I was dreamin' that a song that I was singin
- "Takes me down the road to where I want to go.
- "Now I know, it's a long hard road."
Years later, the protagonist has now apparently made it big in his chosen field (perhaps in music, as implied by the lyrics), and has the opportunity to reflect on his childhood. Here, he realizes he didn't have it so bad in the cotton fields and having the warmth and security of his family close by. As he bemoans missing things that marked his childhood — watching lightning bugs dance in the rain, listening to the raindrops beat on the tin roof of his log cabin home and hearing his parents make music with makeshift instruments — he is resigned to living out his dream, which he is determined to make come true.
Chart positions
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 2 |