Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Joe Ely
Canonical path: /joe-ely/all-that-you-need
Related lyric paths: 6
Lyric guide
All That You Need
Read All That You Need lyrics by Joe Ely on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
All That You Need
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
I been workin on the farm
Just me and my brother Jack
Choppin a sea of cotton
Till I thought Id break my back
Everything changed
When my daddy got hurt
Our lives were so connected
to that brown ol flatland dirt
When the government man from Austin
Come sniffin around our land
Askin a bunch of questions
That we did not understand
Theres more to farmin cotton
Than just tendin to your seed
The ones who set the policy
Dont give a damn about our needs
Sow the seed in the ground below
Fall to your knees and pray real slow
That rain will come and kiss the seed
And Bless you with all that you need
Mama says to Jackie
Would she bring the car around?
Shes wearin her finest dress
Thats how I know shes goin to town
I wish Id never seen that letter
That I found there in her room
Theyre sellin the farm on the courthouse step
This Saturday afternoon
Me and Jack moved into town
To a shack by the train depot
Jack got a job as a bouncer
At a Bar on Paradise Row
Mama got a job in the cotton gin
Grading cotton by the bale
She cried when a trailor full of cotton come in
From the farm we had to sell
Sow the seed in the ground below
Fall to your knees and pray real slow
That rain will come and kiss the seed
And Bless you with all that you need
Me, I ended up in jail
Sick of livin on welfare
And the hardest thing ever happend to me
Is when mama come to vist me there
Dont you worry your pretty little head
I said as I buttoned my shirt
When I get out of this Iron Hotel
Im goin back to that Dryland dirt
For some its just a livin
But for Us its our whole life
If it kills me Im gonna rake that dirt
And make a livin out of toil and strife
The ways of the cities makes no sense
Strapped to dependency
Id rather be sweatin aneath a clear blue sky
Plantin cotton with my family
Sow the seed in the ground below
Fall to your knees and pray real slow
That rain will come and kiss the seed
And Bless you with all that you need
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "All That You Need"?
Joe Ely performs "All That You Need", and this lyric page sits inside the Joe Ely catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "All That You Need"?
Yes. The related section below points to Are You Listening Lucky? and 95 South with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Joe Ely?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Joe Ely's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on All That You Need yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.