English III: "I’d Rather Not Be on Relief" by Lester Hunter

Written in 1938 during the Great Depression, this poem, later adapted into a song, captures the struggles and proud spirit of migrant farmworkers.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. satisfied
    filled with contentment
    We go around all dressed in rags
    While the rest of the world goes neat,
    And we have to be satisfied
    With half enough to eat.
  2. rent
    a payment or series of payments made by a lessee to an owner
    We have to live in lean-tos,
    Or else we live in a tent,
    For when we buy our bread and beans
    There’s nothing left for rent.
  3. relief
    aid for the aged, indigent, or handicapped
    I’d rather not be on the rolls of relief,
    Or work on the W.P.A.,
    We’d rather work for the farmer
    If the farmer could raise the pay
  4. farmer
    a person who works growing crops or raising animals
    We’d rather work for the farmer
    If the farmer could raise the pay;
    Then the farmer could plant more cotton
    And he’d get more money for spuds,
    Instead of wearing patches,
    We’d dress up in new duds.
  5. cotton
    a bushy mallow plant bearing bolls with fibers used to make fabric
    We’d rather work for the farmer
    If the farmer could raise the pay;
    Then the farmer could plant more cotton
    And he’d get more money for spuds,
    Instead of wearing patches,
    We’d dress up in new duds.
  6. patch
    a piece of cloth for decoration or to mend or cover a hole
    We’d rather work for the farmer
    If the farmer could raise the pay;
    Then the farmer could plant more cotton
    And he’d get more money for spuds,
    Instead of wearing patches,
    We’d dress up in new duds.
  7. swarm
    a group of many things in the air or on the ground
    From the east and west and north and south
    Like a swarm of bees we come;
    The migratory workers
    Are worse off than a bum.
  8. migratory
    habitually moving from place to place
    From the east and west and north and south
    Like a swarm of bees we come;
    The migratory workers
    Are worse off than a bum.
  9. luxury
    something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity
    We don’t ask for luxuries
    Or even a feather bed.
  10. bound
    governed by fate
    But we’re bound to raise the dickens
    While our families are underfed.
Created on Fri Apr 17 13:24:13 EDT 2026 (updated Fri Jun 05 17:27:48 EDT 2026)

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