When I was a little boy
Daddy used to say to me
"Son, we got a lot of land
We got a lot of work to be done
Go get your marbles put 'em in the house
Tear down your castles in the sand
Come with your poppy to the cotton patch
Get a little dirt on your hands, get a little dirt on your hands
Get a little dirt on your hands, son
Get a little dirt on your hands
If you're gonna grow up to be a big, big man
Get a little dirt on your hands
Get a little dirt on your hands"
Well, I reached twenty-one
And I thought I was a pretty big wheel
I left the country for the city
Met a slicker with a shady deal
He said, "Hold up the bank, boy and take all the money
And run as fast as you can
The only way you'll ever get along in this world
Is to get a little dirt on your hands, get a little dirt on your hands
Get a little dirt on your hands, son
Get a little dirt on your hands
If you want to grow up to be a big, big man
Get a little dirt on your hands
Get a little dirt on your hands"
Well, it's four in the morning
And the warden is calling' my name
He said he's teaching' me a lesson
Now he's making' me go work in the rain
Dig that ditch, boy, fill it up
I'm wanting you to understand
The only way to straighten out a guy like you
Is to get a little dirt on his hands, get a little dirt on his hands
Hey, David got to get a little dirt on those hands boy
Yeah, if you want to grow up to be a big, big man
You better remember what old Whispering Bill
Told you in this song, get a little dirt on those hands
Get a little dirt on your hands, son
Get a little dirt on your hands
If you want to grow up to be a big, big man
Get a little dirt on your hands
Get a little dirt on your hands
Get a little dirt on your hands, son
I got a little dirt on my hands
Get a little dirt on your hands