Lots of folks back East, they say, is leaving home every day,
Beating the hot old dusty way to the California line.
Cross the desert sands they roll, getting out of that old dust bowl,
They think they're going to a sugar bowl, but here's what they find
Now, the police at the port of entry say,
"You're number fourteen thousand for today."

[Chorus]
Oh, if you ain't got the do re mi, folks, you ain't got the do re mi,
Why, you better go back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee.
California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see
But believe it or not, you won't find it so hot
If you ain't got the do re mi.

You want to buy you a home or a farm, that can't deal nobody harm,
Or take your vacation by the mountains or sea.
Don't swap your old cow for a car,
You better stay right where you are,
Better take this little tip from me.
Cause I look through the want ads every day
But the headlines on the papers always say

[Chorus]