How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm (After They've Seen Paree?)
Arthur Fields (August 6, 1888 – March 29, 1953) was a United States singer … Read Full Bio ↴Arthur Fields (August 6, 1888 – March 29, 1953) was a United States singer (baritone) and songwriter.
He was born Abe Finkelstein in Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, but grew up mainly in Utica, New York. He became a professional singer as a youngster. Around 1908 he toured with Guy Brother's Minstrel Show, and helped form a vaudeville act "Weston, Fields and Carroll".
His first hit as a songwriter was On The Mississippi (1912) which he wrote the music for with Harry Carroll and Ballard MacDonald supplied the lyrics. In 1914 he wrote the lyrics to Aba Daba Honeymoon, which was revived for the 1950 M.G.M. film Two Weeks With Love and thus got a renewed popularity which brought Fields large royalty incomes during his last two years.
From 1914 onwards he recorded with many bands and for many labels and had a varied career in the recording industry. His 1919 recordings with bandleader Ford Dabney may be the very first recordings of a white singer backed by a black band. For a period Fields also formed a vocal trio with brothers Jack and Irving Kaufman, billing themselves as "The Three Kaufields". Fields also often appeared on records under pseudonyms, for example as "Mr X." on Grey Gull Records and related labels. His last records were made in the early 1940s.
Among Field's most prolific partnerships was the one with band leader and pianist Fred Hall, with whom Fields made plenty of records and co-wrote several songs, often with comic titles like The Shoes We Have Left Are All Right and I Can't Sleep In The Movies Anymore. Hall and Fields also broadcasted together as Rex Cole's Mountaineers.
Retiring to Florida in 1946 he also worked in radio on WKAT Miami. He suffered a stroke early in 1953 and was killed in a fire at Littlefield Convalescent Home a little later the same year.
He was born Abe Finkelstein in Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, but grew up mainly in Utica, New York. He became a professional singer as a youngster. Around 1908 he toured with Guy Brother's Minstrel Show, and helped form a vaudeville act "Weston, Fields and Carroll".
His first hit as a songwriter was On The Mississippi (1912) which he wrote the music for with Harry Carroll and Ballard MacDonald supplied the lyrics. In 1914 he wrote the lyrics to Aba Daba Honeymoon, which was revived for the 1950 M.G.M. film Two Weeks With Love and thus got a renewed popularity which brought Fields large royalty incomes during his last two years.
From 1914 onwards he recorded with many bands and for many labels and had a varied career in the recording industry. His 1919 recordings with bandleader Ford Dabney may be the very first recordings of a white singer backed by a black band. For a period Fields also formed a vocal trio with brothers Jack and Irving Kaufman, billing themselves as "The Three Kaufields". Fields also often appeared on records under pseudonyms, for example as "Mr X." on Grey Gull Records and related labels. His last records were made in the early 1940s.
Among Field's most prolific partnerships was the one with band leader and pianist Fred Hall, with whom Fields made plenty of records and co-wrote several songs, often with comic titles like The Shoes We Have Left Are All Right and I Can't Sleep In The Movies Anymore. Hall and Fields also broadcasted together as Rex Cole's Mountaineers.
Retiring to Florida in 1946 he also worked in radio on WKAT Miami. He suffered a stroke early in 1953 and was killed in a fire at Littlefield Convalescent Home a little later the same year.
How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm
Arthur Fields Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm' by these artists:
Judy Garland Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking Said his wifey dear Now t…
judy garland & m-g-m studio chorus Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking Said his wifey dear Now t…
Judy Garland & The MGM Studio Chorus Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking Said his wifey dear Now…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Arthur Fields:
Hunting The Hun Over in France there's a game that's played By all the…
Ja-Da You've heard all about your raggy melodies Ev'rything from o…
Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning The other day I chanced to meet a soldier friend…
Oui Oui Marie Poor Johnny′s heart went pitty pat, Somewhere in sunny Franc…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Andrew Barrett
Although on the one hand, the horrors of war are more widely known and it’s no longer cool to write new songs boasting about how great current wars are etc (since no one on any side really likes them that much; I believe they are considered an (un)necessary evil, except perhaps by some of those in power who like to start them), however on the other hand, back in the day, these songs were considered important on the home front as morale boosters.
This particular song came out after the war was OVER and when troops started returning home in 1919. I doubt any particular songwriter was roasted or lambasted by soldiers etc although collectively they may have resented the phenomenon, BUT songs either celebrating war, or at least intended to give troops impetus to fight, as well as help mollify anxious feelings among family members back at home, are actually way older than WWI. That is just one more facet of that whole societal/cultural mentality of not necessarily pushing for war, but supporting the troops all hot and heavy once a war is underway.
In the current more enlightened era, it is now better understood both that wars should not necessarily be blamed on the entire varegiated population of a country in a sort of racist way (as they used to be), but are more correctly now pinned on the LEADERS who aren’t necessarily under the control of the people (definitely NOT, in the case of dictators).
Also, I think most soldiers don’t necessarily want to hear or need silly songs urging them to fight or trying to keep up their morale in an ignorant way etc although I don’t know, perhaps some do like those songs. But anyway although a war song, this is not one of those KIND of war songs.
But my point was that certainly although some of the WWI troops hated these songs, others tolerated or even liked them, either for personal reasons, or for their role / function in the culture of that day, which was different than our own today.
I should add there were even anti-war songs for WWI popular in about 1915, a well known one being “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier”. After popular opinion/consensus shifted about entering the war in 1917, songs like this were not only unpopular but also lambasted: for example a parody song titled “I Didn’t Raise My Dog to Be a Sausage”. (Or something to that effect).
Richard Twigg
This is by far the best version of the song.
Berliner VV-XIV
I love Arthur Fields! He's amazing.
tommy nevils
wonderful pictures of the era just before the 20s. My grandmother told me she and her family wrapped bandages and knitted sweaters for the war effort. People were very patriotic in those years.
Opaula Morgan
I love it? Best version! This catchy tune is ageless!
regent260
It's really a very well done recording, musically speaking.
JNR
My father was born in 1914, I was born in 1950. I have the memory of my dad bouncing me on his knee singing this tune. I did the same with my kids and my grand kids. I have no doubt my father learned it from his father.
abyssano78
That's a heart-warming story sir!
FC
That's really sweet.
Mac a'Bhaird
One of my earliest memories (b 1950) is my father(b 1914) bouncing me on his knee singing this song - no doubt his father sang it to him
Phillip Riggins
When I was in the Army in the 80’s, I was stationed in Germany. I was lucky enough to get to go to Paris France twice.
I saw most all of the Paris sites.