Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They had their first number-one hit in April 1965 with a cover of "Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan. Crosby appeared on the Byrds' first five albums and produced the original lineup's 1973 reunion album. He subsequently formed Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1968 with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.
After the release of their debut album, CSN won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist of 1969. Neil Young joined the group for live appearances, their second concert being Woodstock, before recording their second album Déjà Vu. Meant to be a group that could collaborate freely, Crosby and Nash recorded three gold albums in the 1970s, while the core trio of CSN remained active from 1976 until 2016. CSNY reunions took place in each decade from the 1970s through the 2000s.
Songs Crosby wrote or co-wrote include "Lady Friend", "Everybody's Been Burned", "Why", and "Eight Miles High" with the Byrds and "Guinnevere", "Wooden Ships", "Shadow Captain", and "In My Dreams" with Crosby, Stills & Nash. He wrote "Almost Cut My Hair" and the title track "Déjà Vu" for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 1970 album of the same name. He is known for having employed alternative guitar tunings and jazz influences. He released six solo albums, five of which charted. Additionally, he formed a jazz-influenced trio with his son James Raymond and guitarist Jeff Pevar in CPR. Crosby's work with the Byrds and CSNY has sold over 35 million albums.
Crosby was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once for his work in the Byrds and again for his work with CSN. Five albums to which he contributed are included in Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, three with the Byrds and two with CSN(Y). He was outspoken politically and was sometimes depicted as emblematic of the counterculture of the 1960s.
Fieldworker
David Crosby Lyrics
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Pulling up your food
No matter how I feel, don't do me no good
"Treat me like a human," is all I got to say
The man that I am working for won't let me get away
I came across your border just to work for you
I give you all I've got to give
What more can I do?
Don't give me law and order
Tell me to stick around
While standing in the picket line
you try and shoot me down down
I came to your country to work on the land
Watching the seeds as they die in the sand
Fighting for your freedom with a hoe in your hand
Fieldworker, fieldworker
Digging in your fields
Pulling up your food
No matter how I feel, don't do me no good.
"Treat me like a human," is all I got to say
The man that I am working for won't let me get away
The song Fieldworker by David Crosby and Graham Nash is a poignant reflection on the struggles of a fieldworker who has crossed the border to work on a farm. The lyrics speak about the harsh realities of manual labor, about how the fieldworker's efforts to contribute to society often go unacknowledged. The opening lines of the song, "Digging in your fields, pulling up your food" paints a vivid picture of the backbreaking work that goes into producing the food on our tables. The singer laments "No matter how I feel, don't do me no good", highlighting the disconnect between the efforts of the fieldworkers and the society they serve.
The plea "treat me like a human" is a powerful reminder that fieldworkers deserve to be treated with the same dignity and respect afforded to any other human being. However, the man the fieldworker is working for seems to have little regard for this basic human right, trapping his workers and exploiting them for their labor. The last verse, "Fighting for your freedom with a hoe in your hand" is a reminder that fieldworkers are not just manual laborers but rather human beings that contribute to the fabric of society.
Fieldworker is a classic protest song from the 1970s, and it speaks to the plight of migrant workers who crossed borders to find work in America's farms. It stands as a powerful reminder that the plight of the downtrodden is just as relevant today as it was when the song was written. Interestingly, this song was actually written during a sound check, and the duo recorded it in a single take.
Line by Line Meaning
Digging in your fields
Working hard in your fields
Pulling up your food
Harvesting your crops
No matter how I feel, don't do me no good
My hard work won't change my situation
"Treat me like a human," is all I got to say
I just want to be treated fairly and like a human being
The man that I am working for won't let me get away
My boss won't let me leave my job
I came across your border just to work for you
I traveled from another country to work for you
I give you all I've got to give
I work very hard for you
What more can I do?
I don't know what else I can do to please you
Don't give me law and order
I don't want to be controlled by rules and regulations
Tell me to stick around
Don't tell me to leave or go away
While standing in the picket line you try and shoot me down down
Even when protesting peacefully, I'm met with violence
Watching the seeds as they die in the sand
Seeing the crops fail because of poor conditions
Fighting for your freedom with a hoe in your hand
Struggling for justice with only my tools and work
Fieldworker, fieldworker
I am a hardworking fieldworker
Digging in your fields
Working hard in your fields
Pulling up your food
Harvesting your crops
No matter how I feel, don't do me no good.
My hard work won't change my situation
"Treat me like a human," is all I got to say
I just want to be treated fairly and like a human being
The man that I am working for won't let me get away
My boss won't let me leave my job
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: GRAHAM NASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind