Ed McCurdy was born in 1919 in Willow Hill, Pennsylvania. His professional … Read Full Bio ↴Ed McCurdy was born in 1919 in Willow Hill, Pennsylvania. His professional career started in 1937 as a Gospel singer over station SVKY in Oklahoma City, and he has since of worked as a niteclub and theatre performer (including a short stint in burlesque) and as a radio announcer.

In 1946, McCurdy began singing folksongs over the Canadian Broad casting Corporation radio system. In 1952, he began writing and performing for children's program's in radio and television, continuing to utilize folkmusic at every opportunity. Since late 1954, he has been living in New York City, and has appeared frequently in Televisions broadcasts for both adults and children originating from that city.

McCurdy is accompanied on second guitar, and banjo, by ERIK DARLING, an Upstate New Yorker who has been working out of New York City in recent years. Mr. Darling has made numerous recordings as a banjoist and singer, both as a solo performer and as an accompanist. He has performed extensively in concerts, and on television and radio, including several years on Oscar Brand's "Folksong Festival" over station WNYC. His most recent musical adventure has been performing as all integral part of an exciting new folksong trio, "The Tarriers", in whose success his instrumental and vocal talents have played an important role.

McCurdy died March 23, 2000

One Man Went To Mow
Ed McCurdy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

One man, two men, come to mow the meadow.
Three men, four men, come to mow the hay.
Four and
Three and
Two and
One and only once more
They mowed the hay and the take it away.
On a beautiful Summer′s Day.

Five men, six men, come to mow the meadow.
Seven men, eight men, come to mow the hay.
Eight and
Seven and
Six and
Five and
Four and
Three and
Two and
One and only once more
They mowed the hay and the take it away.
On a beautiful Summer's Day.

Nine men, ten men come to mow the meadow.
11 men, 12 men, come to mow the hay.
12
11
Ten and
Nine and
Eight and
Seven and
Six and
Five and
Four and
Three and
Two and
One and only once more
They mowed the hay and the take it away.
On a beautiful Summer′s Day.

13 men, 14 men, come to mow the meadow.
15 men, 16 men, come to mow the hay.
16
15
14
13
12
11
Ten and
Nine and
Eight and
Seven and
Six and
Five and
Four and
Three and
Two and
One and only once more

They mowed the hay and the take it away.
On a beautiful Summer's Day.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ed McCurdy's song "One Man Went to Mow" appear simple and repetitive, with each verse following a similar pattern. However, beneath the surface, there are some possible deeper meanings that can be explored.

The song begins by introducing the idea of different men coming to mow a meadow or field. Interestingly, the song specifies the numbers of men, which seem to increase with each verse. This numerical progression adds a sense of building momentum to the song, as if more and more people are coming together to work towards a common goal.

As the number of men increases, so too does the complexity of the song. With more men involved, there is more coordination required, and the song reflects this by adding more lines to each verse. By the time we reach the final verse, there are sixteen men, which creates a sense of grandeur and communal effort.

Despite the many people involved in the task of mowing the meadow, the song asserts that they all work together to achieve a common goal. There is no sense of competition or individualism, only a shared effort. The final line of the song, "On a beautiful Summer's Day," adds a sense of peace and accomplishment to the overall theme of the song.

Overall, "One Man Went to Mow" can be interpreted as a celebration of community effort and working together towards a shared goal. The repetition of the lyrics and the numerical progression serve to reinforce this theme and create a feeling of unity among the participants.

Line by Line Meaning

One man, two men, come to mow the meadow.
A few men are coming to mow the meadow.

Three men, four men, come to mow the hay.
More men are coming to mow the hay.

Four and
Four men are here to work.

Three and
Three more men have arrived.

Two and
Two more men have arrived.

One and only once more
One last man has arrived.

They mowed the hay and the take it away.
They cut the hay and removed it from the meadow.

On a beautiful Summer's Day.
It was a nice summer day.

Five men, six men, come to mow the meadow.
More men are coming to mow the meadow.

Seven men, eight men, come to mow the hay.
Even more men are coming to mow the hay.

Eight and
Eight men are here to work.