Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. in Harlem, NYC, on 1 Ma… Read Full Bio ↴Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. in Harlem, NYC, on 1 March 1927; died 25 April 2023) was an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Caribbean-American pop star, he popularized Jamaican mento folk songs which was marketed as Trinbagonian Calypso musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. His breakthrough album Calypso, released in 1956, was the first million-selling LP by a single artist.

Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing the "Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". Throughout his career, he was an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes.

Belafonte won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category and was the oldest living person to have received the honor.

http://singyoursongthemovie.com

Cotton Fields
Harry Belafonte Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I was a little baby,
My Mama would rock me in the cradle
In them there, ol' cotton fields at home
When I was a little baby,
My Mama would rock me in the cradle
In them there, ol' cotton fields at home

Oh when them cotton balls bet rotten

You can't pick very much cotton
In them there, ol' cotton fields at home
It was down in Louisiana,
Just a mile from Texarkana
In them there ol' cotton fields at home.

Now it may sound very funny,
But you didn't make very much money,
In them there, ol' cotton fields at home
Yes it might sound very funny,
But you didn't make very much money,
In them there, ol' cotton fields at home

Oh when them cotton balls bet rotten
You can't pick very much cotton
In them there, ol' cotton fields at home
It was down in Louisiana,
Just a mile from Texarkana
In them there ol' cotton fields at home.

I was over in Arkansas,
When the sheriff asked me
"What did you come here for ?"
In them there, ol' cotton fields at home
Yes I was over in Arkansas,
When the sheriff asked me
"What did you come here for ?"
In them there, ol' cotton fields at home

Oh when them cotton balls bet rotten
You can't pick very much cotton
In them there, ol' cotton fields at home
It was down in Louisiana,

Just a mile from Texarkana
In them there ol' cotton fields at home.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Harry Belafonte's song "Cotton Fields" speaks to the experience of growing up in the deep South - specifically Louisiana and Arkansas - in a time when cotton was king. The first verse recalls a cherished memory of being rocked by a mother in a cradle amidst the cotton fields. The repetition of this verse highlights the simplicity of a young child's life and the comforting nature of a mother's love. However, this idyllic scene is soon disrupted in the second verse with the reality that when the cotton balls rot, picking becomes difficult and the financial gain is limited. The repetition of the third verse emphasizes this point by stating plainly that financial gain in the cotton fields was scarce. In each verse the location of the cotton fields is mentioned, which creates a sense of place and deepens the meaning of the lyrics.

In the fourth verse, the tone shifts to one of anxiety as the singer faces questioning from a sheriff. The use of dialect in phrases like "them there" further emphasizes the rural, Southern setting. The repetition of the final verse serves as a conclusion and reminder that the cotton fields were a defining feature of the singer's life.

Overall, the song is a reflection on the harsh realities of growing up in a time and place where economic opportunities were limited and heavily reliant on the cotton industry. The repetition of phrases throughout the song emphasize the struggles of life in the deep South, while also emphasizing the beauty and simplicity of childhood memories.

Line by Line Meaning

When I was a little baby, My Mama would rock me in the cradle In them there, ol' cotton fields at home
As a baby, my mother comforted me in the midst of the cotton fields where we lived.

Oh when them cotton balls bet rotten You can't pick very much cotton In them there, ol' cotton fields at home
When the cotton crops spoil, it becomes difficult to harvest enough cotton to make a living.

It was down in Louisiana, Just a mile from Texarkana In them there ol' cotton fields at home.
I lived near the border of Louisiana and Texas, and worked in the cotton fields there.

Now it may sound very funny, But you didn't make very much money, In them there, ol' cotton fields at home
Although it may seem strange, working in the cotton fields did not provide a great deal of financial gain.

Yes it might sound very funny, But you didn't make very much money, In them there, ol' cotton fields at home
Reiterating that despite how it may sound, working in the cotton fields did not lead to financial prosperity.

I was over in Arkansas, When the sheriff asked me "What did you come here for ?" In them there, ol' cotton fields at home
While living near the cotton fields, I traveled to Arkansas and was questioned by law enforcement about my intentions.

It was down in Louisiana, Just a mile from Texarkana In them there ol' cotton fields at home.
Repeating that my time in Louisiana, close to the Texas border, was spent working in the cotton fields.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CALVIN CARTER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS