Born in Los Angeles, California on 15th March 1947, Cooder first attracted attention in the 1960s, playing with Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band, after having worked with Taj Mahal in The Rising Sons.
He was a session guitarist on various recording sessions with the Rolling Stones in 1968 and 1969; Cooder's contributions most notably appear on the Stones' Beggars Banquet where he shares a prominent credit with pianist, Nicky Hopkins on the back cover. He continued to appear on the succeeding albums, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers, on which he contributed the haunting slide guitar solo to "Sister Morphine". Cooder is reputed to have taught Keith Richards to play in open-G tuning, now a Richards hallmark, as well as to have written the open-G signature riff of "Honky Tonk Women". He was briefly considered to fill the departed Brian Jones' place in the Rolling Stones, but reportedly Cooder and Keith Richards did not get along very well. For some time after the sessions, Cooder accused Keith Richards of "ripping him off" musically, but now refuses to talk about his experiences with the Stones. Cooder played slide guitar for the 1970 film Performance, which contained Mick Jagger's first solo single, "Memo from Turner" on which Cooder played guitar.
Throughout the 1970s Cooder released a series of Warner Brothers albums that showcased his guitar work, to some degree. In this respect, Cooder's guitar work on these records is not unlike the guitar playing of Robbie Robertson on the Band's albums: Both virtuosos emphasized song over solo. Cooder's 1970s albums spotlight, more than anything, a wide-ranging taste in music. Cooder has been seen as almost a musicologist, exploring bygone musical genres with personalized and sensitive, updated reworkings of revered originals. Cooder's 1970s albums (with the exception of Jazz) cannot be neatly pigeonholed by genre, But - to generalise broadly - it might be fair to call Cooder's first album blues; Into the Purple Valley, Boomer's Story, and Paradise and Lunch, folk + blues; Chicken Skin Music and Showtime, a unique melange of Tex-Mex and Hawaiian; Jazz, 1920s jazz; Bop till You Drop 1950s R&B and blues; and Borderline an eclectic mix of Tex-Mex with blues, R&B, and country and Get Rhythm, with more rock-based excursions.
Cooder has worked as a studio musician and has also scored many film soundtracks, of which perhaps the best known is that for the 1984 Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas. Ry Cooder based this soundtrack, and the haunting title song "Paris, Texas" on Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)", which he described as "The most soulful, transcendent piece in all music from the US." His other film work includes Walter Hill's The Long Riders (1980) and Southern Comfort (1981).
In recent years, Cooder has played a role in the increased appreciation of traditional Cuban music, due to his collaboration as producer in the Buena Vista Social Club (1997) recording, which was a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed a documentary film of the musicians involved, Buena Vista Social Club (1999) which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000. Cooder worked with Tuvan throat singers for the score to the 1993 film Geronimo: An American Legend.
Cooder's solo work has been an eclectic mix, taking in dust bowl folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and almost everything else. He has collaborated with many important musicians, including the Rolling Stones, Little Feat, the Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Gabby Pahinui, and Ali Farka Toure. He formed the Little Village supergroup with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner.
Cooder's 1979 album Bop till You Drop was the first popular music album to be recorded digitally. It yielded his biggest hit, a disco/R&B cover of Elvis Presley's 1960s recording "Little Sister".
Taxes on the Farmer Feeds Us All
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(D) - (A) - (E)
(A) We worked through Spring and Winter, through (D) Summer and through (A) Fall
But the mortgage worked the hardest and the (E) steadiest of us all
It (A) worked on nights and Sundays, it (D) worked each holiday
(E) Settled down among us and it never went (A) away
The farmer is the man who feeds us all
If you only look and see I know you will agree
That the farmer is the man who feeds us all
(A) The farmer is the man, the farmer is the man
He buys on his credit until (E) Fall
Then they (A) take him by the hand
And they (D) lead him from his land
And the (E) merchant is the man who gets it (A) all
The farmer is the man, the farmer is the man
He lives on his credit until Fall
With the interest rates so high
It's a wonder he don't die
But the taxes on the farmer feeds us all
Well, the banker says he's broke and the merchant stops and smoke
But they forget that it's the farmer that feeds them all
It would put them to the test if the farmer took a rest
And they'd know that it's the farmer that feeds them all
The farmer is the man, the farmer is the man
Lives on his credit until Fall
Well, his pants are wearing thin
His condition, it's a sin
'Cause the taxes on the farmer feeds us all
The song "Taxes on the Farmer Feeds Us All" by Ry Cooder is an adaptation of a traditional song that highlights the struggles of American farmers who work tirelessly to feed their communities while facing economic challenges. The song tells the story of farmers who work through all seasons, only to be burdened by mortgages and high taxes that make it difficult to make ends meet.
The opening verse of the song sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The mortgage is personified as an entity that has a life of its own and is always present, working harder than the farmers themselves. The song emphasizes the importance of the farmer in the community, pointing out that they are the ones who work to provide food for everyone. The lyrics suggest that despite their hard work, farmers are continually struggling to keep up with the financial demands of farming.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "the farmer is the man who feeds us all," emphasizing the importance of farmers in society. The lyrics use powerful imagery to convey the financial struggles that farmers face, such as having to buy on credit until fall and having to live with high-interest rates. The song also calls out bankers and merchants who take advantage of farmers and forget that they are the ones who provide the food that sustains the community.
Overall, the song "Taxes on the Farmer Feeds Us All" is a poignant reminder of the hard work that farmers do and the economic challenges they face in their profession.
Line by Line Meaning
We worked through Spring and Winter, through Summer and through Fall
We worked hard all year round
But the mortgage worked the hardest and the steadiest of us all
The mortgage was the most persistent and demanding thing in our lives
It worked on nights and Sundays, it worked each holiday
The mortgage was always present and required attention even on days off
Settled down among us and it never went away
The mortgage was inescapable and constantly a part of our lives
The farmer comes to town with his wagon broken down
The farmer is struggling and facing difficulties
The farmer is the man who feeds us all
The farmer is the backbone of society and provides food for everyone
If you only look and see I know you will agree
If you take the time to see the value of the farmer, you will realize its importance
That the farmer is the man who feeds us all
The farmer is the primary source of food for everyone
The farmer is the man, the farmer is the man
The farmer is an important and essential figure
He buys on his credit until Fall
The farmer relies on credit to make purchases until harvest time
Then they take him by the hand
Creditors take advantage of the farmer's debt and control
And they lead him from his land
Farmers may lose their land due to debt and financial struggles
And the merchant is the man who gets it all
Merchants and other financial entities benefit from the farmer's struggles
With the interest rates so high
The interest rates on loans are very steep
It's a wonder he don't die
The farmer faces immense financial pressure and stress
But the taxes on the farmer feeds us all
Despite the struggles of the farmer, taxes on farming provide for society as a whole
Well, the banker says he's broke and the merchant stops and smoke
Financial entities feign ignorance of the farmer's struggles
But they forget that it's the farmer that feeds them all
These financial entities depend on the farmer's work for their own livelihoods
It would put them to the test if the farmer took a rest
If farmers were to stop working, others would face the consequences
And they'd know that it's the farmer that feeds them all
The importance of the farmer would become clear if they were to stop working
Well, his pants are wearing thin
The farmer is struggling and his resources are limited
His condition, it's a sin
The fact that the farmer is in such a difficult position is unfortunate
'Cause the taxes on the farmer feeds us all
Despite the difficulties, taxes on farming provide a valuable service to society
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RY COODER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Harald Lorenzen
My father drove to California in a 68 bronco from Long Island in 1976, this was the only record he had.🥰. He sang this song to me when I was a little baby👍🏻
Theo Helmers
A support to alle our dutch farmers in 2019!!
number668
And in 2022…
lee icon
very luck man indeed to have seen such an early magic band with ry,
fgzd
Masterpiece
Tomaso corà
i sogni vivono, grazie ry.
Michael Cochran
What am awesome arrangement ....and that solo shhheeesssh
Tom Owen
Thank sick boy. Love the Ry Tuneage.
Keith Keller
Thanks and Sharing........Love this!
Yorrick Veenstra
De boer dat is de keerl!