Down on Penny's Farm
The Bently Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And listen to my song,
I'll sing it to you right, but you might think it's wrong,
May make you mad, but I mean no harm,
It's all about the renters on Penny's farm.
It's hard times in the country,
Down on Penny's farm.
Now you move out on Penny's farm,
Plant a little crop of 'bacco and a little crop of corn,
He'll come around to plan and plot,
Till he gets himself a mortgage
On everything you got.
You go to the fields
And you work all day,
Till way after dark, but you get no pay,
Promise you meat or a little lard,
It's hard to be a renter on Penny's farm.
Now here's George Penny come into town,
With his wagon-load of peaches, not one of them sound,
He's got to have his money or somebody's check,
You pay him for a bushel,
And you don't get a peck.
Then George Penny's renters, they come into town,
With their hands in their pockets, and their heads hanging down,
Go in the store and the merchant will say:
"Your mortgage is due
And I'm looking for my pay."
Goes down in his pocket with a trembling hand --
"Can't pay you all but I'll pay you what I can."
Then to the telephone the merchant makes a call,
"They'll put you on the chain gang
If you don't pay it all."
The Bently Boys' song "Down on Penny's Farm" is a ballad that sheds light on the struggles of tenant farmers during a time of economic hardship. The song describes the mistreatment and exploitation of renters on Penny's farm, who work long hours in the fields without receiving proper compensation. The lyrics criticize the greed of the landowner George Penny, who charges exorbitant rent and profits from the crops of the farmers. The song portrays the stark reality of poverty and debt that tenant farmers faced during the Great Depression, a time when farmers suffered greatly in the face of drought, falling crop prices, and economic collapse.
The song reflects the influence of the folk tradition in its musical style and storytelling. The simple chord progression and melody are characteristic of traditional American folk music, and the use of call-and-response in the chorus adds to its folk authenticity. The lyrics, meanwhile, convey a powerful message that transcends time and place. The story of tenant farmers struggling to make ends meet remains relevant today, as the exploitation of working-class people continues to be a pressing issue in modern society.
Line by Line Meaning
Come you ladies and you gentlemen
And listen to my song,
I'll sing it to you right, but you might think it's wrong,
May make you mad, but I mean no harm,
It's all about the renters on Penny's farm.
Listen up folks, I'm singing a song about the people on Penny's farm. I know it might not sit well with you and could possibly make you angry, but I don't mean any offense. Just hear me out.
It's hard times in the country,
Down on Penny's farm.
Penny's farm is facing tough times, just like many others in the country.
Now you move out on Penny's farm,
Plant a little crop of 'bacco and a little crop of corn,
He'll come around to plan and plot,
Till he gets himself a mortgage
On everything you got.
When you move to Penny's farm, you cultivate some crops but the owner will gradually take control of the land until he puts a mortgage on everything you own.
You go to the fields
And you work all day,
Till way after dark, but you get no pay,
Promise you meat or a little lard,
It's hard to be a renter on Penny's farm.
You work from dawn till dusk in the fields without getting paid; you're only promised some meat or lard. Being a renter on Penny's farm is a tough ordeal.
Now here's George Penny come into town,
With his wagon-load of peaches, not one of them sound,
He's got to have his money or somebody's check,
You pay him for a bushel,
And you don't get a peck.
George Penny comes to town with his peaches, but they're not of good quality. He demands payment in cash or cheque for a bushel, but you end up with nothing.
Then George Penny's renters, they come into town,
With their hands in their pockets, and their heads hanging down,
Go in the store and the merchant will say:
"Your mortgage is due
And I'm looking for my pay."
Penny's renters come to town feeling defeated as their mortgage is due and the merchant is asking for payment.
Goes down in his pocket with a trembling hand --
"Can't pay you all but I'll pay you what I can."
Then to the telephone the merchant makes a call,
"They'll put you on the chain gang
If you don't pay it all."
One of Penny's renters tries to make a partial payment to the merchant but the latter threatens to send him to the chain gang if he doesn't pay the full amount.
Contributed by Miles D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@FrancisE.Dec.Esquire
The Penny's Farm was out Hot Springs, Arkansas, I lived there 1949-2012 and The Mrs. Penny owned many Apartments on Centeral Avenwe. I also bought from his hers son had Antique Shop
@stepno
This was 1929.. 5 years later Gid Tanner and Riley Puckett made it "On Tanner's Farm" ... book about the Anthology says Alan Lomax "rescued it from Columbia's out of print file and included it in Our Singing Country in 1941," which led to Pete Seeger recording it in 1950. It is also in lomax's later book, folk songs of North America.
@danpatterson6937
Excellent information. And P. Seeger is an oily shit, but deserves credit for adding it to the library we have.
@homieslice1996
@@danpatterson6937Pete Seeger supported the working class more directly than most at that time; he was, until after the Red Scare and during the tyrannical and unconstitutional Cold War, a communist. Even conservatives in the 1960s, for perspective, found the US government’s treatment of communists to be unconstitutional and immoral; nowadays liberals-conservatives-reactionaries are to the right of the conservatives back in the 1960s, and liberals-conservatives-reactionaries nowadays are generally still racist since they assume so much of a high horse about stuff they know little about.
@homieslice1996
This song indirectly references a Laissez faire capitalist political economy back in the 1920s and before; this changed a little due to the New Deal won by communists, socialists, and labor organizations broadly, and NOT by the capitalists. Even FDR, a fickle liberal, pushed for an economic bill of rights that lobbyists prevented being passed in the various states. I commented this before and it was removed! Gotta love freedom of speech (for capitalists who have money for real freedom).
Capitalism denies people of their rights from the Reconstruction Amendments: life, liberty, and property rights for all rather than for the capitalists who’ve enough money to lobby the capitalist, imperialist, political-economy.
Hopefully this comment won’t be removed, YouTube and poster. Listen to the lyrics and tell me capitalism wasn’t involved in the tenants’ class struggle described in the song. I’m engaging with the consent of the song.
@avefiggy2128
Woah bob Dylan/hard times in New York love this ty for upload this is amazing❤️❤️❤️❤️
@PaulDylin
Love the vocals
@hedlik
amazing anthology ! even though i love metal music, I dig this so deep,maan ! common yo! it sounds so peaceful and authentic !
@jgossey2002
Great songs
@rambam1204
Little is known about this folk group.