Their 60s hits included: "I'll Never Find Another You", "A World of Our Own" , "The Carnival is Over" (which the Seekers sung at various closing ceremonies in Australia, including Expo '88 and the Paralympics), "Someday One Day", "Walk With Me", "Morningtown Ride", and "When Will The Good Apples Fall". Their tune "Georgy Girl" in particular served as the title song of the film of the same name. These songs have had significant airplay on 'oldies' radio stations over the years.
Bruce Woodley and The Rain, The Park and Other Things's "I Am Australian", which has been recorded by The Seekers, and by singer Judith Durham with Russell Hitchcock and Mandauway Yunupingu, has become an unofficial Australian anthem.
Cotton Fields
The Seekers Lyrics
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My mamma would a-rock me in my cradle,
In them old cottonfields back home;
When I was a little biddy baby
My mamma would a-rock me in my cradle,
In them old, old cottonfields back home.
Well it may not sound too funny
But we didn't make a-very much money,
Well it may not sound too funny
But we didn't make a-very much money,
In them old, old cottonfields back home.
Oh when them cotton balls get a-rotten
You couldn't pick a-very much cotton,
In them old cottonfields back home;
I was down in Lousiana
'Round about a mile from a-Texicana,
In them old, old cottonfields back home.
I was down in Arkensaw
People said "What did you come here for?"
From them old cotton fields back home;
I was down in Arkensaw
People said "What did you come here for?"
From them old, old cotton fields back home.
In them old, old cottonfields back home,
In them old, old cottonfields back home!
The Seekers' song "Cotton Fields" takes the listener on a journey through the singer's memories of growing up in the South, specifically in the cotton fields. The song opens with a sweet, nostalgic verse about being rocked in a cradle by the singer's mother in the cotton fields. However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that life in the cotton fields was not always easy, as the family did not make much money from picking cotton. The chorus of the song reminds us that when the cotton balls get rotten, "you couldn't pick a-very much cotton" which added to the struggles of the family.
The second half of the song details the singer's travels away from home to Louisiana and Arkansas, where they are met with questions about why they left the cotton fields back home. While the song is primarily about the difficulties of life in the cotton fields, it is also a love letter to the South and the memories, both good and bad, that reside there.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a little biddy baby
As a very young child, my mother would lovingly rock me in my cradle.
My mamma would a-rock me in my cradle,
My mother would care for me as an infant by rocking me in my cradle.
In them old cottonfields back home;
We lived in a place where cotton fields were a common sight.
Well it may not sound too funny
Although it might not be humorous, it is a fact.
But we didn't make a-very much money,
The pay from working in the cotton fields was not substantial.
Oh when them cotton balls get a-rotten
When the cotton has spoiled or become inedible,
You couldn't pick a-very much cotton,
The harvest of the cotton would be less productive.
I was down in Lousiana
I visited or resided in Louisiana.
'Round about a mile from a-Texicana,
I was located approximately one mile from Texarkana, a city on the Louisiana-Texas border.
I was down in Arkensaw
I traveled or lived in Arkansas.
People said "What did you come here for?"
Locals were curious about my reason for being in the area.
From them old cotton fields back home;
I originated from a place with a history of cotton production.
In them old, old cottonfields back home,
The cotton fields of my home were reminiscent of a bygone era.
In them old, old cottonfields back home!
The cotton fields of my homeland left a lasting impression on me.
Writer(s): HUDDIE LEDBETTER
Contributed by Molly N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.