Most of my relatives are Iowa farmers. As a young teen, I spent several summers working on my grampa's farm - which was actually run by Uncle Paul and his sons (my cousins).
My grampa, Eben, worked that farm every day of his 92 years.
The last few years, he was nearly blind, but you could not have gotten him off that tractor.
He plowed and cultivated fields knowing when to turn from memory...

This is his story and the story of what happened the most of the family farms. I wrote this song 35 years ago. Before recording it recently, I rewrote a few lines and turned what had been the 3rd verse into a bridge (rearranging things and cutting it in half).

I hope you enjoy it.


EBEN



did you forget to lock the barn door again
the herefords have wondered back into the yard
has the 1024 been repaired, have you fixed the bailer
when will you admit that this life has grown too hard
the combine and the diesel have rusted with the years
and been discarded in a field that's overgrown
a lifetime of dreams, blood, sweat and tears
on the line with every seed you've thrown

(chorus)
eben, you're no longer young
don't take on the fields today
pulling on his working boots, he says
"you can take an interest,
but don't take my life away
please don't take my life away"

the silage should have been cut a week ago before it dried
you won't get the oats in before they fall
the ad for the hired man just won't be answered
the rewards for an honest day's work has grown too small
your brothers to the south of you,
the neighbors to the north
found the land just won't support them anymore
so they sold out to the big man, the mass production farm
but eben's on his way to do the chores

repeat chorus

bridge
old friends gone to the earth that they lived for
the few that have survived have moved to town
but eben's out revving up that old john deere
no sign of ever slowing down

repeat chorus




Here are the RealTracks:

RealDrums in style: NashvilleSkip^01-a:SideStick, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride
RealTracks in style: ~520:Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 165
RealTracks in song: 378:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming DoubleTime Ev 088
RealTracks in song: ~407:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 165
RealTracks in song: ~589:Banjo, Bluegrass Doc Ev 100 (Rhythm)
RealTracks in song: 377:Guitar, Resonator, Background Trav Ev 088
RealTracks in song: ~615:Harmonica, Background HeeHaw Sw 165

As always... comments encouraged.

floyd

cool tune....

nice clean sound to the mix.

Hi, Floyd !

This tune should be on the C&W chart
if it ain´t already ?
Superb in every aspect! I enjoyed it
very much !

Cheers
Dani

Hi Floyd,

I love the way you tell your stories.
Vocals and Biabettes strong as always.
Another enjoyable listen (three times so far).

Guenter

Hi Floyd.

Very moving and thought provoking lyrics, together with a beautiful soulful delivery. Very professional package, as always.

I particularly liked the stereo balance.

ROG.

Yay! Another Floyd Jane song for my listening pleasure!

It doesn't happen very often, but this song actually choked me up a bit. I work with several people who also farm on the side. Through the years of working beside them, learning the names of their family members and hearing stories of the events that formed their lives, I've come to respect the farmers more than just about any other profession.

And you nailed it. The devotion to task (to them, its not just a job, they see themselves as caretakers of the earth) creates a unique breed of person.

your lyrics:
"take an interest... but don't take my life away" <--interesting parallel structure

"the rewards for an honest day's work has grown too small" <--sad but true

"old friends gone to the earth that they lived for..." <--my favorite line


One line that made me think of my best friend:
"the combine and the diesel have rusted with the years..."
my friend has so much arthritis that he often comments that he's rustier than his plow


Floyd, I can never find words to adequately praise your songs... but that doesn't stop me from rambling in search of them. Thanks for the inspiration you provide to me (and I suspect to many others)

edit:
"The last few years, he was nearly blind, but you could not have gotten him off that tractor."
I've seen a lot of people like this in the local WalMart parking lot...

Floyd,

Very enjoyable! Another excellent song from "The Floyd Library".

Great job on the mix, and a really fine "tasty" use of the dobro & harmonica.

Greg

Herb - thanks.

Dani - Appreciate the thought!...

Guenter - thank you... the BAIBettes actually sat this one out - so I had to do all the harmonies myself...

ROG - appreciate the kind remarks...

Greg - thanks for the listen and the nice comments...

Pat,

It is nice when you know that a song that you have written actually "touches" someone. Particularly if it involves a subject/topic with which they are familiar/involved. The details of this were easy... they all played out in front of me as a kid.

Farmers are a unique breed. They work every day, all day - the milk cows don't take a day off. They have millions in land and equipment and are basically "dirt poor". They don't complain about the work or the circumstances because it is their life and they would seldom choose any other...

Thanks for the listen... and your "rambling" comments - they are much appreciated.

floyd

A very moving story Floyd. I have always been a city dweller but I know some farmers and can relate to the words. Well done.

Floyd,

You've done it once again! Another fine song, with poignant, touching lyrics. Your harmonies on this one are superb. Reminds me a little of the Gatlin Brothers. My dad was the son of a sharecropper farmer, and he grew up in the Great Depression. I have never lived on a farm, but have relatives that are farmers, and I have heard all the stories. This song really touches my heart.

Thanks for sharing it.

Steve

Floyd,
What can I say that hasn't been said before.
An excellent country tune with a wonderful story and I do like songs with a story.
and written 35 years ago eh... When you find the words for songs like that it's "BANG" and you are back in the day you wrote it. I find it amazing how then you remember the tune and chords ... almost!

Well done
Alyn

Floyd, Love a good story song. Also reminds me of the Gatlins. This song is a shining example of the plight of America's small farmers. Well Done! I must say the bridge is great and really important to the structure as it adds something different to lead into the chorus again. Thanks for posting. I am going back for another listen. Tom

Hey Floyd,

This is my new fav of yours. Really touching song from start to finish and I especially like the bridge. The banjo adds a nice flavor too.

Beautifully written and performed, outstanding!

Later,

Floyd, its all been said so all I can add is WOW!

This story is so true! I really like the line ‘Don’t take my life away! I think that speaks for a lot of us senior citizens!

Joanne - glad you liked it...

Steve - thanks for the kind words. Always good when a song hits home...

Alyn - always nice to have you drop by for a listen... 35 years is a long time, but this was one of the few decent ones I did back then - you have a tendency to remember those the best, I think.. there are many that were lost (with brain cells along the way) - and that is probably for the best (the songs, not the brains cells)...

Tom - thanks for that. 2 votes for the Gatlins... maybe I should head to Myrtle Beach Good to know the bridge did what it should. When I originally wrote this, most songs were just 3 verses and 3 choruses. And I followed that formula. I don't think I've written a 3 verse song in 25 years. Replacing the last verse with a bridge seemed the right thing to do to "modernize" this. Kind of like swapping out those gold and olive appliances in your kitchen....

Josie - thanks for the listen and the comments. The trick is to try to make each new one a "new favorite"!

Danny - thanks for dropping by for a listen!

Mario - appreciate it... who would have thought we would still be doing this when we got to the point where we were eligible for "that discount"...

if you ever do, let the Carolina forum members know

It's all been said Floyd since your productions always feature superior song writing, singing and use of RTs. This song really struck a responsive note with Janice as it reminded her of her uncle who kept working the cows well after most would have given it up. And it reminds me of my step father who after essentially giving up farming due to economic conditions continued to keep a few cattle -- just for the ambience.

Also, Mellencamp or Young ought to sing this song at Farm Aid. And I sincerely mean that.

Floyd,

Grew up in Mississippi valley farming area in Wisconsin.
From age of 11 thru 17 worked summers drive old ford tractor
bringing in chopped hay. Worked a bit with bails, but very heavy.

One thing I learned was the love the farmer/s have for their work
and farms and the life.

Your lyrical story fits their life to a "T".

Another sad part of the continuing story is the loss of these smaller
farms. Just to much for the families to bear.

Great ,music and story of the vanishing few we owe a great deal to.

Thank you.

Hi Floyd,

I'm so incredibly late to this one that I don't think I'll ever manage to get over the embarrassment!

This is as top-notch as anything I've ever heard. Everything works together to create excellence in every aspect.

I've gotta say I really liked the lines

They were incredibly visual phrases for me and really shone a whole new light on the often used phrase "blood, sweat and tears". I found myself pondering on how much better 'thrown' worked in making the line an action phrase rather than 'sown'. These lines were also very powerful at magnifying the pathos created by the lyrics and were a perfect emotional trigger for the chorus.

I also found myself reflecting a great deal on the bridge's line
Again, pathos was magnified and I found this phrase a wonderfully gentle way of showing the cycle of life from the perspective of the man on the land.

I tip my hat to you, this song is songwriting at its very best.

Regards,
Noel