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"Farmer's Song" was written in a great hurry of inspiration in 1992. I thought of it all at once and just had to get to a keyboard and type it. Like I said on the livestream, I knew I wanted the guitar to be played a certain way that I was just not really capable of doing yet, but I did my best.
When I later started playing it with Karl in Great Uncle Helmer, he pointed out several inaccuracies related to my ignorance of farming. Crops would be washed OUT of the ground, not into the ground if there was a flood. Farmers tend to be independent minded and would only gather if the coming storm was extremely bad. Thus we now sing "so bad that all the farmers gathered 'round", not "naturally all the farmers gathered 'round". This advice from the country raised half of GUH was very useful.
I had also originally rhymed "a great circle around the town" with "as he walked out of town" in verse 3 without noticing I had rhymed a word with itself. I changed it here to be "a great circle in the ground". Let me make it clear that the mystical circle of axe blows in the dirt still goes all the way around the town and it still took a long time for Mackie to get all the way around the town.
This song is best with Karl singing the main part, Bill and I on harmony, Pete on banjo, Andy on bass, and Carrie and Stu playing syncopated riffs on flute and accordion. Just like "the blame" is best with J Dogs, "Small Town" with GUH, and "Dream" with UR, so is this song best realized by the Mississippi Seven.
Finally, I didn't write it with this in mind, but I like how, while not necessarily beating you over the head about it, the song suggests that prayer and faith are meaningful actions.
Lyrics:
The storm was a-brewin'
The farmers crops to ruin
So bad that all the farmers gathered 'round
They said what can be done
To bring back the sun
And keep our crops from bein' washed out of the ground
Singin' naaaaaaa-na-na-na-na-naa
Singin' naaaaaaa-na-na-na-na-naa
They bowed their heads to pray
Said, save us Lord this day
Or we're going to have a-nothin' to eat
We work the whole year round
won'cha help us sow yer ground
Just then Big Mackie came a-walking down the street
Singin' naaaaaaa-na-na-na-na-naa
Singin' naaaaaaa-na-na-na-na-naa
Big Mackie had an ax
He took a thousand whacks
And carved out a great circle in the ground
He said y'all will be ok
Yer faith has saved the day
And he faded away as he walked out of town
And he sang naaaaaaa-na-na-na-na-naa
Yeah, Singin' naaaaaaa-na-na-na-na-naa
The storm came full force
Faster than a horse
But didn't come within Mackie's thousand whacks
A great wall of water
Circled the town's new border
But it couldn't even get in on the railroad tracks
Singin' naaaaaaa-na-na-na-na-naa
And the folks sang naaaaaaa-na-na-na-na-naa
And so the town was saved
From a windry, watery grave
They got a fine crop to grow that year
And every early morn
There's oats and wheat and corn
They's pickin' and a-grinnin' from ear to ear
Singin' naaaaaaa-na-na-na-na-naa
Singin' naaaaaaa-na-na-na-na-naa
Singin' naaaaaaa-na-na-na-na-naa
Next song: the blame