“A Hayseed Like Me”
Description
"I once was a tool of oppression And as green as a sucker could be, And monopolies bundled together To beat a poor bum like me." The newly energized singer promises to strike back: "The ticket we vote next November Will be made up of hayseeds like me."
Notes
I've seen versions of "Acres of Clams" which seem to have swallowed this song almost entire. But as it seems to have originated separately, I list it in its own right.
The Folksinger's Wordbook lists this as by Arthur L. Kellogg, but Greenway treats it as a traditional song from the populist movement of the nineteenth century. Certainly portions of it have "swapped" in and out of tradition; the amount of Kellogg influence on a particular version may be open to question. - RBW
Cross references
- cf. "Rosin the Beau" (tune) and references there
- cf. "Acres of Clams (The Old Settler's Song)" (tune, floating lyrics)
Recordings
- Pete Seeger, "Hayseed Like Me" (on PeteSeeger13)
References
- Greenway-AFP, p. 60, "A Hayseed Like Me" (1 text)
- Darling-NAS, pp. 359-360, "Hayseed Like Me" (1 text)
- Silber-FSWB, p. 117, "The Hayseed" (1 text)
- Roud #12497
- BI, Grnw060