A crowd of people and a bunch of Canadian musicians created a successful concert Jan. 16 in Toronto. The Family Farm Tribute may have raised the collective Canadian consciousness about agriculture, and that is no small feat.
When Randy Bachman sang Taking Care of Business, a few farmers in the viewing audience were probably wondering how they would do that in the coming year. When Gordon Lightfoot rasped “I don’t know where we went wrong, but the feelin’s gone and I just can’t get it back,” he might have been talking about farmers’ attitudes toward a lifestyle that no longer seems viable.
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You can’t beat country and western lyrics for evocative images. In fact, the titles alone can tell a tale. Maybe even a tale or a letter like this:
Dear Mr. Vanclief:
I used to Thank God I’m a Country Boy, but as my farm and I Fall to Pieces, I’m starting to wonder how much of The Gambler I’ve got in me anymore.
My farm is on The Outskirts of Town, just down a Country Road, at a spot where Four Strong Winds always seem to be blowing. It’s enough to drive a person Crazy sometimes.
There was a time when Sunshine on My Shoulders and a White Sport Coat were Close Enough to Perfect, but I guess that was just The Calm Before the Storm.
Now, You Are Always On My Mind, and I don’t mind saying that your farm aid program, well, That Don’t Impress Me Much.
I Walk the Line between break-even and loss every day, and I’ve got lots of Friends in Low Places who are doing the same. My wife, Lucille, is thinking twice about her uncle’s advice, namely Mommas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys, because it seems like cowboys are the only ones making money these days.
So far she hasn’t hinted at a D-I-V-O-R-C-E, but I wonder how long she can Stand By Your Man in times like these.
Lord knows I’d like to act like a Snowbird and spend Six Days on the Road on a holiday in El Paso, but of course we can’t afford it. This Farmer’s Song is getting harder to sing all the time. Unless you can help, and help soon, I’ll have to take my Achy Breaky Heart and tell my neighbors I’m Movin’ On. Maybe I’ll be Alberta Bound, who knows?
So, Mr. Vanclief, please tell me I haven’t been Lookin’ For Love (and money) In All the Wrong Places.
Yours Truly, A Country Boy
