We worked through Spring and Winter,
Through Summer and through Fall
But the mortgage worked the hardest
     and the steadiest of us all
It worked on nights and Sunday,
It worked each holiday
It settled down among us and it never went away

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This song began its existence as “The Farmer is the Man,” described in the Traditional Ballad Index as “a description of the life of the farmer, ‘the man who feeds them all: he comes to town ‘with his wagon broken down’ and ‘lives on credit ‘til the fall’; at last he comes to town with his crop – and loses the profit to the bank.”  It likely dates from 1880s, as part of the organization of farmers and workers that included the Grange Movement, the Greenback Party, the Populists, and more.

Originally attributed to Knowles Shaw (1834-1878), written in 1874. His lyrics are below.

In 1923, Fiddlin’ John Carson recorded a version of the song. Ten years later, inspired by Dixiecrat politician Eugene Talmadge’s stances on taxes and welfare, he recorded a parody of the song which he entitled “Taxes on the Farmer Feeds Us All.”

Included in the 1927 book “The American Songbag” by the acclaimed poet Carl Sandburg, and often found in Farmers’ Alliance (populist Grange movement) songbooks of the 1890’s.

Here is the version from Ry Cooder’s second album “Into the Purple Valley,” 1972.
The song title here is “Taxes on the Farmer Feeds Us All.”

Lyrics

Alternate verses, from Fiddlin’ John Carson

While the doctor hangs around
While the blacksmith works his iron
But the farmer is the man that feeds them all
And the preacher and the cook
They’ll go fishing on the brook
But the farmer is the man that feeds them all

While the woman uses snuff, and they never get enough
But the farmer is the man that feeds them all
While the farmer’s black and dirty
But he works like a turkey
Got good clothes a-hanging in the hall
If you’ll only look and see I’m sure you will agree
That the taxes on the farmer feeds us all

While the judge is on the bench
He will scratch his head and wink
But the farmer is the man that feeds them all
But the lawyer I’ll declare
Will tell a lie and swear
But the farmer is the man that feeds them all

Verse from Knowles Shaw, 1874

You may talk of all the nobles of the earth,
Of the kings who hold the nations in their thrall,
Yet in this we all agree, if we only look and see,
That the farmer is the man that feeds us all.

Then take him by the hand,
All ye people of the land,
Stand by him whatever troubles may befall;
We may say whate’er we can,
Yet the farmer is the man,
Yes, the farmer is the man that feeds us all.

There’s the President who occupies the chair
Of the nation in the mighty Congress hall,
And the members, too, are great, who are sent from ev’ry State,
But the farmer is the man that feeds them all.
This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net
There are Governors and legislators, too,
Who have pledg’d themselves to heed the peoples’ call,
Yet it seems they all agree, and can raise each member’s fee,
While the farmer is the man that feeds them all.

There are speculators all about, you know,
Who are sure to help each other roll the ball,
As the people they can fleece, and then take so much apiece,
While the farmer is the man that feeds them all.

Then the preacher who can preach his sermons long,
And the lawyer and the doctor, servants all;
There’s the tailor and the smith, and I tell you ’tis no myth,
That the farmer is the man that feeds them all.
This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net
Now the Patrons true, are coming to the fight,
And their armies, too, are not the weak and small,
So, God bless them, while we sing, that the farmer is the King,
For the farmer is the man that feeds us all.

From the rising to the setting of the sun,
Great monopolies are surely doomed to fall,
Then onward in the fight, and we’ll battle for the right,
While the farmer is the man that feeds us all.