Try That on a Small Farm
Performed by Debbie “Hayride” Harper & The Prairie Songbirds
Try That on a Small Farm:Music and Lyrics by Alan Nafzger
Verse 1:
Well, the big boys roll in with their shiny new machines,
Got GPS tractors and drones flyin’ scenes.
They’re plantin’ 500 acres in the blink of an eye,
While I’m out here wonderin’ why my mule’s feelin’ shy.
They got irrigation systems stretchin’ far and wide,
But I’m over here with a garden hose, barely gettin’ by.
Chorus:
Try that on a small farm, where the work’s all hands and sweat,
Where the biggest piece of tech is the radio we get.
You can talk about your harvest like it’s magic in the air,
But try that on a small farm, where we’re pullin’ crops with care.
Yeah, you got them fancy toys and your cash is flowin’ free,
But try that on a small farm, come trade boots with me!
Verse 2:
They got a crew of twenty runnin’ round their place,
But here it’s me, the missus, and a cow that’s got some grace.
They’re drivin’ semi-trucks to haul their load to town,
I’m stuck behind the wheel of a tractor breakin’ down.
Their fields look like a picture, rows so neat and tight,
But my corn’s like spaghetti, twisted left and right!
Chorus:
Try that on a small farm, where the mule’s your right-hand man,
Where every single acre’s worked with love and dirt and hands.
You can talk about efficiency, and profits through the roof,
But try that on a small farm, where the rooster is the proof!
Yeah, you got them fancy toys and your cash is flowin’ free,
But try that on a small farm, come trade boots with me!
Bridge:
I got a chicken on the loose and a goat up in the tree,
And every time the tractor works, it’s a victory!
You can keep your big ol’ combine, I’ll stick with my John Deere,
‘Cause here on this small farm, we live in high gear.
Chorus:
Try that on a small farm, where the cows know your name,
Where every single chore’s like a brand-new rodeo game.
You can talk about your yield, and your high-tech charms,
But try that on a small farm, where the pigs are on the alarm!
Yeah, you got them fancy toys and your cash is flowin’ free,
But try that on a small farm, come trade your boots with me!
Outro:
So when you brag about your acres and your automated ways,
Remember on a small farm, we’re workin’ hard for days.
But we wouldn’t trade it, no, not for a thing,
‘Cause on a small farm, we’re the kings and queens of spring!
Take that out to the country, and give it a whirl, But you might find yourself talkin’ to cows like they’re your girl!
(end)
Try That on a Small Farm
Alan Nafzger (1994)
Come out here to the dirt, where the sweat don’t lie,
Where the sun’s burnin’ hot and the land stays dry.
You’ve got your fancy tractors, your drones in the air,
But try that on a small farm, if you think you’d fare.
Here, it’s me and the missus, with our hands in the ground,
No twenty-man crew or tech to be found.
We plant with a prayer, we harvest with grit,
Try that on a small farm, let’s see how you fit.
You can boast about acres that stretch far and wide,
But we know each cow by name and our pride won’t hide.
Your fields may be perfect, all neat and square,
But here, it’s spaghetti corn—we don’t even care.
The chickens run loose, the goats run free,
While we fix the fence and chase ‘em up a tree.
Your big machines hum, with their GPS lights,
But my broken-down tractor still fights its own fights.
So come trade your boots, give it a whirl,
Try that on a small farm, in our small-farm world.
Where the rooster’s your clock, the cows your alarm,
Try it for a day—see if you can charm.
It’s not just the crops or the sweat on our brow,
It’s the life that we lead, the here and the now.
So while you talk tech, cash, and big-time grace,
We’ll keep working this land at our own steady pace.
