"Love on a Farmboy's Wages" is a song by Andy Partridge. It appeared on and was released as a single for the 1983 album Mummer. It reached no. 50 on the UK Singles chart.
A promo video was made for the XTC episode of Play at Home.
The home demo appeared on the 2002 Coat of Many Cupboards box set.
Single tracklisting[]
7" doublepack[]
- A-side: "Love on a Farmboy's Wages"
- B-side: "In Loving Memory of a Name" (Colin Moulding)
- Plus bonus single
- A-side: "Desert Island"
- B-side: "Toys"
12" single[]
- A-side: "Love on a Farmboy's Wages"
- B-side 1: "Burning with Optimism's Flames (live)"
- B-side 2: "English Roundabout (live)" (Moulding)
- B-side 3: "Cut it Out (live)"
West Germany, Australia 7" single[]
- A-side: "Love on a Farmboy's Wages"
- B-side: "In Loving Memory of a Name"
Quotes[]
Andy: “This track did for [Terry] Chambers. I wanted a sort of shuffly jazz rhythm, and he put his sticks down, said ‘That's it’, and walked out.” Colin: “You have to remember we'd stopped touring [in 1982] and Terry missed all that.”
Andy (on the home demo): “Well, I'd wigged out by now and was more than sick of touring, mentally and physically. So, using some money I'd saved from bits and pieces of performing rights society money (PRS), I got a mortgage on a house in the old town of Swindon. XTC never saw a penny from any of our thousands of live shows, but that's another tale I can't tell you because I've had a gagging order slapped on me by our first manager.
“Feeling confused about my future, I'd sit in the back garden, now I had one, and just write and write. One of the last acts this manager did for us was to buy Colin and myself a Portastudio each (for which we were duly recharged). But at last, we had a four track recording facility to capture our ideas on. This was one of the first things I recorded on it. We'd never really made demo recordings much before now, only if we'd been in a studio whilst making an album or unless someone had set up a makeshift facility, eg: Swindon Town Hall. But now we had a way of demonstrating how a song might sound with more than one instrument. Better than saying in noisy rehearsals ‘gather round, I've got a new one, just give me room to stamp and strum’.
“Terry claimed that this song is the one that convinced him to leave the band, we were actually working it up when he told us he was quitting. The songs were too weird, he said, he didn't like the poofy drumming.”
Lyrics[]
High climbs the summer sun
High stands the corn
And tonight when my work is done
We will borrow your father's carriage
We will drink and prepare for marriage
Soon my darling, soon my darling
Shilling for the fellow who brings the sheep in
Shilling for the fellow who milks the herd
Shilling for the fellow with a wife for keeping
How can we feed love on a farmboy's wages
Deep under winter snow
Deep lay the lambs
And tonight by the full moon's glow
Flask of wine on my feather bedding
We will drink and prepare for wedding
Soon my darling, soon my darling
Shilling for the fellow who brings the sheep in
Shilling for the fellow who milks the herd
Shilling for the fellow with a wife for keeping
How can we feed love on a farmboy's wages
People think that I'm no good
Painting pictures carving wood
Be a rich man if I could
But the only job I do well is here on the farm
On the farm
And it's breaking my back
We will borrow your father's carriage
We will drink and prepare for marriage
Soon my darling, soon my darling
Shilling for the fellow who brings the sheep in
Shilling for the fellow who milks the herd
Shilling for the fellow with a wife for keeping
How can we feed
Love on a farmboy's
Love on a farmboy's
Love on a farmboy's wages?
Videos[]
Promo[]
Promo video for "Love on a Farmboy's Wages." Uploaded by YouTube user "23Daves."