Plow Under

Pete Seeger: "I was going right along with the Communist Party line back in the late 30s. I went along with a number of acquaintances I knew and was making up peace songs. In 1940, we even put out a record called “Songs for John Doe” with such lyrics as: “Remember when the AAA killed a million hogs a day, instead of hogs it’s men today, plow the fourth one under, plow under, plow under, plow under every fourth American boy.” I was working with Lee Hays, who was a wonderful songwriter. Lee was the son of a Baptist preacher in Arkansas. He knew gospel songs in white churches and in black churches. Lee came to New York wanting to put out a book of Union songs, and I got together with him. He made up the words of “If I Had a Hammer” and “Kisses Sweeter than Wine.” (Pete Seeger Interview, Rutherford Institute)

“Any darn fool can make something complex; it takes a genius to make something simple.”—Pete Seeger

Remember when the AAA

Killed a million hogs a day

Instead of hogs it's men today

Plow the fourth one under.

CHORUS:

Plow under, plow under

Plow under

Every fourth American boy.

They said our agricultural

System was about to fall

From Washington they sent a call

Plow the fourth one under.

CHORUS

The price of cotton wouldn't rise

They said, "We've got to fertilize"

So now on us they turn their eyes

Plow the fourth one under.

CHORUS

They said our system wouldn't work

Until we killed the surplus off

So now they look at us and say

Plow the fourth one under.

CHORUS

Any ignorant mule does know

Better than to step on a cotton row

But there ain't no mules in Congress, so

Plow the fourth one under.

CHORUS

Homeless farmers

Now the politicians rant

A boy's no better than a cotton plant

But we are here to say you can't

Plow the fourth one under.