Below are the lyrics to a song I heard on CBC (no less) this morning before I rolled out of bed. It describes perfectly the situation that I and so many others in this business find themselves in. I can't count the number of times I have decided to pull the plug, or as the songwriter James Gordon puts it - " . . .give that city man a call . . ." And each time I get there, I have less motivation to keep on trying to wait it out.
Your thoughts?
Dan McPhee James Gordon
As the morning comes Dan likes to hum
Along with some old Patsy Cline song
The rooster crows so the new sun knows
Which of Dan’s green fields it should shine on
For a hundred years McPhee’s have stood here,
Looking down those straight furrows feeling proud
But since that real estate man came to visit Dan
He sees his grandfather’s face in the clouds
And he thinks as he opens up the barn door,
“There doesn’t seem to be much sense in it
I can’t make a living on this farm anymore,
But I could make a killing if I quit.”
Down California way, the farming’s easier they say
You can make just about anything grow
The season’s longer, and the dollar’s stronger
And you’ve got your cheap labour from Mexico
No one cares these days when the best land gets paved
And another family farm disappears.
Just across the fence line you can hear the whine
Of the bulldozers working their way here.
C
And he wonder’s what he’s doing it for
The harder he tries, the worse it gets
Says, “I can’t make a living on this farm anymore,
But I could make a killing if I quit.”
These lonely nights Dan McPhee likes
To visit with Clancy in his stall.
He gives that old horse his daily report,
Says, “In the morning guess I’ll give that city man a call.”
And he thinks as he closes up the barn door,
“There doesn’t seem to be much sense in it.
I can’t make a living on this farm anymore,
But I could make a killing if I quit.”
Your thoughts?
Dan McPhee James Gordon
As the morning comes Dan likes to hum
Along with some old Patsy Cline song
The rooster crows so the new sun knows
Which of Dan’s green fields it should shine on
For a hundred years McPhee’s have stood here,
Looking down those straight furrows feeling proud
But since that real estate man came to visit Dan
He sees his grandfather’s face in the clouds
And he thinks as he opens up the barn door,
“There doesn’t seem to be much sense in it
I can’t make a living on this farm anymore,
But I could make a killing if I quit.”
Down California way, the farming’s easier they say
You can make just about anything grow
The season’s longer, and the dollar’s stronger
And you’ve got your cheap labour from Mexico
No one cares these days when the best land gets paved
And another family farm disappears.
Just across the fence line you can hear the whine
Of the bulldozers working their way here.
C
And he wonder’s what he’s doing it for
The harder he tries, the worse it gets
Says, “I can’t make a living on this farm anymore,
But I could make a killing if I quit.”
These lonely nights Dan McPhee likes
To visit with Clancy in his stall.
He gives that old horse his daily report,
Says, “In the morning guess I’ll give that city man a call.”
And he thinks as he closes up the barn door,
“There doesn’t seem to be much sense in it.
I can’t make a living on this farm anymore,
But I could make a killing if I quit.”