The lyrics are in this thread (click), but there isn't much background information. Interesting song.
-Joe Offer-

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Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry:

Down on Penny's Farm

DESCRIPTION: "Hard times in the country, Down on Penny's farm." The renters are subjected to dreadful conditions: Bad land, houses with "no windows but the cracks in the wall," low income, high expenses -- and a threat of going on the chain gang for debt
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1929 (recording, Bently Boys)
KEYWORDS: hardtimes work farming poverty landlord nonballad
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Lomax-Singing, pp. 287-288, "Hard Times in the Country" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 147, "Down on Penney's Farm" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, p. 362, "Down on Penny's Farm" (1 text)
Asch/Dunson/Raim, p. 66 "Down on Penny's Farm" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenway-AFP, pp. 216-217, "Down on Roberts' Farm" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 119, "Robert's Farm" (1 text)
Roud #6687
RECORDINGS:
Bently Boys, "Down on Penny's Farm" (Columbia 15565-D, 1930; rec. 1929; on AAFM1, HardTimes1)
Pete Seeger, "Penny's Farm" (on PeteSeeger02, PeteSeegerCD01)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
On Tanner's Farm
NOTES: Bascom Lamar Lunsford has the "Roberts' Farm" version from a Claude Reeves of North Carolina, who claimed to have written it around 1935. It would seem, however, that this was only a local adaption. - RBW
Bob Dylan wrote a parody/pastiche of this song entitled "New York Town". -PJS
And, of course, Gid Tanner produced a version about his own farm! - RBW
Last updated in version 3.2
File: LoF147

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