Dear Farmsong,

Is it so that the songs you list in your original posting are all composed songs? Shouldn't you be instead looking in the traditional reportoire for farming songs. There are shedloads of farming songs in England, often of the type that praises certain trades "We're all jolly fellows that follow the plough", "There's none can lead a jollier life than Jim the Carter's Lad", "We shepherds are the best of men", etc. I'm not sure how these songs would play in PA as they sound very "English" to me. You could have a look at "The Farmer's Toast" (tune - Eric Winter, words trad). Most of the Copper family reportoire is about farming. My favourite is "Season Round", a real epic of the farming year. "Overseas in India" is a very evocative song - tune by Sarah Morgan based on a poem by ....?

I will be in PA next April. Keep in touch and good luck.

Gwilym