Love on a Farmboy's Wages

(Partridge)

chalk_small.gif
LOAFW.jpg

UK Love on a Farmboy's Wages PS

 Recordings
Art
Lyrics
Chords and Tablature

Recordings

  1. Album version, 3'59.
    Released on Mummer.
    Released on 19 September 1983 as a single in the U.K.
    Reached No. 50 on the U.K. singles chart.

    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.”

  2. Promotional video, 3'59?.
    Recorded in July, 1983.
    Broadcast as part of XTC Play At Home on 16 October 1984 on Channel 4 (C4).
    Not commercially released.

  3. Acoustic medley version.
    Recorded live on 22 February 1989 at WXRT, Chicago.
    Performed as a medley: "Senses Working Overtime" / "Grass" / "Love on a Farmboy's Wages".

  4. Home demo.
    Recorded in the back bedroom of Andy Partridge's current house, in Summer 1982.
    Engineer: Andy Partridge.
    Released on 25 March 2002 on Coat of Many Cupboards in the U.K.
    Andy Partridge - All instruments and Vocals

    Andy: “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.”

[Thanks to R. Stevie Moore]

Art

LOAFW2.jpg

Love on a Farmboy's Wages gatefold wallet sleeve

 Farmboy.jpg

“Love on a Farmboy's Wages” promo video, from XTC Play at Home, Channel 4, 1983

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?

© 1983 Virgin Music (Publishers) Ltd.

Chords and Tablature

Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 21:34:09 -0700
From: hbmus047 (at) dewey dot csun dot edu (Ian Dahlberg)
Subject: Love On A Farmboy's Wages TAB


Love on a Farmboy's TAB


                       B  E
E----------------------2--0----------|
B--0-0-0-0-------------4--0----------|
G--1-2-4-2--121--------4--1----------|
D--------------4-2-----4--2----------|
A----------------------2--2----------|
E----------------------2--0----------|
   +   .   .   .   +   .   .   .   +


E--------------------------------------------------|
B--------------------------------------------------|
G--------------------------------------------------|
D--4--66-----64---666-666--4--6-----64---666---666-|
A--------7-----------7-----------7-----------7-----|
E--------------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .




  High climbs the summer sun... etc
E--------------------------------------------------|
B--------------------------------------------------|
G--------------------------------------------------|
D--4--6-----64---666---666-4--6-----64---666---666-|
A--------7-----------7-----------7-----------7-----|
E--------------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .

||:              repeat  3X                      :||


corn...                                and to-
   B                       Bsus
E--7-----------------------7-----------------------|
B--7-----------------------7-----------------------|
G--8-----------------------9-----------------------|
D--9-----------------------9-----------------------|
A--9-----------------------7-----------------------|
E--7-----------------------7-----------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .


night   when my work is done...

E--------------------------------------------------|
B--------------------------------------------------|
G--------------------------------------------------|
D--4--6-----64---666---666-4--6-----64---666---666-|
A--------7-----------7-----------7-----------7-----|
E--------------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .

||:              repeat  2X                      :||


we will borrow...
   B
E--7-----------------------------------------------|
B--7-----------------------------------------------|
G--8-----------------------------------------------|
D--9-----------------------------------------------|
A--9-----------------------------------------------|
E--7-----------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .


we will drink and prepare...
   Eadd 9
E--4-----------------------------------------------|
B--5-----------------------------------------------|
G--4-----------------------------------------------|
D--4-----------------------------------------------|
A--7-----------------------------------------------|
E--X-----------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .



 soon my darling
   Cmaj7  (G/C)
E--7-----------------------------------------------|
B--8-----------------------------------------------|
G--7-----------------------------------------------|
D--9-----------------------------------------------|
A--10----------------------------------------------|
E--8-----------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .


soon        my            darling
   Emin (/B)               B
E--0-----------------------7-----------------------|
B--3-----------------------7-----------------------|
G--0-----------------------8-----------------------|
D--2-----------------------9-----------------------|
A--2-----------------------9-----------------------|
E--X-----------------------7-----------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .




                           schilling for da fellow...
E--0---000--0--0--0--0--0--------------------------|
B--5---550--2--5--4--2--0--------------------------|
G--------------------------------------------------|
D--------------------------------------------------|
A--------------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .


                          schilling for da fellow...
E--0---000--0--0--0--0-----------------------------|
B--5---550--2--5--4--0-----------------------------|
G--------------------2-----------------------------|
D--------------------------------------------------|
A--------------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .

                           schilling for da fellow...
E--0---000--0--0--0--0--0--------------------------|
B--5---550--2--5--4--2--0--------------------------|
G--------------------------------------------------|
D--------------------------------------------------|
A--------------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .

how   can     we    feed   love...             wa- ges
                                                B  E
E--0----0------0-----0------0-0-0-0-------------2--0----------|
B--0----0------0-----0------0-0-0-0-------------4--0----------|
G--2----4------2-----4------1-2-4-2---1---------4--1----------|
D---------------------------------------4-2-----4--2----------|
A-----------------------------------------------2--2----------|
E-----------------------------------------------2--0----------|
   +     .     .     .      +   .   .   .   +   .   .   .   +

repeat the proper material



Bridge
                           people think dat I'm no good
E--4----66----9--10--9-----------------------------|
B--5----55----9--9---9-----------------------------|
G--6----66----11-11--11----------------------------|
D--4----44----9--9---9-----------------------------|
A--------------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .        .     +     .     .     .


                         paintin' pictures a carvin'...
E--4----66----9--10--4-----------------------------|
B--5----55----9--9---5-----------------------------|
G--6----66----11-11--6-----------------------------|
D--4----44----9--9---4-----------------------------|
A--------------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .        .     +     .     .     .



                           be a rich man if I could
E--4----66----9--10--9-----------------------------|
B--5----55----9--9---9-----------------------------|
G--6----66----11-11--11----------------------------|
D--4----44----9--9---9-----------------------------|
A--------------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .        .     +     .     .     .


                 but the      on   ly   job I  do
E--4----66----9--9------10-9--11---11----10-9---7--|
B--5----55----9--9------9-----9----9-----9--9---5--|
G--6----66----11-11-----11----11---11----11-1---6--|
D--4----44----9--9------9-----9----9-----9--9---4--|
A--------------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------|
   +     .       .      .     +     .     .    .

well is here on the        farm                            on the
   Emaj7                   F#          E           F#          E
E--7-----------------------6-----------4-----------6-----------4-----------|
B--9-----------------------7-----------5-----------7-----------5-----------|
G--8-----------------------6-----------4-----------6-----------4-----------|
D--9-----------------------8-----------6-----------8-----------6-----------|
A--7-----------------------9-----------7-----------9-----------7-----------|
E--7-----------------------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .
                           E pedal------->


farm
   /      /       /     /  and it's   breaking my
E--8-----------------------------------6-4---3-----|
B--8-----------------------------------------------|
G--8-----------------------------------------------|
D--10----------------------------------------------|
A--X-----------------------------------------------|
E--X-----------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .

back
E--------------------------------------------------|
B--------------------------------------------------|
G--------------------------------------------------|
D--6--8-----86---888---888-6--8-----86---888---888-|
A--------9-----------9-----------9-----------9-----|
E--------------------------------------------------|
   +     .     .     .     +     .     .     .


previous material, blah, blah, blah

guitar noodling at end

E--------------------------------------------------|
B--------------------------------------------------|
G--------------------------------------------------|
D--4-666----6-----6-----6--4-666----6-----6-----6-4|
A--------7-----4-----------------7-----4-----------|
E--0-----------------7----40-----------------7----0|
    +    .     .     .     +     .     .     .


                                       E6/9
E--------------------------------------4-----------|
B--------------------------------------5-----------|
G--------------------------------------4-----------|
D----666----6-----6-----6----6------6--4-----------|
A--------7-----4-----------------------4-----------|
E--------------------7-----4-----2-----0-----------|
    +    .     .     .     +     .     .     .


Feedback always welcome!

Go back to XTC Reel by Real.

30 August 2006 / Feedback