How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?
| "How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?" | |
|---|---|
_(SM-2-073).jpg) Sheet music cover | |
| Song | |
| Published | 1919 |
| Composer | Walter Donaldson |
| Lyricists | Joe Young, Sam M. Lewis |
"How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?" is a World War I-era popular song that rose to popularity after the war had ended. The lyrics highlight concern that soldiers would not want to return to their family farms after experiencing the European city life and high culture of Paris during World War I. The song features music by Walter Donaldson and words by Joe Young and Sam M. Lewis. It was published in 1919 by Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co in New York.[1]
History
[edit]The song was first introduced to vaudeville by Sophie Tucker.[2] Eddie Cantor also added it to his stage set.[2] An early jazz band, Jim Europe's 369th Infantry Band frequently performed it in 1919 after arriving back in New York.[3]
Legacy
[edit]Like many World War I-era songs, it was sung by soldiers in World War II.[4]
In popular culture
[edit]- In the 1995 film Congo, after being told that the scientists intend to reintroduce the gorilla Ami back to the wild, Monroe asks "You're going to try and take her back to the farm now that she's seen Paris?".[5]
- The song is featured on the soundtrack of the 1996 video game, Sid Meier's Civilization II: Conflicts in Civilization.[6]
- In the 1998 film The Big Lebowski, after it is revealed Bunny Lebowski ran away from her family’s farm, The Dude remarks “How are you gonna keep them on the farm once they’ve seen Karl Hungus?” referring to a male pornographer in the movie.
References
[edit]- ^ Donaldson, Wallter (1919). How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree?). New York, NY: Waterson, Berlin & Snyder. OCLC 20267380.
- ^ a b Holsinger, M. Paul, "How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm?" (Song), War and American Popular Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. Edited by M Paul Holsinger, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999, ISBN 0313299080, p.207.
- ^ Hagedorn, Ann (2007). Savage Peace: Hope and Fear in America, 1919. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 99–101. ISBN 978-0743243711.
- ^ True, William, and Deryck Tufts True. The Cow Spoke French: The Story of Sgt. William True, American Paratrooper in World War II. Bennington, Vt: Merriam Press, 2002, ISBN 1576382966, p. 255.
- ^ "Ernie Hudson: Congo 1995". YouTube. 6 January 2026.
- ^ "Civilization II - the Great War". YouTube. 22 August 2009.
