come you ladies and you gentlemen and listen to my song i ll sing it to you right but you might think it s wrong may make you mad but i mean no harm it s all about the renters on penny s farm hard times in the country down on penny s farm now you move out to penny s farm plant a little crop of bacco and a little crop of corn come around and see you re gonna plip and plop till you got yourself a mortgage on everything you got hard times in the country down on penny s farm then you go out in the fields and you work all day way after night but you re gettin no pay promise you meat or a little lard it s hard to be a renter on penny s farm hard times in the country down on penny s farm now here s george penny comin into town with a wagonload of peaches not one of em sound he s got to have money or somebody s check you pay him for a bushel and you don t get a peck hard times in the country down on penny s farm now george penny s renters they will come into town with their hands in their pockets and their heads hung down go in the store and the merchant will say your mortgage is due and i m waitin for my pay hard times in the country down on penny s farm slow down in the pocket with a tremblin hand can t pay you all but i ll pay you what i can then to the telephone the merchant made a call they ll put you on the chain gang you won t pay at all hard times in the country down on penny s farm hard times in the country down on penny s farm