"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. History
The song was first introduced to vaudeville by Sophie Tucker.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, , p.207. Eddie Cantor also added it to his stage set. An early jazz band, Jim Europe's 369th Infantry Band frequently performed it in 1919 after arriving back in New York.
Lyrics As sung by early 20th-century recording artist Nora Bayes, in her 1919 recording.
Legacy Like many World War I-era songs, it was sung by soldiers in World War II.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, , p. 255.
In popular culture In the 1942 movie For Me and My Gal, actress Judy Garland sings and dances to this song during one scene. 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?". The song is featured on the soundtrack of the 1996 video game, Sid Meier's Civilization II: Conflicts in Civilization. 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. "How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen Pammy?!" is a famous, oft-repeated line from Archer (2009 TV series), particularly in Season 3, Episode 10 ("Crossing Over"). Pam Poovey sings this adapted WWI-era tune after her sexual encounter with Archer. In the 2014 animated film The Lego Movie, the character MetalBeard uses a short sound clip of Judy Garland's 1942 performance while displaying an example of an unexpected activity.
References
External links How 'ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm : (after they've seen Paree?) Sheet Music at the Library of Congress Discography of American Historical Recordings