There can be a lot of moral lessons to learn from Rodney Atkins’ single “Farmer’s Daughter.” It does not only portray a lovely woman from the farm but also displays the beauty of life in the countryside in the midst of simplicity and hardship. The most important of all though was the male main character’s disposition toward farming. How it pictured the man’s change of stand about working on the farm was completely awesome.
Initially, the male protagonist complained about the hot weather. After working the whole day under the heat of the sun, he almost gave up, until he saw the farmer’s daughter. He was mesmerized by her beauty and his perception toward life and work in the farm changed instantly. He was also glad that he didn’t give up too soon until his persistence bore fruit.
I was haulin’ hay, I was feedin’ the hogs
And that summer sun had me sweatin’ like a dog
So I cooled off in the creek
Then it was back to work in the daggum heat
I was cussin’ out loud, thinkin’ bout quittin’
Lookin’ back now I’m sure glad I didn’t
Cause just when I thought it couldn’t get no hotter
I caught glimpse of the farmer’s daughter
It was love at first sight for him and he didn’t let the chance pass him by. They eventually “got married last spring” and the man was still farming. In the end, the protagonist realized that there would be no better life for him than that spent on the farm with the farmer’s daughter.
A Few Facts of the Song
“Farmer’s Daughter” was the resulting song of three friends and songwriters getting together for the first time to write a tune. Marv Green, Rhett Akins, and Ben Hayslip were the names behind the song’s composition. It all started with Marv’s simple idea which happened to be the hook of the song. In an interview with The Boot, co-writer Rhett Atkins explained this further,
“This was the first time the three of us had ever gotten together to write. Marv came in with the idea. All he really had was the hook of the song: ‘Just when I thought it couldn’t get no hotter /I caught a glimpse of the farmer’s daughter.’ Ben and I jumped all over it. We thought it was awesome.”
-Rhett Atkins
The song was released in March 2010 as the fourth single on Rodney Atkins’ album It’s America. Further, it cuts the singer’s 2011 album Take a Back Road. It debuted at No. 96 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and became a Top 10 hit on the country chart. It specifically peaked at No. 5 and eventually earned a platinum certification from RIAA.