: The official line of the American left flipped instantly from isolationism to a fierce demand for American intervention to defeat fascism.
: By 1942, the group was recording fiercely pro-war, anti-fascist songs supporting the Allied war effort on their album Dear Mr. President .
The shelf life of "Plow Under" was incredibly short due to a sudden, massive shift in global events: Plow Under (Original Mix)
The "AAA" referenced in the lyrics is the Agricultural Adjustment Act, a major New Deal program introduced by the Roosevelt administration to combat the Great Depression. To raise the plummeting prices of crops and livestock, the government paid farmers to reduce supply, which famously resulted in the slaughter of millions of pigs and the plowing under of vast fields of cotton. The Human Cost
"Plow Under" stands as a fascinating historical artifact of the American folk revival and radical political music. While it was abruptly buried by its own creators due to the shifting tides of World War II, the song remains a masterclass in how folk musicians utilize contemporary government policies and sharp satirical metaphors to construct powerful protest art. Plow Under, anti-war song lyrics : The official line of the American left
: Following the pact, American Communists and fellow travelers adopted a staunchly isolationist, anti-war stance. They heavily criticized President Franklin D. Roosevelt's peacetime draft and any moves toward American intervention in the European conflict.
The central hook of "Plow Under" relies on a biting, satirical agricultural metaphor: The shelf life of "Plow Under" was incredibly
: To avoid hypocrisy and align with the new reality, The Almanac Singers and their associates physically raced to record shops to pull Songs for John Doe from the shelves. They even asked people who bought the records to return them.