GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER
(from 'The Luckiest Nut in the World')


peanuts have been grown in the US of A
since the spanish explorers came to stay
but right up until the civil war
they were thought of only as food for the poor
well that all changed around 1900
with the work of the work of george washington carver
his research changed the face of american farming
he’s the peanut industry’s father

who-oo ooo was
george washington carver and what did he do?

at the tuskegee institute in alabama
he was a pre-eminent botanist
he said peanuts would make a great cash crop
and could be grown wherever cotton is
well the farmers listened closely to carver’s advice
and the peanut industry grew
and it wasn’t long til machines came along
for planting and harvesting and shelling them too

oooh-oh oooh
and little by little the industry grew

so in the 21st century what do we find?
they’re the world’s largest producer of the edible kind
with fifty thousand peanut farms in the US
now those little nuts are big busi-ness
adding four billion dollars to the american economy
peanut farmers have nothing to fear
cos the average american eats six pounds of peanuts every year

oooh-oh oooh
who’d ever have thought it but it’s all true

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© david schweitzer 2002