Man of Constant Sorrow
Man of Constant Sorrow , aka I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow ( "I am a man in constant sorrow"), is a traditional American folk song , the first of Richard "Dick" Burnett , a blind fiddler from Kentucky was added . The piece was originally published by Burnett as a Farewell Song in his songbook around 1913 . An early version was recorded by Emry Arthur in 1928 .
Emergence
There is some uncertainty as to whether Dick Burnett wrote the song himself. In an interview that Burnett gave towards the end of his life, he said that he couldn't remember if the song was his:
“Charles Wolfe: 'What about this Farewell Song - I am a man of constant sorrow - did you write it?' Richard Burnett: 'No, I think I got the ballad from somebody - I dunno. It may be my song ... '”
"Charles Wolfe: 'What about the farewell song - I am a man of constant sorrow - did you write the song?' Richard Burnett: 'No, I think somebody gave me the ballad - I don't know. It could also have been my song ... '"
The date on which the text was edited by Burnett can be set to around 1913. Burnett was born in 1883, married in 1905 and went blind in 1907. The dating of two of his texts can be based on these events. The second verse of the Farewell song mentions that the singer has been blind for six years, so the origin can be dated to 1913. According to the Country Music Annual , Burnett likely tailored a pre-existing song for his blindness. Charles Wolfe argued that Burnett probably his tune on an old Baptist - Anthem 've built.
Further versions
In 1918 Cecil Sharp , who had helped the folk song to a revival in England in the early 20th century, picked up the piece on his travels through the United States and published it under the title In Old Virginny (Sharp II, 233).
Another version was recorded by Emry Arthur in 1928 . This version was released by Vocalion Records under the current title. It bears the version designation Vocalion Vo 5208 .
Sarah Ogan Gunning turned the traditional man (“man”) into a personal girl (“girl”). This took place in New York around 1936 when her first husband, Andrew Ogan, was terminally ill. The text described the loneliness far from home in anticipation of her grief; the tune was taken from a 78-rpm hillbilly recording by Emry Arthur, probably that of the 1928 Vocalion Vo 5208 , which it had heard in the mountains a few years earlier.
Public interest in the song arose again when he appeared in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? - A Mississippi Odyssey played a central role in the plot. Leading actor George Clooney does not sing the hit of the Soggy Bottom Boys himself; the singing voice lent him Dan Tyminski , a member of the band of Alison Krauss , Union Station . For this he has received platinum several times .
In October 2009, Ralph Stanley, born in 1927 of the Stanley Brothers , spoke on the radio show Diane Rehm Show about the song, its origins and the reasons for reviving the song:
Man of Constant Sorrow is probably two or three hundred years old. But the first time I heard it when I was y'know, like a small boy, my daddy - my father - he had some of the words to it, and I heard him sing it, and we - my brother and me - we put a few more words to it, and brought it back in existence. I guess if it hadn't been for that it'd have been gone forever. I'm proud to be the one that brought that song back, because I think it's wonderful.
“ Man of Constant Sorrow is probably two or three hundred years old. But the first time I heard it, you know, I was a little boy, my dad - my dad - he had some of the words on his mind and I heard him sing and we - my brother and I - we put in another one a few words about it, and brought it back into existence. I think if I hadn't, the song would have been gone forever. I'm proud to have been the one who brought this song back because I think it's wonderful. "
Stanley's autobiography is also titled Man of Constant Sorrow .
In 2018, the American group Home Free released a music video of a version of the song that is only performed as an a cappella piece with beatboxing . It was also released on the TIMELESS album.
Individual evidence
- ↑ "Man of Constant Sorrow - Richard Burnett's Story," Old Time Music , No. 10 (Autumn 1973), p. 8.
- ^ Charles K. Wolfe, James E. Akenson, Countrymusik Annual 2002, p. 28
- ↑ History of CDSS . In: Country Dance & Song Society . ( cdss.org ).
- ↑ I Am A Girl of Constant Sorrow (SARAH OGAN GUNNING) (1930s). In: folkarchive.de. Retrieved June 10, 2018 .
- ↑ IMDb Trivia
- ^ Stanley discusses song's origins on the Diane Rehm Show
- ↑ Article on Stanley's autobiography
- ↑ Home Free Puts A Cappella Spin on 'Man of Constant Sorrow': Video Premiere. In: billboard.com. Billboard, 2018, accessed July 25, 2020 .
- ↑ Home Free's Roots Run Deep In "Man of Constant Sorrow" Video. In: thecountrynote.com. 2018, Retrieved July 25, 2020 (American English).