Charles Wolfe: "What about this "Farewell Song" — 'I am a man of constant sorrow' — did you write it?"<br />
Charles Wolfe: "What about this "Farewell Song" — 'I am a man of constant sorrow' — did you write it?"<br />
Richard Burnett: "No, I think I got the balled from somebody — I dunno. It may be my song..."<ref>"Man of Constant Sorrow — Richard Burnett's Story," ''Old Time Music'', No. 10 (Autumn 1973), p. 8.</ref>
Richard Burnett: "No, I think I got the ballad from somebody — I dunno. It may be my song..."<ref>"Man of Constant Sorrow — Richard Burnett's Story," ''Old Time Music'', No. 10 (Autumn 1973), p. 8.</ref>
If Burnett wrote the song, the dating of the writing of the song, or perhaps the editing of certain lyrics by Burnett, can be made to about 1913. Since it is known that Burnett was born in 1883, married in 1905, and blinded in 1907, the dating of two of these texts can be made on the basis of internal evidence. The second stanza of "Farewell Song" mentions the singer has been blind six years, which would date it at 1913. According to the [[Country Music Annual]], Burnett "probably tailored a pre-existing song to fit his blindness" and may have adapted a hymn. Charles Wolfe argues that "Burnett probably based his melody on an old [[Baptist]] [[hymn]] called "Wandering Boy".<ref>Charles K Wolfe, James E Akenson, Country Music Annual 2002, p.28</ref>
If Burnett wrote the song, the dating of the writing of the song, or perhaps the editing of certain lyrics by Burnett, can be made to about 1913. Since it is known that Burnett was born in 1883, married in 1905, and blinded in 1907, the dating of two of these texts can be made on the basis of internal evidence. The second stanza of "Farewell Song" mentions the singer has been blind six years, which would date it at 1913. According to the [[Country Music Annual]], Burnett "probably tailored a pre-existing song to fit his blindness" and may have adapted a hymn. Charles Wolfe argues that "Burnett probably based his melody on an old [[Baptist]] [[hymn]] called "Wandering Boy".<ref>Charles K Wolfe, James E Akenson, Country Music Annual 2002, p.28</ref>
"Man of Constant Sorrow" is a traditional American folk song first recorded by Dick Burnett, a partially blind fiddler from Kentucky. The song was originally recorded by Burnett as "Farewell Song" printed in a Richard Burnett songbook, c. 1913. An early version was recorded by Emry Arthur in 1928 (Vocalion Vo 5208).
History
There is some uncertainty whether Dick Burnett himself wrote the song. In an interview he gave toward the end of his life, Burnett himself indicated that he could not remember:
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..."[1]
If Burnett wrote the song, the dating of the writing of the song, or perhaps the editing of certain lyrics by Burnett, can be made to about 1913. Since it is known that Burnett was born in 1883, married in 1905, and blinded in 1907, the dating of two of these texts can be made on the basis of internal evidence. The second stanza of "Farewell Song" mentions the singer has been blind six years, which would date it at 1913. According to the Country Music Annual, Burnett "probably tailored a pre-existing song to fit his blindness" and may have adapted a hymn. Charles Wolfe argues that "Burnett probably based his melody on an old Baptisthymn called "Wandering Boy".[2]
During 1918, Cecil Sharp collected the song and published it as "In Old Virginny" (Sharp II, 233).
Sarah Ogan Gunning's re-writing of the traditional "Man" into a more personal "Girl" took place about 1936 in New York, where her first husband, Andrew Ogan, was fatally ill. The text was descriptive of loneliness away from home and anticipated her bereavement; the melody she remembered from a 78 rpm hillbilly record (Emry Arthur, probably Vocalion Vo 5208, 1928) she had heard some years before in the mountains.
"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."
Stanley's autobiography is titled "Man of Constant Sorrow."[4]
It was popularized by the Stanley Brothers, who recorded it for Columbia Records in 1951.
A version of the song, "Girl of Constant Sorrow", is included on the remastered version of the album Joan Baez, first released in 1960 on the Vanguard label.[5]
Recorded by Roscoe Holcomb (Daisy Kentucky) in 1961–1962 with an arrangement more like Dylan's than that of the Stanleys.(Music of Roscoe Holcomb and Wade Ward,Smithsonian Folkways, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.)
It appears on Bob Dylan's 1962 eponymous debut album and Dylan performed the song during his first national television appearance in 1963. This is one of the most popular versions of the song.
Super Tough made a cover on their album Dance Worm.
In their 1962 self-titled debut album Peter, Paul and Mary recorded another version as "Sorrow."
Judy Collins's 1961 debut album, Maid of Constant Sorrow, took its name from a variant of the song that was performed on the album.
Rod Stewart performed the song on his debut solo album in 1969.
It was also recorded by Ginger Baker's Air Force on their eponymous debut album in 1970, sung by Air Force guitarist and vocalist (and former Moody Blues, future Wings member) Denny Laine. The band used the same melody, and for the most part the same lyrics (but substituted 'Birmingham' for 'Colorado'). The arrangement differed, though, as this was a loosely improvised live version, with violin and saxophones, that stays very much in the major scales of A, D and E, unlike its future bluesier brethren. It was the only band single; it charted #36 on the U.S. country charts and #86 in UK.
"Man of Constant Sorrow" was one of many songs recorded by Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, and Tony Rice one weekend in February 1993. Jerry's taped copy of the session was later stolen by his pizza delivery man, eventually became an underground classic, and finally edited and released in 2000 as The Pizza Tapes.[6] Jerry Garcia also sang an a cappella version on June 11, 1962, at the Jewish Community Center in San Carlos, California, with the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers, his bluegrass band at the time, whom Garcia 'renamed' throughout the performance several times, including at one point calling them "The Slugs." Though unreleased, it has been widely circulated among 'traders' at least since the 1980s.
Jackson Browne and Irish accordionist Sharon Shannon recorded their version of the song in 2000. It also appeared in Shannon's album The Diamond Mountain Sessions.
A version entitled "Soul of Constant Sorrow" appears on the 2001 album Mountain Soul by country singer Patty Loveless.
Canadian hard rock group Tin Foil Phoenix reimagined the song into a more rock-based style. It was later released on their 2007 second album Age of Vipers as a bonus track.
In 2003, musicians Skeewiff remixed "Man of Constant Sorrow." The song was so popular in Australia that it featured at #96 in the Triple J's hottest 100 songs of 2003. That same year, the O Brother Where Art Thou? version of the song ranked #20 in CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.
The Brooklyn-based country-hip-hop band Battlestar recorded a version of the song on their 2002 album Above Market Value.
In 2007, artists Kraak and Smaak included a remix of "Man of Constant Sorrow" originally recorded by Skeewiff, on their album The Remix Sessions.
In Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, Susannah Dean sings the song (replacing 'man' with 'maid') during their visit to the Calla in Wolves of the Calla. In the following book, Song of Susannah, when the possessing spirit Mia takes control of Susannah and brings her to the New York City of 1999, a street performer playing the song gives Mia pause, allowing Susannah to leave a valuable artifact behind for her allies, who are in pursuit, while Mia is distracted.
The folk group Donna the Buffalo did a reggae-influenced cover on their album Positive Friction.
Parodies
Filk performer Luke Ski recorded a parody of the Tyminski/Allen/Enright recording of "Man of Constant Sorrow" for his 2002 album, Uber Geek, titled "I Am a Vamp of Constant Sorrow," about Angel, a vampire from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series.
American country music parodist Cledus T. Judd recorded a parody of the song, called "Man of Constant Borrow" (about a man who never returns what he borrows from his neighbors) on his 2002 album Cledus Envy. Judd's version featured hip-hop instrumentation, and background vocals from country group Diamond Rio.
In 2007, the greeting cards website AmericanGreetings.com released a Thanksgiving eCard called Bird with No Tomorrow. The parody features turkeys dancing in the exact style as O Brother, Where Art Thou?, with the lead turkey singing of his escape from his "native farmland" in order to survive.
