In reading a post by my blog buddy Jack yesterday, he mentioned the recently deceased Sonny James, who sang Young Love. This was one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar. That was over 50 years ago. It was about the same time that Elvis recorded Falling In Love.
Through the years, there were so many remarkable songs written. The Sixties had hundreds of songs that were important to me during my brooding adolescence. They helped me to survive and cope with an ever-changing world that was too big to wrap my youthful yearnings around it.
I wanted to be everywhere; somewhere else; anywhere but a small mining town in rural Alabama. These songs helped take me where I longed to go.
I know it's the "old fart" in me but it's rare I hear new music these days that feels as important as those songs were from my youth. It seems too much of the country music today is about getting drunk with half-naked girls out on the farm.
Last night I wrote about the sky being a shade of purple. The picture I shot doesn't capture the incredible view I had yesterday evening. But if you see the image while listening to I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry by Hank Williams, perhaps you could imagine it.
I'm So Lonesome
by Hank Williams
Hear that lonesome whippoorwill
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I'm so lonesome I could cry
I've never seen a night so long
When time goes crawling by
The moon just went behind the clouds
To hide its face and cry
Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves begin to die?
Like me, he's lost the will to live
I'm so lonesome I could cry
The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry
Through the years, there were so many remarkable songs written. The Sixties had hundreds of songs that were important to me during my brooding adolescence. They helped me to survive and cope with an ever-changing world that was too big to wrap my youthful yearnings around it.
I wanted to be everywhere; somewhere else; anywhere but a small mining town in rural Alabama. These songs helped take me where I longed to go.
I know it's the "old fart" in me but it's rare I hear new music these days that feels as important as those songs were from my youth. It seems too much of the country music today is about getting drunk with half-naked girls out on the farm.
Last night I wrote about the sky being a shade of purple. The picture I shot doesn't capture the incredible view I had yesterday evening. But if you see the image while listening to I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry by Hank Williams, perhaps you could imagine it.
by Hank Williams
Hear that lonesome whippoorwill
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I'm so lonesome I could cry
I've never seen a night so long
When time goes crawling by
The moon just went behind the clouds
To hide its face and cry
Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves begin to die?
Like me, he's lost the will to live
I'm so lonesome I could cry
The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry
Hope you all have a remarkable weekend.
Poetic lyrics from one of our great musical masters.
ReplyDeleteGreat picture which goes perfectly with the song. I love what you wrote
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in the 70's and 80's, Mom had a box of 45's that she listened to when she was a teenager (50s stuff). I used to play the hound out of those things!
ReplyDeleteLisa
Thanks for the 'shout out' my friend. You catch my feelings in words. I like that. Of course I do not understand the words to modern music, but if I remember right I could not understand it when I could hear. Words meant something in the earlier songs, they told a story. Not all of them, but I think the majority did. You done good with this one. I like the entry and even the words to Hanks song!
ReplyDeleteI saw a post on Facebook "Music is like candy, throw away the rapper."
ReplyDeleteI like much of today's music, even some rap, but the 50's, 60's, and 70's are what I like the most.
I can't even understand the words to today's music--but maybe that's a PLUS!!
DeleteMusic is different now. I really couldn't tell you what is popular anymore, but have my favorite oldies.
ReplyDeleteIt must be that music really touches the soul especially when we are young. It stays with us. Even Alzheimer patients can recall old music and can sing along...
ReplyDeleteFYI there are no half naked girls on our farm, and no drunken cowboys although we live in a country setting in the city.
JB
The music of our youth is so filled with hope and longing. Our teenage angst was put into words and we learned to deal with the world. Today's music is often filled with either hate or invitation to sex. I miss the innocence in the music. The song does describe the view well.
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