Man of Constant Sorrow
Encyclopedia
"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). Public interest in the song was renewed after the release of the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?
, as it plays a central role in the film's plot. The song was also included in the film's highly successful, multiple-platinum selling soundtrack.
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..."
If Burnett wrote the song, the date of its composition, or at least of the editing of certain lyrics by Burnett, can be fixed at 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 that the singer has been blind six years, which put the date 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".
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.
On October 13, 2009 on the Diane Rehm Show, Dr. Ralph Stanley
of the Stanley Brothers, born in 1927, discussed the song, its origin, and his effort to revive it:
Stanley's autobiography is titled "Man of Constant Sorrow."
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
song first recorded by Dick Burnett
Dick Burnett (musician)
Richard Burnett was an American folk songwriter from Kentucky.Burnett was born near Monticello, Kentucky. He was known to play the banjo and guitar and was blind in one eye...
, a partially blind fiddler
Fiddler
A fiddler is a person who plays a fiddle or violin.Fiddler may also refer to:*Fabrangen Fiddlers, an American musical group founded in 1971*Tupolev Tu-28 "Fiddler", a fighter aircraft*Fiddler , a DC Comics villain...
from Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. 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). Public interest in the song was renewed after the release of the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000 comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning. Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film's story is a modern satire loosely...
, as it plays a central role in the film's plot. The song was also included in the film's highly successful, multiple-platinum selling soundtrack.
History
There is some uncertainty whether Dick Burnett himself wrote the song. One claim is that it was sung by the Mackin clan in 1888 in Ireland and that Cameron O'Mackin emigrated to Tennessee, brought the song with him, and performed it. 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..."
If Burnett wrote the song, the date of its composition, or at least of the editing of certain lyrics by Burnett, can be fixed at 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 that the singer has been blind six years, which put the date 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
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
called "Wandering Boy".
During 1918, Cecil Sharp
Cecil Sharp
Cecil James Sharp was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early 20th century, and many of England's traditional dances and music owe their continuing existence to his work in recording and publishing them.-Early life:Sharp was born in Camberwell, London, the eldest son of...
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
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
record (Emry Arthur, probably Vocalion Vo 5208, 1928) she had heard some years before in the mountains.
On October 13, 2009 on the Diane Rehm Show, Dr. Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
of the Stanley Brothers, born in 1927, discussed the song, its origin, and his effort to revive it:
Stanley's autobiography is titled "Man of Constant Sorrow."
Recordings and cover versions
- 1928 – The song was recorded in 1928 by Emry Arthur.
- 1951 – It was popularized by the Stanley BrothersThe Stanley BrothersThe Stanley Brothers were an American bluegrass duo made up of brothers Carter and Ralph Stanley.-Biography:Carter and Ralph Stanley hailed originally from Dickenson County, Virginia. The family soon moved to McClure, Virginia where their parents worked a small farm in the Clinch Mountains...
, on Columbia 20816, Recorded: Nov. 3, 1950, Released: May, 1951. - 1959 – The Stanley Brothers re-recorded it on King Records 45-5269, Recorded: Sep. 15, 1959, Released: Oct. 1959. This version is probably the first with a very similar vocal arrangement as the one used in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?O Brother, Where Art Thou?O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000 comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning. Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film's story is a modern satire loosely...
, where it is performed by the fictitious group Soggy Bottom Boys (recorded by Dan TyminskiDan TyminskiDaniel John "Dan" Tyminski is a bluegrass composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist. He is a member of the band Alison Krauss and Union Station and has released two solo albums, Carry Me Across the Mountain , on the Doobie Shea Records label, and Wheels , on the Rounder Records label.He is best...
, Harley AllenHarley AllenHarley Lee Allen was an American bluegrass and country singer and songwriter.-Early life:He was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of the bluegrass performer Red Allen.-Film career:...
, and Pat Enright). - 1960 – A version of the song, "Girl of Constant Sorrow", is included on the remastered version of the album Joan BaezJoan Baez (album)Joan Baez was singer Joan Baez's 1960 self-titled debut album, featuring 13 traditional folk songs.-History:Though Baez was reportedly offered a contract with Columbia at the time, she chose to go instead with the independent Vanguard label, hoping for increased artistic license...
, first released in 1960 on the Vanguard label. - 1961 – 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.)
- 1961 – Judy CollinsJudy CollinsJudith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
's 1961 debut album, A Maid of Constant SorrowA Maid of Constant SorrowA Maid of Constant Sorrow is a 1961 album, the debut of Judy Collins, released by Elektra Records and featuring traditional folk songs. Collins' voice and guitar are sparsely accompanied by Fred Hellerman and Walter Raim on second guitar, Erik Darling on banjo, and Bill Lee on bass...
, took its name from a variant of the song that was performed on the album. - 1962 – It appears on Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's 1962 eponymous debut albumBob Dylan (album)Bob Dylan is the debut album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released in March 1962 on Columbia Records. It features two original compositions, the rest being old folk standards, and was produced by Columbia's legendary talent scout John H...
and Dylan performed the song during his first national television appearance in 1963. - 1962 – In their 1962 self-titled debut album Peter, Paul and MaryPeter, Paul and MaryPeter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers...
recorded another version as "Sorrow." - 1966 – It was recorded by Waylon JenningsWaylon JenningsWaylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
on his 1966 major-label debut Folk-CountryFolk-CountryFolk-Country is the major-label debut album by Waylon Jennings, released in 1966 on RCA Victor. It is his first collaboration with producer Chet Atkins. "Stop the World " was released as a single.-Track listing:...
. - 1969 – Rod StewartRod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
performed the song on his debut solo albumAn Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You DownAn Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down was the debut album by Rod Stewart, released on February 1970 on Vertigo Records...
in 1969. - 1970 – It was also recorded by Ginger Baker's Air ForceGinger Baker's Air ForceGinger Baker's Air Force was a jazz-rock fusion band comprising Ginger Baker on drums, Steve Winwood on organ and vocals, Ric Grech on violin and bass, Jeanette Jacobs on vocals, Denny Laine on guitar and vocals, Phil Seamen on drums, Alan White on drums, Chris Wood on tenor sax and flute, Graham...
on their eponymous debut album in 1970, sung by Air Force guitarist and vocalist (and former Moody Blues, future WingsWings (band)Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
member) Denny LaineDenny LaineDenny Laine is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and lead singer of The Moody Blues' 1965 debut album "The Magnificent Moodies"; and, later, best known for his role as co-founder of Wings...
. 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. - 1972 – An a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
version appears on The DillardsThe DillardsThe Dillards are an American bluegrass band from Salem, Missouri, consisting of Douglas Flint "Doug" Dillard The Dillards are an American bluegrass band from Salem, Missouri, consisting of Douglas Flint "Doug" Dillard The Dillards are an American bluegrass band from Salem, Missouri, consisting of...
' 1972 LP Roots and BranchesRoots and BranchesRoots and Branches is the sixth album by bluegrass group The Dillards, and their only for Anthem Records. The group is listed for this album only as "Dillards" with no "The," unless you look at the LP itself, where you will find "The Dillards." It was their most successful album, their only LP to...
. - 1972 - Some of the lyrics were used verbatim in the Rolling Stones song "Let It Loose" from the 1972 LP Exile on Main St.
- 1993 – "Man of Constant Sorrow" was one of many songs recorded by Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
, David GrismanDavid GrismanDavid Grisman is an American bluegrass/newgrass mandolinist and composer of acoustic music. In the early 1990s, he started the Acoustic Disc record label in an effort to preserve and spread acoustic or instrumental music.-Biography:Grisman grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey...
, and Tony RiceTony RiceTony Rice is an American acoustic guitarist and bluegrass musician. He is considered one of the most influential acoustic guitar players in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and acoustic jazz.Rice spans the range of acoustic music, from traditional bluegrass to jazz-influenced New...
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 TapesThe Pizza TapesThe Pizza Tapes is an acoustic album by the American musicians Jerry Garcia, David Grisman and Tony Rice. The album was made over a series of two evenings in 1993 featuring completely unrehearsed songs recorded in Grisman's own recording studio.-History:...
. 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. Though unreleased, it has been widely circulated among traders at least since the 1980s. - 2000 – Jackson BrowneJackson BrowneJackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
and Irish accordionist Sharon ShannonSharon ShannonSharon Shannon is an Irish musician. She is best known for her work with the accordion and for her fiddle technique. She also plays the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 album Sharon Shannon is the best selling album of traditional Irish music ever released there...
recorded their version of the song in 2000. It also appeared in Shannon's album The Diamond Mountain Sessions. - 2000 – The song appears in the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?O Brother, Where Art Thou?O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000 comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning. Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film's story is a modern satire loosely...
, under the title "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow." Performed by the fictitious Soggy Bottom Boys in the movie, it was recorded by Dan TyminskiDan TyminskiDaniel John "Dan" Tyminski is a bluegrass composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist. He is a member of the band Alison Krauss and Union Station and has released two solo albums, Carry Me Across the Mountain , on the Doobie Shea Records label, and Wheels , on the Rounder Records label.He is best...
, Harley AllenHarley AllenHarley Lee Allen was an American bluegrass and country singer and songwriter.-Early life:He was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of the bluegrass performer Red Allen.-Film career:...
, and Pat Enright. It was a hit in the movie for the Soggy Bottom Boys and later became a hit single in real life. It received a CMACountry Music AssociationThe Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
for "Single of the Year" and a Grammy for "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals" and it peaked at #35 on Billboard's Hot Country SongsHot Country SongsHot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart. Dan TyminskiDan TyminskiDaniel John "Dan" Tyminski is a bluegrass composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist. He is a member of the band Alison Krauss and Union Station and has released two solo albums, Carry Me Across the Mountain , on the Doobie Shea Records label, and Wheels , on the Rounder Records label.He is best...
performed this song at the Crossroads Guitar FestivalCrossroads Guitar FestivalThe Crossroads Guitar Festival is a music festival and benefit concert first held in 2004 and again in 2007 and 2010. The festivals benefit the Crossroads Centre founded by Eric Clapton, a drug treatment center located in Antigua. The concerts are also intended to be a showcase for a variety of...
with Ron BlockRon BlockRonald Frankin "Ron" Block is an American bluegrass and alternative country musician, mainly playing the banjo and the guitar, singing, and writing gospel music.-Biography:...
and live with Alison KraussAlison KraussAlison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
. The version used in the film is closest in lyrics and singing style to Ralph Stanley's. - 2000– The folk group Donna the BuffaloDonna the BuffaloDonna the Buffalo is a band from Trumansburg, New York. They play both originals and covers....
did a reggaeReggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
-influenced cover on their album Positive Friction. - 2001 – A version entitled "Soul of Constant Sorrow" appears on the 2001 album Mountain SoulMountain SoulMountain Soul is the eleventh album of original recordings by Patty Loveless. The album was recorded between January and March 2001 and was released on June 26 in the United States. It first charted on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart on July 14 , and remaining on the charts for 87 weeks...
by country singer Patty LovelessPatty LovelessPatty Loveless , is an American country music singer.Since her emergence on the country music scene in late 1986 with her first album, Loveless has been one of the most popular female singers of the Neotraditional country movement, although she has also recorded albums in the Country pop and...
. - 2003 – In 2003, musicians Skeewiff remixed "Man of Constant Sorrow." The song was so popular in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
that it featured at #96 in the Triple J's hottest 100 songs of 2003Triple J Hottest 100, 2003The 2003 Triple J Hottest 100, announced on 26 January 2004, was the eleventh such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. As in previous years, a CD featuring 40 songs was released. A DVD, containing film clips of songs...
. That same year, the O Brother Where Art Thou? version of the song ranked #20 in CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music. - 2006 – Osaka PopstarOsaka PopstarOsaka Popstar is a pop punk supergroup formed in 2006 by New Yorker John Cafiero. Cafiero wanted an outlet to express his music but also incorporate his love for Japanese anime. In 2006, Cafiero teamed up with several well known punk rock artists to create the anime based punk group, Osaka Popstar....
recorded a punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
cover of this song for their debut album Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of PunkOsaka Popstar and the American Legends of PunkOsaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk is the first, and so far only, album released by Osaka Popstar. The title references the fact that the band includes members of legendary punk bands such as The Misfits, Ramones, Black Flag and The Voidoids....
. - 2007 – Canadian hard rock group Tin Foil PhoenixTin Foil PhoenixStephan Kray Tin Foil Phoenix is a post-grunge band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The band formed from the ashes of a previous incarnation under the moniker of Sonic Bloom with core members Michael Allen Zirk and Steven Kray. Guitarist Fish joined soon thereafter...
released it on their 2007 second album Age of Vipers as a bonus track. - 2009 – Norwegian all-girl pop band KatzenjammerKatzenjammer (band)Katzenjammer is a Norwegian band from Oslo which was formed in 2005.The band members are Anne Marit Bergheim, Marianne Sveen, Solveig Heilo and Turid Jørgensen. Their music mixes genres such as folk music, pop, rock, country and balkan music. Even though the members are from Norway, their lyrics...
covered the song briefly in their 2009 US tour. - 2011 – The John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble covered the song at the Newport Jazz FestivalNewport Jazz FestivalThe Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
Parodies
- Filk performer Luke SkiLuke SkiLuke Ski is a parody, filk and rap artist who writes, records and performs comedy music. He had the #1 most requested song on the Dr...
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. JuddCledus T. JuddBarry Poole is an American country music artist who records under the name Cledus T. Judd. Known primarily for his parodies of popular country music songs, he has been called the "Weird Al" Yankovic of country music, and his albums are usually an equal mix of original comedy songs and parodies...
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 EnvyCledus EnvyCledus Envy is a 2002 album released by country music parodist Cledus T. Judd, released on Monument Records. It features "Leave You Laughin'", Judd's first serious song...
. Judd's version featured hip-hop instrumentation, and background vocals from country group Diamond RioDiamond RioDiamond Rio is an American Country music/Christian music band formed in 1984 in Nashville, Tennessee. Since its foundation, the group has comprised the same six members: Gene Johnson , Jimmy Olander , Brian Prout , Marty Roe , Dan Truman , and Dana Williams...
. - 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?O Brother, Where Art Thou?O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000 comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning. Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film's story is a modern satire loosely...
, with the lead turkey singing of his escape from his "native farmland" in order to survive.
External links
- Song lyrics
- Song tuning and TabTablatureTablature is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches....