Country Blues
October 12, 2008
Hank Williams – “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” (1950)
Hank Williams – “Weary Blues From Waitin’” (recorded ca. 1951)
Weary. Lonesome. Long Gone. This is the sound of stately anguish. Like all the greats, Hank Williams creates a world with his music, a world that intersects with this one but also takes you a million miles away; a world that, for a few minutes at a time, renders other music unthinkable.
Paul over at Setting The Woods On Fire knows way, way more about Hank than we ever could. Check out his excellent blog for more.
Posted by Glenn
October 12, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Good picks here. “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” is one of my favorite Hank songs. I like the third verse the best:
“I’m gonna find me a river, one that’s cold as ice.
And when I find me that river, Lord I’m gonna pay the price, Oh Lord!
I’m goin’ down in it three times, but Lord I’m only comin’ up twice.”
damn.
Also, your post reflects how I felt when I heard “Ramblin’ Man” for the first time. It’s no secret that I love Cat Power, but her cover of that song doesn’t hold a candle to the original, which made me literally stop in my tracks. I forgot where I was for three minutes.