Lightnin' Hopkins has got a passel of troubles. They are worrying his mind. He's so messed up one minute he says it'll be all right because "the sun's gonna shine in my back door one day" and then a minute later he says he might lay his head on a railroad track. He doesn't say what's troubling him, but in today's context, he's probably out of work and maxed out on his credit cards. Or it could be a woman friend. Yeah, probably a woman. Only a woman could leave him so confused and conflicted about the future.
Old Sam Chatmon's got the blues too. His girl's left him but he says it don't matter. He's sittin' on top of the world. I believe the psych majors call that denial, but as a coping strategy, it's definitely better than the railroad track.
The Cumberland Post
My Backyard, Six Miles from the Cumberland River
...but as a coping strategy, it's definitely better than the railroad track.
ReplyDeleteBeer and single-malts are better, too. ;-)
Most excellent tunes. I listened to both with my second cup and there's NO finer way to begin the day... none. The Blues has to be my favorite musical genre. As a matter o' fact I hope I come back as a really, really good bluesman the next time around. That's my hope... reality says I'll prolly come back as a goat.
Buck, Beer and single-malts are at the top of my list of coping strategies.
ReplyDeleteI like the blues a lot too and for some of the same reasons I like bluegrass. For example, both genres have some heavy messages to deliver but the music in each is usually going in another direction; the rhythm makes you feel like you want to move.
And when you come back after that final cigar, I do hope you appear as master slide guitar bluesman.