Monday, July 6, 2015

Man of Constant Sorrow

A woman hurt him
He left her, but she haunts him.
Now he's going home.

There are variations on this song, of which Bob Dylan's is just one. The original, so far as can be determined, was by Dick Burnett, a fiddler from Kentucky who also was partially blind in the best tradition of mysterious folk and blues singers. This appeared on his 1962 debut and contains the usual topics that occupied Dylan at the time, and in some cases, up to now:

Rambling, bad weather, railroad riding, being mistreated by lovers

I am a man of constant sorrow
I've seen trouble all my days
I'll say goodbye to Colorado
Where I was born and partly raised

Through this open world I'm a-bound to ramble
Through ice and snow, sleet and rain
Im a-bound to ride that mornin' railroad
Perhaps I'll die upon that train

Your mother says that I'm a stranger
A face you'll never see no more
But here's one promise to ya
I'll see you on God's golden shore

I'm a-goin' back to Colorado
The place that I've started from
If I'd knowed how bad you'd treat me
Babe, I never would have come



1 comment:

  1. Hello Bob Dylan fans, listen to all the great versions of this track at http://thebobdylanproject.com/Song/id/394/Man-of-Constant-Sorrow and join us inside to enjoy every version of every song plus top covers.

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