Carl
Boberg had worked as a sailor but quit that job to begin serving as a
lay-minister in his native Sweden. He would go on to be the editor of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden periodical Sanningsvittnet
(“Witness of the Truth”). He also served as a member of the
Swedish Parliment. He published many volumes of poetry which also
included hymns. He also helped to compile the first two hymnals of
the Swedish Covenant church.
The
story goes he was walking home from an afternoon church service near
Kronobäck, Sweden when suddenly a thunderhead appeared. Lightning
lit up the afternoon and thunder rang out in loud claps. Robust winds
swept the meadows and fields of grain. Boberg got moving to find
shelter. Just as quickly as the unexpected storm came it soon
stopped. We all know how the world is after a refreshing rain storm.
It was no different that afternoon. Once home Boberg opened a window
to let in the fresh air and to savor the sight before him. Something
had stirred deep in his soul as he surveyed what lay beyond his
window. The bay of Mönsterås was like a mirror. From the woods
across the bay a thrush was singing. From somewhere in the distance
church bells pealed in the evening quite. The contrast between the
storm and the calm afterwards moved Boberg to sit down and begin
writing. The result was the poem “O Store Gud” (“O Great God”).
On
March 13, 1886 Boberg's nine verse poem was published in the
Mönsterås Tidningen ( Mönsterås News).
In
1888 in the Swedish province of Värmland
the storm inspired poem and an old Swedish folk tune (whose title is
lost in history) were put together. In the wake of that pairing the
poem, now a song, was sung in public for an occasion in church.
Eventually Boberg sold all the rights to his poem to the Svenska
Missionsförbundet (Mission Covenant Church).
Even
though several versions of the song were published in the late 1800s
it wasn't until the early 1900s that it jumped the Swedish border. In
1907, Manfred von Glehn translated the text from the Swedish into
German. It became the hymn, "Wie gross bist du." In 1925
Swedish-American E. Gustav Johnson translated the song into English;
however, this version was nothing like what we have today. When it
was printed it was only with verses 1,2 and 7-9. The song was
published in 'The Covenant Hymnal' using “O Mighty God” for it's
title. Even though Johnson's translation of the song appeared in
three hymnals there were those who wanted to replace it with a more
popular version. A better version would come to pass a quarter of a
century later thanks to a British missionary.
In
1927, a Russian version of the song by the evangelical leader Ivan S.
Prokhanoff appeared in Kimvali (Cymbals), a collection published by
the Baptist Press in Poland. English missionary Stuart K. Hine and
his wife heard the Russian version sung as a vocal duet in the
Ukraine. As the Hines later crossed into Sub-Carpathian Russia, they
took in all their eyes could survey. They remembered the hymn as they
marveled at the mountain scenery. Hine translated the song into
English albeit with poetic license. In 1949, he even changed the
title and the song still bears that new title, “How Great Thou
Art”. The first three stanzas were composed while in the Carpathian
Mountains. In 1939 when war broke out, Hine and his wife were forced
to return to England. They used the first three stanzas in
evangelistic endeavors during the “Blitz years.” The fourth
stanza was added after the war. Four stanzas began with “O Mighty
God, when I behold the wonder”. Despite being found in a few
hymnals, Hines version just never caught on. Below is the first
stanza and refrain of Hines' version:
O
mighty God, when I behold the wonder Of nature’s beauty,
wrought by words of Thine, And how Thou leadest all from realms
up yonder, Sustaining earthly life in love benign,
Refrain: With
rapture filled, my soul Thy name would laud, O mighty God! O
mighty God! With rapture filled, my soul Thy name would
laud, O mighty God! O mighty God!
In
1954, J. Edwin Orr, a British-American theologian and evangelist,
travelled to India. He was going to preach the Word of God and music
was the farthest thing from his mind. Music would get his attention,
however. While there he heard an English version of “How Great Thou
Art” sung by a Naga choir from the state of Assam in north-eastern
India. Orr was so moved by the song that he brought it back to
America. At a conference for college students where he was speaking,
he requested a performance of the song. The children of Tim Spencer,
a singing cowboy and actor who had found fame singing with the Sons
of the Pioneers, were in attendance at that conference during which
the song performed. At that time, Spencer owned Manna Music, Inc, a
publisher of Christian music. He quickly arranged to buy the rights
to the song and then did what all good publishers do—he started
pushing the song.
As
late as 1954, “How Great Thou Art” remained all but unknown in
the U.S., but with Manna Music’s backing the song eventually landed
in the hands of George Beverly Shea, famed soloist in Billy Graham’s
travelling crusade. Graham reportedly loved the song and quickly made
it his evangelical crusade’s signature song. Given Graham’s
reach, Shea all but introduced the song to the nation. He sang it
live on radio, before stadiums filled with thousands of people—and
during nationally televised events like the 1957 Madison Square
Garden Crusade, which ran for 16 weeks and was viewed by an estimated
96 million people.
William
Reynolds, a Baptist hymnologist, cites comments by George Beverly
Shea on the hymn's
introduction in the United States through the Billy Graham Crusades:
“We first sang [it] in the Toronto, Canada, Crusade of 1955. Cliff
Barrows [1923-2016] and his large volunteer choir assisted in the
majestic refrains. Soon after, we used it in the ‘Hour of Decision’
[radio broadcasts] and in American crusades. In the New York meetings
of 1957 the choir joined me in singing it ninety-three times!”
(Reynolds, 1976, 162).
The
words to “How Great Thou Art”:
Oh
Lord, my God When I, in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds
Thy hands have made I see the stars, I hear the rolling
thunder Thy power throughout the universe displayed
Then
sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great
Thou art Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great
Thou art, how great Thou art
And
when I think that God, His Son not sparing Sent Him to die, I
scarce can take it in That on the cross, my burden gladly
bearing He bled and died to take away my sin
Then
sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great
Thou art Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great
Thou art, how great Thou art
When
Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation And take me home,
what joy shall fill my heart Then I shall bow, in humble
adoration And then proclaim, my God, how great Thou art
Then
sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great
Thou art Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great
Thou art, how great Thou art How great Thou art, how great Thou
art
Most
of us classic country music fans are familiar with Lefty Frizzell
singing “The Long Black Veil”. He was the first one to recorded
it. He had been in a career drought and this song, so unlike his
usual honky-tonk style, reached the sixth spot on Billboard
Hot C & W Sides chart. It was his best song in five years! It
opens with:
“Ten
years ago, on a cold dark night There
was someone killed 'neath the town hall light....”
Just
writing those two lines I can hear Frizzell's rich voice in my head.
In
1959 Danny Dill presented to fellow songwriter Marijohn Wilkin a
poem he wrote. She fine tuned it. The story behind Dill's inclination
to write it is that he took inspiration from Red Foley's “God Walks
These Hills”, a news story regarding the unsolved murder of a
priest who was actually killed beneath a town light in front of
witnesses and, lastly, the legendary veiled woman in black who regularly visited the grave of silent movie star, and one of Hollywood's first
heartthrobs, Rudolph Valentino. Drawing from those sources Dill and
Wilkin created a dark ballad about a man falsely accused of murder
who refuses to give an alibi. The woman, who he was with that night, was the wife of
the man's best friend. The man was willing to go to his death in order to protect his and the woman's secret as well as her
reputation in addition to saving his best friend from the heartache of a
double betrayal.
One day piddling around on
YouTube I discovered that Marijohn Wilkin wrote and recorded, in
1959 or 1960, the answer to “The Long Black Veil” entitled “My
Long Black Veil”. The recording was never issued on an album or
just as a single for radio airplay. I reckon whoever uploaded it at
YouTube probably has a demo. In this song the woman gives her side of
the story. The first two lines of the first verse mirror the first
two lines of “The Long Black Veil” and continues thus:
“...The
few at the scene were wrong as could be
Because
the man they accused that night was with me...”
In
the second verse, as if Wilkin could hear the people wondering why
the man didn't give an alibi, she wrote:
“But
what could he do? And what could he say?
For
that one stolen night he just had to pay.
He
couldn't tell a soul that I was out with him
For
the whole town knew I belonged to his best friend.”
On my 'Ballads' playlist at YouTube the
song follows “The Long Black Veil”, as it should.
Following
Wilkins answer to hers and Dills song is what I think of as the accidental backstory. The song, written and recorded by Texas country singer-songwriter Jason Boland
is called “False Accusers Lament”. He didn't set out to write a
backstory to “The Long Black Veil”, it just happened. He was
almost through with it when it dawned on him it could be the
backstory to “The Long Black Veil”. The first time I heard this
song I thought of “The Long Black Veil”. In Boland's ballad the
narrative is from a witness who confesses to lying and tells why he
lied and therefore partook in the condemnation of an innocent man who was hung. Several
years ago Boland said, on the YouTube online show 'The Texas Music
Scene TV', that he never agreed with how things went down in “The
Long Black Veil” yet he recognized it as a great song. Boland said
“...now let me get this right. He's dead and the best, the best
friend doesn't know about it, what happened, and she walks in a long
black, you know I just, I needed something else in my story. I went
ahead and gave it how I see the world working a lot of times which is
I know somebody knew and they wanted it to go this way and they set
it up and everybody else was just pawns in it.” The song
begins thus:
“I
said I'd seen the killin',
could
identify the villain
who
shot a man beneath the town hall globe
I
was one of few
The
jury never knew
About
to line our pockets
With
the bankers jealous gold...”
As
for the bankers wife:
“He
said his lovin' woman sinned
Let
alone with a friend,
He
couldn't have his childrens mother shamed...”
This
false witness, in the chorus, speaks of “nightly terror”, hearing
the guilty gavel and seeing the condemned mans body swinging,
concluding in that chorus “They had me swear upon the Bible and I
lied.”
Boland's
very likely backstory to the "Long Black Veil" is on his and his bands, The Stragglers, 'Rancho Alto' album which was released in October 2011. The first two
songs above were wrote in 1959. From then to 2011 is 52 years. So you
could say it took a really long time to get the backstory, the
confession of a false witness. I'm going to line them up here as I
have them on my 'Ballads' playlist. Let me know in the comments below
what you think about all this.
Since it's impossible to find any information online about "My Long Black Veil", including lyrics, I obtained the latter playing the song on YouTube, stopping and starting until I had the words. Thankfully, Wilkin sang in a clear, understandable voice.
Texas
country is as unique as the state whose name it bears. Considered another genre of country music it is frequently associated with Oklahoma's
Red Dirt music and Tejano music. Texas country is noted for blending
neotraditional country with the outspoken, devil-may-care attitude
and views of outlaw country. This blend results in a theme that
celebrates the common working man and an undercurrent of mirth.
Texas
country, truth be told, has been around for quite a long time, longer
than you would think if you thought about it for a spell. Western music in the form of cowboy and trail songs has been been popular in Texas since the cowboy days of the
1800s. On cattle drives it was the lullabies that soothed the herd at
night, especially if coyotes or wolves were making their presence
known or a storm threatened. It was the songs sung around campfires,
in bunkhouses, on front porches and even in saloons and brothels. A
guitar, perhaps even the harmonica, was as common as lassos and
saddles. As decades drifted passed the music evolved as other forms
of music began having an influence on it: blues, Southern Gospel music, African-American Spirituals, American folk music such
as what was sung in Appalachia, by the Cajuns and Creoles of
Louisiana, and, from through out the land, Americans of the working
class. Some of the music told stories in the form of ballads. Some of
the music enticed folks to get up and dance. The songs would also
make you laugh and make you cry. With a song a singer could share their joys, their heartaches, express
their political views and protest what they opposed. The musical
sound would come from a variety of instruments such as the guitar,
banjo, steel guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, and the
harmonica.
The
term 'country and western music', eventually shortened to just
'country music', replaced the derogatory term
'hillbilly music' in 1949 as country music was gaining in popularity.
The term 'country music' is an umbrella under which are many
subgenre's such as Western Swing, hillbilly boogie, bluegrass,
honky-tonk, the Nashville sound, the Bakersfield sound, outlaw
country, truck driving country, and that which has found its way out
front leaving it's siblings in the dance floor sawdust and turning
country music as we love it inside out, country pop, a. k. a. pop country. I think 'country
crap', or 'crap country', are either more appropriate terms as crap is what has been flushed out
of Nashville for many years now. Texas country rejects the pop
influence that for many years up to the present has poisoned country
music, killing off the beloved twang of the honky-tonk sound and
silencing fiddles and steel guitars.
Yet,
despite pop kidnapping and darn near killing it, traditional
country music with it's honky-tonk twang, devil-may-care outlaw
attitude, whining fiddles and crying steel guitars is not dead. Not
by a long shot. That is thanks to the Red Dirt and Texas country
movement. The difference between the two had been quite discernible
at one time. On one hand is the unique sound of Texas country, a
style long affiliated with another country music sub-genre, outlaw
country, whose two most notable artists are the late Waylon Jennings
and Willie Nelson. On the other hand is Oklahoma singer-songwriter
Bob Childers (a.k.a. “Dylan of the dust”) who is considered the
Father of Oklahoma Red Dirt music. The distinction between the two
has shrunk over time to the point the terms 'Texas Country' and 'Red
Dirt' tend to be used interchangeably.
Muckrakers
dare say Red Dirt is comparable to the indie genre of rock 'n' roll
because they don't hear a definitive sound that would link all the
bands in the movement. It's ridiculous that most of these artists
would be labeled as Americana or folk because the scope of sounds on
the Red Dirt spectrum goes well beyond these genres. Rather it is
more of a mix of folk, rock, country, bluegrass, blues, Western
swing, honky-tonk and a dash of Mexican.
Nashville is not the be all to end all it once was. Likely, it's been that way a long while but just not as noticeable as it's been for many years now. Nashville has been turned into a money loving corporate crapper. Long before Willie, Waylon, and friends absconded from Nashville and headed to Texas to do their music their way, there was a group of artists who chose not to go to Nashville. For instance, artists such as Wynn Stewart, Buck Owens and the
Buckaroos, Merle Haggard and the Strangers, The Maddox Brothers and
(sister) Rose, Red Simpson, Freddie Hart, Susan Raye, Jean Shepard and Bonnie Owens
made their musical marks in Bakersfield, California proving that it
wasn't necessary to high-tail it to Nashville to become a country
singer. Their style of country music is called the Bakersfield sound.
While being a native Texan is absolutely a great thing to be it's not
a requirement for one to be a Texas country artist. For example, Jason Boland
and the Stragglers, Gary P. Nunn, Turnpike Troubadours and Ray Wylie
Hubbard hail from Oklahoma, the late Jerry Jeff Walker and late Hal
Ketchum hailed from New York, Josh Abbott hails from North Carolina,
Ray Benson from Asleep at the Wheel hails from Pennsylvania, Jason
Eady hails from Mississippi and Dale Watson hails from Alabama. Some
families moved to Texas for whatever reason and so the artist was
raised here. Others relocated to Texas to get started or after forming their groups.
Texas
has a plethora of native born musical treasures. Some moved away as
children like Buck Owens and Kris Kristofferson. Some high-tailed it
to Nashville because back in the day that was the thing to do. Keep
in mind older artists such as Willie Nelson, the late Waylon Jennings, the
late Goldie Hill Smith, the late Ray Price and others of their generation,
some before and some after, did just that. Some, therefore, may have
hit Nashville first but eventually came home to Texas where they
could do their music their way. Please don't come down on me for
leaving someone out. It is impossible to mention everyone; however, I
intend to do a more inclusive list at a later date and will cover country and all its sub-genres, whether they went to Nashville, whether they came home or not
to do country their own way. Here's a small handful of our native
Texas country treasures, singers and songwriters alike. I start with the ladies who sadly and unfairly get short shrift from the industry (a + denotes one who has passed on):
Bri
Bagwell, +Nancy Griffith, Miranda Lambert, Sunny Sweeney, Jamie Lin
Wilson
+Johnny
Bush, Mark Chesnutt, Roger Creager, Kevin Fowler, +Waylon Jennings,
Cody Jinks, Cody Johnson, Willie Nelson, +Billy Joe Shaver, George
Strait, Aaron Watson, Zane Williams
Remember,
keep country as it should be kept- traditional!
The
following original poem was inspired by “Why Me?” which was written
and sung by Kris Kristofferson. In 2000 Ralph Emery, notable disc
jockey and television host, hosted a casual gathering of some of
country music's great artists. Kristofferson was one those who was
part of that gathering. During his segment of the show he said he had
a “profound religious experience” while attending the church of
Pastor Jimmie Snow. Kristofferson
had been invited to go to church by singer Connie Smith. Toward the
end of the service, as is customary in many Protestant churches,
Pastor Snow asked if anyone was lost to raise their hands. The notion
of doing this was foreign to Kristofferson and so he thought to
himself that it was “out of the question”. Yet, his hand did go
up. Then Pastor Snow asked if anyone was ready to accept to Jesus to
“come down front”, referencing the altar. Kristofferson just knew
that would never happen, or so he thought, as he indeed found himself
going down to the altar. You see, it wasn't about Kristofferson's
will but God's. When asked if he was ready to accept Christ
Kristofferson said he didn't know. He has said he has no memory of
just what Pastor Snow said to him but whatever it was he said he felt
a release. He came away from that church visit with forgiveness he
didn't know he needed. Kristofferson accepted Christ that day and
“Why Me?” came from that experience. I'll link the video in which
he gives his testimony and sings the song.
I
can relate to Kristofferson not recalling just what Pastor Snow said
to him. I was 14 when my best friends sister sat with me in my
bedroom and led me to the Lord. I don't recall exactly what she said
to me. I know the date because of the little New Testament she gave
me afterwards. At the church we attended at the time I did follow up
with believers baptism. I wonder if Kristofferson ever did as in the
many interviews I've seen, where the subject of the song and it's
backstory comes up, he's never mentions baptism.
When
thinking of a title for this poem one word kept coming up- forgiven.
I then remembered what Kristofferson said about having a forgiveness
he didn't know he needed. So “Forgiven” it is.
Forgiven
I
can't answer “why?” for you, me or anyone
I
just know that God our Father loves us so
No
matter what we've said or done
If
we ask for it on us forgiveness He will bestow.
I
was born owing a sin debt I could never pay
so
the Son of God paid the bill on Calvary's hill
and
my sins were washed away
when
His cleansing blood it did spill.
For
me God's only begotten Son to the cross was nailed
For
me he bled and on that cross He did die
From
this world of darkness and sin I was bailed
and
He sits at His Father's right hand on high
Lord,
shield me from evil by wrapping your love around me
Steady
me as I stand and when I walk, Lord, hold my hand
I
once was so blind and now, hallelujah, I see
Because
of Calvary one day I'll behold that heavenly land.
I'll
go home to that heavenly land one day
Where
I hope to see the face of Christ who took my place
on
an old rugged cross that stood on a hill far away
And
to hear the angel band sing “Amazing Grace”.
I
was so undeserving of all God did for me
He
loves without condition and saves us from perdition
This
list suggests songs for a country goodbye when a loved one has passed
on. One isn't country and it is the instrumental “Raunchy”. This one I feel
would be ideal for that fun, funky loved one who was the life of the
party. Some are funny, in my opinion, and certainly irreverent
I reckon. These require both a sense of humor and boldness to be
played at a funeral. If the beloved deceased was a pot smoker only
ol' Willie could love there's “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die”.
“Roll
me up and smoke me when I die
And if anyone don't like it, just
look 'em in the eye
I didn't come here, and I ain't leavin'
So
don't sit around and cry
Just roll me up and smoke me when I
die...”
There's
two of Merle Haggard's that can lend a touch of humor. They are “Wake
Up” and “I Just Want to Look at You One More Time”. The first
verse of “Wake Up” says:
“Wake
up, don't just lay there like cold granite stone
Wake up, we're
too close to be alone
Wake up, and please, darling, hold me if you
would
Don't just lay there like you've gone away for good...”
There'll
surely be someone who finds this freaky and perhaps they'll be
watching the casket warily, even if it's closed, hoping the deceased
doesn't just sit straight up.
I
always thought “I Just Want to Look at You One More Time” would
be good to play during the time friends and family walk pass the
casket at the end of the service for one last look at the deceased. I
wonder how many would be be leery and wondering if the eyes of the
deceased were going to pop open. The first verse of “I Just Want to
Look at You One More Time” says:
“I
just wanna look at you one more time
I always like to know how
much I leave behind
Let this be the picture that I'll always have
in mind
I just wanna look at you one more time...”
Yes,
I reckon I have a slightly morbid sense of humor.
Trace Adkins sings "If the Sun Comes Up"
On
the flip side I can be fairly serious, even touched by a song. After
they were released, and probably still are, “The Dance” and “Go
Rest High on That Mountain” were popular funeral songs.
After
hearing “When the Thought of You Catches Up With Me” I thought
it, too, would be appropriate. Part of the lyrics are:
“...it
can happen on a Sunday drive...
...Headed down some lonesome
highway
Then you come into view
Mile after mile goes by
But
you're all I see
When the thought of you
Catches up with me...
...when
the thought of you comes to mind
It'll carry me away to a better
place and time...
...it
can happen in the dead of night
Any day of the week...”
Without
question “A Picture of Me Without You” is certainly a good choice
for a funeral. The lyrics:
“Imagine
a world where no music was playing
Then think of a church where
nobody's praying
If you've ever looked up at a sky with no
blue
Then you've seen a picture of me without you
Have you
walked in a garden where nothing was growing
Or stood by a river
where nothing was flowing
If you've seen a red rose unkissed by
the dew
Then you've seen a picture of me without you
Can
you picture Heaven with no angels singing
Or a quiet Sunday
morning with no church bells ringing
If you've watched as the
heart of a child's breaks in two
Then you've seen a picture of me
without you...”
The
following song I first heard at the funeral of my best friends
father. It was sung by one of her brothers who had recorded it on
tape. A good many years passed before I heard it again. I happened
upon it on YouTube. The title was familiar so I had to hear it. It
was the same song but sung by Tex Ritter. After his recitation the song begins with:
“I'll
walk just beyond the moon then I'll stop and wait for you...”
The
last verse says:
“...I'll
just sit there by a star and I'll watch you from afar
'Til I see
you walking toward me someday soon
Then together hand in hand
we'll find our promised land
And we'll settle down forever darlin'
just beyond the moon...”
Miranda
Lambert and Blake Shelton wrote the ballad "Over You" which
is about a personal experience Shelton had as a teenager when his
older brother was killed in a car accident. Part of the lyrics are:
“It
was only December
I still remember the presents, the tree, you and
me
But
you went away
How dare you?
I'll miss you
They say I'll be
okay...”
There
are cowboy themed songs for the deceased cowboy such as “Riding
Fences”, “One Less Tornado”, and “He's Gone, He's Gone Up the
Trail”. The chorus to “One Less Tornado” says:
"...Now there's one less tornado in Texas
And a saddle that's empty tonight
There's one hell of a cowboy in Heaven
At the big rodeo in the sky
Ohh that big rodeo in the sky..."
There is even
a song for the truck driver and it's “Let This Trucker Go”. The lyrics, in
part, say:
“...The
road don't go forever
they
all end I know
and
now that I've reached heaven,
honey
let this trucker go...
I
planned on more time with you
and
less time on the road
The
good Lord he made other plans
and
so he called me home...”
I
feel the instrumental “Ashokan Farewell” would also be appropriate
for the end of service when friends and family pass by the casket. It
is the first song of the military section.
Sons of the Pioneers sing "Me and My Burro"
Lastly
are the Christian, the religious themed, selections. Many are as
standard at a funeral as they are at church on Sunday morning. I
first heard “I Can't Even Walk (Without You Holding My Hand” at
the funeral of a great-uncle. “I'm Going Home” was played in the
video showing pictures from the life of my paternal aunt who passed
on. I loved it and just had to find it.
Tim McGraw sings "If You're Reading This"
Jamey Johnson sings "Lead Me Home"
The songs:
ROLL
ME UP AND SMOKE ME WHEN I DIE- WILLIE NELSON
WAKE
UP- MERLE HAGGARD
I
JUST WANT TO LOOK AT YOU ONE MORE TIME- MERLE HAGGARD
RAUNCHY
(instrumental)- DUANE EDDY
TIL YOU CAN'T- CODY JOHNSON
IF
THE SUN COMES UP- TRACE ADKINS
WHEN IT'S TIME FOR THE WHIPPOORWILL
TO SING - MERLE TRAVIS & JOHNNY BOND
THE
DANCE- GARTH BROOKS
GO
REST HIGH ON THAT MOUNTAIN- VINCE GILL
BLUE
EYES CRYING IN THE RAIN- WILLIE NELSON
WHEN
THE THOUGHT OF YOU CATCHES UP WITH ME- DAVID BALL
A
PICTURE OF ME WITHOUT YOU- GEORGE JONES
JUST
BEYOND THE MOON- TEX RITTER
WHEN
MY LAST SONG IS SUNG- MERLE HAGGARD
HOLES
IN THE FLOOR OF HEAVEN- STEVE WARINER
BARBED
WIRE HALO- AARON WATSON
HAD
A THING- CURTIS GRIMES
HOME-
JOE DIFFIE
SIX
MORE MILE TO THE GRAVEYARD- HANK WILLIAMS, SR.
I'VE
GOT MY BABY ON MY MIND- DAVID BALL
FEEL
LIKE GOING HOME- CHARLIE RICH
OVER
YOU- MIRANDA LAMBERT
YOU'LL
BE THERE- GEORGE STRAIT
RIDING
FENCES- CHRIS LeDOUX
ONE
LESS TORNADO- CHRIS LeDOUX
GOD
MUST BE A COWBOY- CHRIS LeDOUX
HE'S
GONE, HE'S GONE UP THE TRAIL- SONS OF THE PIONEERS
ME
AND MY BURRO- SONS OF THE PIONEERS
AT THE RAINBOW'S END - SONS OF THE PIONEERS
OLD BUCKAROO, GOODBYE- GENE AUTRY
LET
THIS TRUCKER GO- DALE WATSON
ASHOKAN
FAREWELL- From “The Civil War” Soundtrack
BATTLE
HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC- JOHNNY CASH
THE
VACANT CHAIR- KATHY MATTEA
WHERE
THE STARS AND STRIPS AND THE EAGLE FLY- AARON TIPPIN
AMERICAN
SOLDIER- TOBY KEITH
TIL
THE LAST SHOT'S FIRED- TRACE ADKINS
ARLINGTON-
TRACE ADKINS
IF
YOU'RE READING THIS- TIM McGRAW
MANSIONS OF THE LORD
GATHERING
FLOWERS FOR THE MASTER'S BOUQUET- HANK WILLIAMS, SR.
I
HEARD MY SAVIOR CALLING ME- HANK WILLIAMS, SR.
BEYOND THE SUNSET- HANK WILLIAMS, SR.
I
CAN'T EVEN WALK (WITHOUT YOU HOLDING MY HAND)- CODY JOHNSON
HOW
GREAT THOU ART- ALAN JACKSON
I
WANT TO STROLL OVER HEAVEN WITH YOU- ALAN JACKSON
IN
THE GARDEN- ALAN JACKSON
WHEN
WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN- ALAN JACKSON
TURN
YOUR EYES UPON JESUS- ALAN JACKSON
PEACE
IN THE VALLEY- LORETTA LYNN
WHEN
THEY RING THEM GOLDEN BELLS- LORETTA LYNN
IN
THE SWEET BYE AND BYE- LORETTA LYNN
I'D
RATHER HAVE JESUS- LORETTA LYNN
HOW
BEAUTIFUL HEAVEN MUST BE- GEORGE JONES
WHERE
WE'LL NEVER GROW OLD- GEORGE JONES
LONESOME
VALLEY- GEORGE JONES
WHY
ME LORD?- KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
VICTORY
IN JESUS- MERLE HAGGARD
WINGS
OF A DOVE- FERLIN HUSKY
STAIRWAY
TO HEAVEN- STANLEY BROS.
CALL
ME GONE- GENE WATSON
SWING
WIDE THEM GOLDEN GATES- GENE WATSON
BEYOND
THE SUNSET FOR ME- DOYLE LAWSON & QUICKSILVER
THE
DARKEST HOUR IS JUST BEFORE DAWN- RICKY SKAGGS
IT
IS WELL WITH MY SOUL- JIMMY FORTUNE
AMAZING
GRACE- WILLIE NELSON
I'LL
FLY AWAY- WILLIE NELSON & BOBBIE NELSON
WHERE
HE LEADS ME- WILLIE NELSON & BOBBIE NELSON
WHERE
THE SOUL OF MAN NEVER DIES- WILLIE NELSON & BOBBIE NELSON
FARTHER
ALONG- WILLIE NELSON & BOBBIE NELSON
PRECIOUS MEMORIES - WILLIE NELSON
WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN- WILLIE NELSON
SWEET BY AND BY- WILLIE NELSON
WHEN THE ROLL IS CALLED UP YONDER- WILLIE NELSON
WILL
THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN- VARIOUS ARTIST
LITTLE IS MUCH WHEN GOD IS IN IT- GAITHER FRIENDS
JOY COMES IN THE MORNING - GAITHER FRIENDS
GOD ON THE MOUNTAIN - LYNDA RANDALL
BUGLE
CALL FROM HEAVEN- WEBB PIERCE
I'M
GOING HOME- KIM McLEAN
WILL
YOU MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE- RALPH STANLEY W/
KEITH WHITLEY
SWING
WIDE THE GATES- THE INSPIRATIONS
I'LL WEAR A WHITE ROBE- RALPH STANLEY
FURTHER ON UP THE ROAD - JOHNNY CASH
1 CORINTHIANS 15:55 (O, DEATH WHERE IS THY STING...) -
JOHNNY CASH
LEAD ME HOME- JAMEY JOHNSON
WHERE I'M BOUND - PATTY LOVELESS
ACROSS THE BRIDGE- JIM REEVES
LAY
ME DOWN- LORETTA LYNN feat. WILLIE NELSON
FAR SIDE BANKS OF JORDAN - JOHNNY & JUNE CARTER CASH
WHEN THE ANGELS CARRY ME HOME- THE EARLS OF
LEICESTER
WHERE HER HEART HAS ALWAYS BEEN - ALAN JACKSON (he wrote
Below is a YouTube playlist I created entitled "Songs with Spirit". Spirit does not refer to ghosts and the like, though after tossing back more than a few you may see such a spirit!I also highlight just a few songs.
*Before I highlight a few songs I just want to implore you, if you drink please DO NOT get behind the wheel and drive. Have a designated driver. If you're turning to alcohol during bouts of depression, seek help not just for the drinking but also for the depression. Your physician can prescribe an anti-depressant, even recommend someone to counsel you. Trust me, alcohol doesn't help or make the depression go away.*
One
song on the moonshine list is “Thunder Road” which was the theme
song for the movie of the same name. Robert Mitchum wrote the story
that was made into a screen play and ultimately found its way onto
the big screen. It's the story of a
veteran, Lucas Doolin (portrayed by Mitchum), going back to his
mountain home after the Korean War to take over the family
moonshining business. He finds himself in a different kind of war as
big-city gangsters are trying to take over the family's business and
the police are trying to put him in prison.
Way
down on the whiskey list is the song “Rye Whiskey” sung by the
late David “Stringbean” Akeman. Stringbean was a
singer-songwriter, musician, comedian, actor and a semiprofessional
baseball player. He was known for picking his banjo in the
old-fashioned style and for a balanced mix of comedy and music during his shows. His
wardrobe was amusing.
He wore a long
nightshirt tucked into a pair of short blue jeans which were belted
around his knees — giving him the comical appearance of a very tall
man with stubby legs. I remember Stringbean from the country music variety
show Hee-Haw.
In addition to being a regular on Hee-Haw
he was also a member of The
Grand Old Opry.
Stringbean and his wife Estell were murdered on a Saturday night, the Nov. 10, 1973. He and Estell performed that night at the G.O.O.
Their murderers were at their home looking for the large sum of money
rumored to be hidden in the Akeman home. Because of Depression-era
bank failures Stringbean didn't trust banks. He and Estell were
frugal and they lived a very modest lifestyle. Their only luxuries
were a color t.v. and a Cadillac. Cousins John Brown and Marvin D.
Brown, in the act of ransacking the home, shot Stringbean first and
then Estell, who begged for her life, as soon as they arrived home.
The Browns never found the cash. All they got away with were a
chainsaw and some firearms. The Akeman's neighbor and friend Louis
“Grandpa” Jones found them the next day. The Browns were caught,
tried and convicted. My memory of Stringbean is so vague since I was
so young at the time. I was just 10 when he and his wife were
murdered. “The
Ballad of Stringbean and Estell” was written by Sam Bush, Guy
Clark, and Verlon Thompson. You can hear it at YouTube by clicking
this link: https://youtu.be/43Er1Pu37us
David 'Stringbean' Akeman
The
subject of a ballad brings to mind the one about Popcorn Sutton.
Google his name, even search for his name on YouTube. He was a
fascinating individual.
The ballad of Popcorn Sutton
Warning: a naughty at the end.
Popcorn Sutton
While
some songs celebrate moonshine and the making of it, getting away with breaking
the law and close calls with the law, Dolly Parton's “Daddy's
Moonshine Still” reveals the adversity a family faces when the
husband/father operates a still. Toward the end of the first verse
she wrote “...we'd all've been better off dead than to live a life
of shame and strife 'cause of Daddy's moonshine still...”. She
reveals how his moonshine business made their home a living hell. Whether this is a true tale of her daddy or not, I don't know.
There's
some humor to be had in these songs. There's Joe Nichols' “Tequila
Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” and Roger Creagar's “Everclear Song”.
NOTE:
Sometimes a video gets deleted by the one who posted it in the first
place or it will be marked 'not allowed in country' or some such (as
I forget the actual wording). Sometimes I can find another video of
the same song to replace the one gone but not always. So if you click
the link to the playlist at You Tube to hear a particular song and it
isn't there you know why.
Grandpa Jones singing "Good Old Mountain Dew".
MOONSHINE:
WHITE
LIGHTNING- GEORGE JONES
CHUG-A-LUG- ROGER MILLER
MOUNTAIN
DEW- GRANDPA JONES
FRANKLIN
COUNTY MOONSHINE- JEAN SHEPARD
LET THE
MOONSHINE- LUKE COMBS
BALLAD OF
THUNDER ROAD- ROBERT MITCHUM
COPPER
KETTLE- JOAN BAEZ
DADDY'S
MOONSHINE STILL-DOLLY PARTON
MOONSHINE
MAN - MEL STREET
APPLE PIE
MOONSHINE- JAKE OWEN
KENTUCKY
MOONSHINER-GEORGE TUCKER
POPCORN
SUTTON- DAN LEWIS
DARLING
COREY- BILL MONROE
TEAR MY
STILLHOUSE DOWN- GILLIAN WELCH
COPPERHEAD
ROAD- STEVE EARLE
THE LEGEND OF JB RADER- CHAD TRIPLETT
MOONSHINE MAN- THE BLUEGRASS BROTHERS (not the same as Mel Street's "Moonshine Man")
BEER:
I LIKE
BEER- TOM T HALL
BEER, BAIT,
AND AMMO- KEVIN FOWLER
BEER RUN
(extended version)- TODD SNIDER
REDNECKS,
WHITE SOCKS AND
BLUE
RIBBON BEER- JOHNNY RUSSELL
HELL, YEAH,
I LIKE BEER- KEVIN FOWLER
BEER
DRINKING WEATHER- CANAAN SMITH
LONE STAR
BEER AND BOB
WILLS
MUSIC- RED STEAGALL
THERE'S A
TEAR IN MY BEER- HANK WILLIAMS, JR.
BEER
THIRTY- BROOKS AND DUNN
BUBBLES IN
MY BEER- BOB WILLS W/ TOMMY DUNCAN
BEER FOR MY
HORSES- TOBY KEITH FEAT. WILLIE NELSON
PRETTY GOOD
AT DRINKING BEER- BILLY CURRINGTON
99
BOTTLES- ZANE WILLIAMS
WHAT MADE
MILWAUKEE FAMOUS- JERRY LEE LEWIS
COLD BEER
CONVERSATION- GEORGE STRAIT
A SIX PACK
TO GO- HANK THOMPSON
HOLD MY
BEER- TRACE ADKINS
WHO DRANK
MY BEER- TOMMY DUNCAN
BEER BARREL
POLKA- FRANKIE YANKOVIC & HIS YANKS
WHISKEY:
WHISKEY
UNDER THE BRIDGE- BROOKS AND DUNN
WHISKEY
TRIP- GARY STEWART
JACK
DANIELS, IF YOU PLEASE- DAVID ALLEN COE
TENNESSEE
WHISKEY- GEORGE JONES
WHISKEY
RIVER- WILLIE NELSON
WHISKEY
WHISKEY- KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
AIN'T WORTH
THE WHISKEY- COLE SWINDELL
WHISKEY AND
YOU- CHRIS STAPLETON
WHISKEY AND
RAIN- MICHAEL RAY
WEED,
WHISKEY, AND WILLIE- BROTHERS OSBORNE
WHISKEY IF
YOU WERE A WOMAN- HIGHWAY 101
DROVE ME TO
THE WHISKEY- CASEY DONAHEW
WHISKEY
BENT AND HELL BOUND- HANK WILLIAMS, JR.
THE WHISKEY
AIN'T WORKING- TRAVIS TRITT & MARTY STUART
BOURBON IN
KENTUCKY- DIERKS BENTLEY
WAY DOWN IN
MY WHISKEY- ALAN JACKSON
MUST BE THE
WHISKEY- CODY JINKS
IT AIN'T
THE WHISKEY- GARY ALLAN
BRAND NEW
WHISKEY- GARY STEWART
WHISKEY- PAT
GREEN
SMOOTH SHOT
OF WHISKEY- MIKE & THE MOONPIES
WHISKEY AND
WHITLEY- JOSH WARD
WHISKEY IN
YOUR WATER- EVAN FELKER
SHE'S MY
WHISKEY- MARK WINSTON KIRK
ME AND
JACK- JON PARDI
RYE
WHISKEY- STRINGBEAN
WHISKEY
LULLABY- BRAD PAISLEY & ALISON KRAUSS
WHISKEY ROAD- MERLE KILGORE
George Jones singing "Tennessee Whiskey"
TEQUILA:
STRAIGHT
TEQUILA NIGHT- JOHN ANDERSON
TEQUILA
MAKES HER CLOTHES FALL
OFF- JOE NICHOLS
CODIGO- GEORGE
STRAIT
TEQUILA- THE
CHAMPS
POUR
ME ANOTHER TEQUILA- EDDIE RABBITT
TEN
ROUNDS OF JOSE CUEVERO- TRACY BYRD
JOSE CUEVERO- SHELLY WEST
TEQUILA
SHEILA- BOBBY BARE
TEQUILA- BROOKS
AND DUNN (not the same as "Tequila" by The Champs")
