More from the new Hank Williams box set - Lonely Tombs
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Here'a another rather eerie and unusual gem from the new Hank Williams box set, dealing with the inevitability and barrenness of the grave. The dead warn the living, as they once did in older times on their headstones.
The words were written by preacher Elder John Ellis of Dayton, OH in 1838 after visiting the grave of fellow preacher Joseph Thomas (AKA the White Pilgrim for his style of dress). The words were set to music with a Scottish melody. Originally known as "The Lone Pilgrim" or "The White Pilgrim", it eventually morphed into "Lonely Tombs".
They just don't write them like this any more, nor does anyone sing like Hank. Thank God for recorded music, eh?
Comments (12)
I just never pictured a Hank Williams guy. Go figure.
I just never pictured YOU a Hank Williams guy. Go figure.
If you dug this - and why the hell not? - there are several tracks on the Louvin Brothers' "Satan Is Real" that should appeal to you. They're cut from the same cloth as this track - that morbidly Calvinist side of Appalachia....
hearing this reminds me of my dad and that is always a good thing.
Rawkkiddoh said what I feel also. At 62, I think about mortality often, and religion knows this.
What’s not to like about this recording? That’s a great photo of Hank Williams, who looks happy that there’s a wide halo about his cranium. There’s a related song, “The Lone Pilgrim,” which is one of my favorite Doc Watson cuts, and which was Doc Watson’s father’s favorite song. Here he is with his father-in-law, Gaither Carlton, on fiddle (1963).
Here are the lyrics:
I came to the place where the lone pilgrim lay
And pensively stood by his tomb,
When in a low whisper I heard something say,
How sweetly I sleep here alone.
The tempest may howl and the loud thunder roar,
And gathering storms may arise,
But calm is my feeling, at rest is my soul.
The tears are all wiped from my eyes.
The cause of my Master compelled me from home,
No kindred or relative nigh.
I met the contagion and sank to the tomb,
My soul flew to mansions on high.
Go tell my companion and children most dear
To weep not for me now I'm gone.
The same hand that led me through scenes most severe
Has kindly assisted me home.
inrumford: Well, I am a recent convert - only enjoying Hank since a couple of years ago. But I'm diehard now. I may have a pop heart but....
ivylander: Thanks for the tip about the Louvin Brothers. I'm adding them to my "must investigate" list.
Rawkiddoh: I hope he's alive and well. Mine is 83, so I cross my fingers daily.
Spike: Thanks, I loved that track. Allow me to display my ignorance - until I bought a DVD with a performance by Ricky Skaggs, Doc Watson, and....others I cannot recall at the moment...I did not realize Doc Watson was blind.
Music can be burned....
Charlie Parker used to spend his spare time sitting in Manhattan bars that played country music. His peers thought he was stupid listening to that music, to which he replied, "Listen to the stories." Charlie was no fool.
Keep these great cuts coming. Please.
he is very much alive, and still listening to all his "old" country music.
Interesting how the Lone Pilgrim is performed. With pauses the way hymns are often sung. I love how the tune soars and then subsides. Beautiful conclusion.
Sometimes I think of Hank as compared to classical composers of the romantic and other eras who burn brightly, create prolifically, love and hurt, and die young.
Here, as requested, are the Louvin Brothers (still pretty much unrepresented here) with the original of "Satan's Jewelled Crown", later covered by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris
I am loving this, Baudolino. I have never heard the Louvin Bros. before - well played and sung and damn interesting subject matter.