26 May 2009
Twenty nine links of chain around my feet
Worried Man Blues is that rarest of things, an HMHB cover on record (although there’s a cover in most live shows). It’s an American folk song popularised by The Carter Family in 1930, although the lyrics seem to vary a little between versions (notably “Rocky Mountain Line”/”RC Mountain Line” and shackles being on either “legs” or “feet”). I’ve no idea where or what the “RC Mountain Line” is, as the only reference I can find is in the lyrics to this song! Anyway, hear the George Jones version here or watch this bluegrass version by the Stanley Brothers here:
Thanks to Fifi, gNick and EskimoEric
See lyrics to Worried Man Blues
6 Letters Sent:
Charles Exford
RC may just be Railroad Company.
I would love to know more about the origins of the song way back before the Carter Family. The numerical pattern of the verses hints that maybe it was a much longer slave labour & then convict labour song, with a lot more verses counting down through numbers. If anyone finds anything to expand upon the hint at the bottom of this page, for example, that it has ‘born from the African experience in America’, please post :
http://www.oldtownschool.org/resourcecenter/songnotes_W.html
Meanwhile Chris you’ll be delighted to know I just added 2 much-needed apostrophes to the brief Biscuit reference on the “Worried Man Blues” Wikipedia page.
May 28th, 2009
R Wenner
This song, entitled “It takes a worried man” was covered and popularized by the Kingston Trio in the 1950′s or early 60′s. Look them up and see if their lyrics to this song are posted, and you can perhaps demystify the line you find puzzling.
Jul 18th, 2009
Keith
This is so pedantic, but it’s “twenty one years on the RC Mountain Line”, not “twenty”.
Nov 19th, 2010
Vendor of Quack Nostrums
I cannot believe that nobody has picked that up in a year and a half! It is clearly 21 years that is sung. That is not so much pedantry Keith as spotting a glaring error.
Nov 20th, 2010
Chris The Siteowner
Indeed, please accept a nomination for the least pedantic correction of the month. Nice one.
Nov 20th, 2010
Keith
Well thank you! I’ve been kind of obsessed with the Smithsonian Folkways ‘Classic Railroad Songs’ album for the last few months and it got me thinking of this HMHB song.
I wasn’t aware of the pedantry/glaring error rules, but I’ve got the gist now. Great site here!
Nov 26th, 2010
Add Your Bit: