Nobody Sings Dylan like Dylan
At the end of this week, I’ll return to the key issues that Dylan addresses in “The Ballad of Hollis Brown.” As part of that, I’ll look at one of if not the worst versions of the song ever sung … Continue reading →
The Ballad of Hollis Brown
“Ex-Farm Family, now on WPA.” Photo credit: Dorothea Lange. Farm Security Administration, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library Archives. In regard to âFair Ellenderâ â the subject of this blogâs first post â I suggested that the Brown Girlâs murderous act … Continue reading →
Cut down a man in cold blood…
“None recover, they are just replaced.”  – Robert Hunter, 1995 Note: This is Part 3 of a three part series.  See also Part 1 and Part 2. Introduction At the free concert at Altamont Speedway on December 6, 1969, an eighteen … Continue reading →
There ain’t a winner in this game…
The last 10 minutes of the 1939 version of Of Mice and Men Note: this is Part 2 of a three part series. Â See also Part 1 and Part 3. Introduction Bob Weir’s revelation that John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and … Continue reading →
Jack Straw
Note: this is Part 1 of a three part series. Â See also Part 2, and Part 3. Introduction “We can share the women, we can share the wine. We can share what we got of yours, ‘cos we done shared … Continue reading →
My heart it lies on him, it will not remove
The Lass of Loch Royal As Hamish Henderson noted in the link we discussed in the post that started this week with the deception May Margaret’s mother perpetrates on Willie matches that found in “Lord Gregory” (lyrics) or “The Lass of … Continue reading →
April, May (Margaret), and June
River Clyde, near Abington Drawn into the Clyde Water My introduction to “Drowned Lovers” began with hearing a spare bit of guitar playing, opening up with regular, almost transmitter-like pulses as the tenth track on Kate Rusby‘s solo debut album, … Continue reading →
Mother’s Malison/Clyde Water/Drowned Lovers
The River Clyde “Mother’s Malison” (Child 216) If the first song discussed in this blog was about the potentially dire consequences of following the counsel of one’s parents instead of the counsel of one’s heart, this week we’ll show just how … Continue reading →
The quick and the dead
The Last Judgment by Jean Cousin The Man Comes Around This will be a relatively short post.  Also, I’ll offer apologies to our loyal readers who may have seen some of what I’m about to discuss in comments to an earlier … Continue reading →
Why on earth did I ever let him go?
Mary Magdalene in the Grotto, by Jules-Joseph Lefebvre The Ballad of Mary Magdalene This one is perhaps the biggest stretch, but as you may have noticed before, I’m interested in how artists tell stories around a central, more well-known story. … Continue reading →