"Man of Constant Sorrow" (also known as "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow") is a traditional American folk song first published by Dick Burnett, a musician from Kentucky. It was titled "Farewell Song" in a song book by Burnett dated 1913, but may have earlier origins. A version recorded by Emry Arthur in 1928 gave the song its current title.
Several versions of the song exist that differ in their lyrics and melodies. The song was popularized by the Stanley Brothers, who recorded the song in the 1950s, and many others recorded versions in the 1960s including Bob Dylan. Variations of the song have also been recorded under the titles of "Girl of Constant Sorrow" by Joan Baez as well as by Barbara Dane, "Maid of Constant Sorrow" by Judy Collins, and "Sorrow" by Peter, Paul and Mary. It was released as a single by Ginger Baker's Air Force with vocals by Denny Laine.
Public interest in the song was renewed after the release of the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, in which it is performed by the three runaway protagonists, earning them public recognition and playing a pivotal role in the plot. The recording used in the film, sung by Dan Tyminski, was featured on the multiple platinum-selling soundtrack which won a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in 2002.
Origin
The original song was first published in 1913 and named "Farewell Song" in Dick Burnett's six-song songbook titled Songs Sung by R. D. Burnett—The Blind Man—Monticello, Kentucky. There is some uncertainty as to whether Dick Burnett was the original writer; in an interview he gave towards the end of his life, he was asked about the song and said:
Whether or not Burnett was the original writer, his influence on the song can be dated to as early as 1913. The lyric from the second verse—'Oh, six long year I've been blind, friends'— references the year he was blinded in a shooting/robbery in 1907. Burnett may have tailored an already existing song to fit his blindness, and some claim that he derived it from "The White Rose" and "Down in the Tennessee Valley" circa 1907. It has also been said that Burnett claimed that he based the melody on an old Baptist hymn which he remembered as "Wandering Boy". No song with this or a similar title had a similar tune that can be identified with "Constant Sorrow," according to hymnologist John Garst. Garst also noted that parts of the lyrics suggest a possible antecedent hymn, and that the term 'man of sorrows' is religious in nature and appears in Isaiah 53:3. The song has some similarities to the hymn "Poor Pilgrim," also known as "I Am a Poor Pilgrim of Sorrow," which George Pullen Jackson believes to have been derived from an English folk song titled, "The Green Mossy Banks of the Lea".
Emry Arthur, a friend of Burnett's, released a recording of the song in 1928 who also claimed to have written it. Arthur titled his recording "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow", which has become the popular name for the song. Arthur's lyrics are very similar to Burnett's with one minor variation. Although Burnett's version was recorded earlier in 1927, Columbia Records did not release Burnett's recording; Arthur's single was thus the earliest widely heard recording of the song, and it is the ultimate source of most later versions.
Several similar songs were found in Kentucky and Virginia in the early 20th century. English folk-song collector Cecil Sharp collected four versions of the song in 1917–1918 as "In Old Virginny", which were published in 1932 in English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians. The lyrics were different in lyric from Burnett's but similar in tone. In a version from 1918 by Mrs Frances Richards who may have learned it from her father, the first verse is nearly identical to Burnett and Arthur's lyrics, with minor changes like the substitution of Virginia for Kentucky. The song is thought to be related to several songs, for example "East Virginia Blues." Norman Lee Vass of Virginia claimed his brother Mat wrote the song in the 1890s. The Virginia versions of the song show some relationship to Vass's version, though his melody and most of his verses are unique. This version is thought to be influenced by "Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies"/"The Little Sparrow".
Verses with substantial similarity to the first stanza of the song were published in the mid-19th century. For example, the following was published in the advertising columns of The Washington Star in 1854 – "I am a man of constant sorrow / I have seen trouble all my days / I'll bid farewell to you, my dear / With whom I expect to end my life." Another was published in The Knickerbocker in 1861 – "I AM a man of constant sorrow / I have seen trubble in my days / I'll Bid farewell to S----r county / the place Whare I Was partly Raised."
An older version of the song described by Almeda Riddle dating to around 1850, contain lyrics that differ substantially after the first line. John Garst traced elements of the song back to the hymns of the early 1800s, suggesting similarity in its tune to "Tender-Hearted Christians" and "Judgment Hymn," as well as similarity in its lyrics to "Christ Suffering," which included the lines "He was a man of constant sorrow / He went a mourner all his days."
On October 13, 2009, on the Diane Rehm Show, Ralph Stanley of the Stanley Brothers, whose autobiography is titled Man of Constant Sorrow, discussed the song, its origin, and his effort to revive it:Stanley discusses song's origins on the Diane Rehm Show (link to audio program's web page)
Variations Many later singers have included and changed the lyrics to the song. Most versions include lyrics depicting the singer riding a train fleeing trouble, regretting not seeing his old love, and contemplating his future death, with the promise that he will meet his friends or lover again on the beautiful God's golden shore. In most variations, the first stanza is very similar to Burnett's 1913 version, often modified to suit each singer's home state and sex, with other minor changes:
The 1928 recording by Emry Arthur is largely consistent with Burnett's lyrics, with only minor difference. The reference to blindness in the second verse of Burnett's lyrics, "six long year I've been blind," was changed to "six long years I've been in trouble," which was also found in later versions of the song.
In around 1936, Sarah Ogan Gunning rewrote the song, changing "Man" to "Girl" and significantly changing the majority of the song as well. Gunning claims to have remembered the melody from a 78-rpm hillbilly record (Emry Arthur, 1928) that she had heard some years before. The change of gender is also found in Joan Baez's "Girl of Constant Sorrow" as well as in Judy Collins's title song from her album A Maid of Constant Sorrow.
In 1950, the Stanley Brothers recorded a version of the song they had learned from their father. Their version contains some changes to the lyrics: one verse of Burnett's version is absent, the last line is different, and parents in Burnett's second verse was changed to friends. Performances of the song by the Stanley Brothers and Mike Seeger also contributed to the song's popularity in urban folksong circles during the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s.
Bob Dylan recorded his version in 1961, which he based on versions performed by other folk singers such as Baez and Seeger. He omitted a verse from the Stanleys Brothers' version and significantly rearranged and rewrote other verses. Dylan also added personal elements, changing friends to mother in the verse, 'Your mother says that I'm a stranger' which makes reference to the mother of his then-girlfriend Suze Rotolo. In Dylan's version, Kentucky was also changed to Colorado. It is common to change the state of origin in this song, for example as seen in Baez and Collins versions where Kentucky is changed to California.
Aside from the lyrics, the melody also differs between various versions of the song.
Recordings and cover versions
Burnett recorded the song in 1927 with Columbia Records; this version was unreleased and the master recording was destroyed. The first commercially released recording was by Emry Arthur on January 18, 1928 with Vocalion Records (Vo 5208). Arthur sang it while playing his guitar accompanied by banjoist Dock Boggs. Due to the success of the record, the singer recorded it again in 1931.
As the first released recording of the song, its melody and lyrics formed the basis for subsequent versions and variations. Although a few singers had also recorded the song, it did not gain relevance until The Stanley Brothers recorded their version in 1950 and helped popularize the song in the 1960s.
The use of the song in the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou? led to its renewed popularity in the 21st century. The song has since been covered by many singers, from the Norwegian girl-group Katzenjammer to the winner of the eighth season of The Voice Sawyer Fredericks.
Stanley Brothers versions
On November 3, 1950, the Stanley Brothers recorded their version of the song with Columbia Records at the Castle Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The Stanleys learned the song from their father Lee Stanley who had turned the song into a hymn which was sung a cappella in the Primitive Baptist tradition. The arrangement of the song in the recording, however, was their own and the song was performed in a faster tempo. This recording, titled "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," was released as a single in May 1951 along with "The Lonesome River" (Columbia 20816). Because neither Burnett nor Arthur copyrighted the song, Carter Stanley was able to copyright the song as his own work in 1951.
On September 15, 1959, the Stanley Brothers re-recorded the song with King Records for their album Everybody's Country Favorite. In the 1950 version, Ralph Stanley sang the solo for the duration of the song but was joined by other members of the band in added refrains in the 1959 version. The fiddle and mandolin in the earlier version were also replaced by the guitar with a verse omitted. This version (King 45-5269) was released together with "How Mountain Girls Can Love" as a single in October 1959.
In July 1959, the Stanley Brothers performed the song at the Newport Folk Festival, gaining the attention of other folk singers. It led to a number of recordings of the song in the 1960s, most notably by Joan Baez (1960), Bob Dylan (1961), Judy Collins (1961), and Peter, Paul and Mary (1962).
Bob Dylan versions
In November 1961 Bob Dylan recorded the song titled "Man of Constant Sorrow" and it was included as a track on his 1962 eponymous debut album. Dylan's version is a rewrite of the versions sung by Joan Baez, New Lost City Ramblers (Mike Seeger's band), among others in the early 1960s. He also performed the song during his first national US television appearance in the spring of 1963. Dylan's version of the song was used by other singers and bands of the 1960s and 70s, such as Rod Stewart and Ginger Baker's Air Force.
Dylan performed a different version of the song with adapted lyrics of the Stanley Brothers' lyrics during his 1988 Never Ending Tour. He performed the song intermittently in the 1990s as well as performed it during his European tour in 2002. A recording of the performance was released in 2005 on the Martin Scorsese PBS television documentary on Dylan, No Direction Home, as well as on the accompanying soundtrack album, The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home.
Ginger Baker's Air Force version