Tuesday, October 19, 2010

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry


Mournful and sorrowful diction contribute powerfully to the sad, lonely tone of country music Hank Williams' iconic song, "I'm so lonesome I could cry," as Williams bemoans the most universal of all themes:  the loss of a lover. 
The song opens with the cry of a bird, who the singer identifies as "lonesome" and as "too blue" to even fly -- the natural activity of birds.  He follows this by describing the passing of a "midnight" train; the lateness of the hour combines with the words "whining low" to evoke a long and empty night, devoid of love or company.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Ms. Fletcher, have you heard the Dean Martin version of Williams' song "I'm so lonesome I could cry"? I like it better than Williams' original. I think Dean Martin's deeper voice makes the song sound sadder than the original.

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  2. And as a bit of a music fan, I think the sort of mournful slide guitar and fiddle add to the lonely effect more than even those excellent lyrics can. Good song, by the way.

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