Man of Constant Sorrow
A Kentucky farewell song first printed in 1913, "Man of Constant Sorrow" went from a Kentucky musician's songbook to the Stanley Brothers, the folk revival and, in 2000, a Grammy-winning film soundtrack.
- Also known as
- I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow; Farewell Song; Girl of Constant Sorrow
- Origin
- Kentucky, United States
- First printed
- 1913, as "Farewell Song" in Dick Burnett's songbook
- First released recording
- 1928, Emry Arthur
- Best-known modern version
- The Soggy Bottom Boys (lead vocal Dan Tyminski), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Who wrote it?
Richard "Dick" Burnett, a Kentucky singer and banjo and fiddle player, printed the song as "Farewell Song" in a small songbook in 1913. Even he wasn't sure it was his. Asked late in life whether he wrote it, he said he thought he got the ballad from somebody else. Scholars have traced some of its lines to 19th-century hymns and older folk songs, so it is best thought of as traditional, with Burnett as its first known publisher.
What the song is about
The singer is leaving his home state for good. He has seen trouble all his days, and he doesn't expect to see the people he is leaving again in this life. Like many Appalachian songs, it borrows the language of hymns and looks to meeting again in the next world. Later singers changed the details to fit themselves: Joan Baez and Judy Collins sang it as a woman, and Bob Dylan rewrote verses.
Recordings timeline
| Year | Artist | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Dick Burnett (songbook) | Printed as "Farewell Song" |
| 1927 | Dick Burnett | Recorded for Columbia, never released |
| 1928 | Emry Arthur | First widely heard record; fixed the title "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" |
| 1950 | The Stanley Brothers | Bluegrass recording that carried the song into folk circles |
| 1959 | The Stanley Brothers at Newport Folk Festival | Sparked the revival interest |
| 1960s | Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Peter, Paul and Mary | Each adapted the words |
| 2000 | The Soggy Bottom Boys (Dan Tyminski) | O Brother, Where Art Thou?; Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (2002), over a million copies sold by 2016 |
Chords in G
Most bluegrass jams play it in G or A with just three chords. Keep a steady, driving rhythm.
| G | G | G7 | C | | C | G | G | D | | G | G | G7 | C | | C | G | D | G |
For the O Brother feel, capo on the 2nd fret and play the same G shapes (sounds in A). Banjo players: this is a good first song for open G tuning.
More from the tradition: Shenandoah · The House of the Rising Sun · bluegrass and old-time music