WEEK 8 | Leadbelly - Take This Hammer

Leadbelly is undoubtedly a powerful songster, a man of great force. You really feel the lyrics as he says them, a journey through his experience.

In Take This Hammer, he way he grunts during pauses feels so authentic and laborious. When I first heard the song, I assumed that storyline was referencing to a slave running away, but I knew that it could not be that straightforward. Upon viewing the first video ( Leadbelly 1976 film), I immediately understood the context just from the sound of the hammer hitting the rocks. Suddenly the grunts made perfect sense and the hammer became more than a tool for work, it became a symbol of his imprisonment. 

In the Leadbelly 1976 film, Leadbelly was depicted as a "dangerous" prisoner but with an exceptionally great voice and amazing skill at the guitar. He appeared angry and intimidating, but once he got the guitar in his hands, his disposition changed to such an ecstatic state. Including the flashback really colored Leadbelly into a fierce character - one that appeared to not regret his actions and really live in the present state. While I enjoyed watching those short 13 minutes of the entire movie, I really had to consider why the clip itself was so difficult to find. My first assumption was that it was because the film was about a black captive, but it seems more reasonable to say that someway or another, the film made the viewer slightly uncomfortable by the fact that a great, black man was made to walk with chains on his feet to a room for a recording requested by a white man. All in all, the storyline is amazing, but a bit sad to realize. Then again, all stories, no matter how amazing, tend to have some serious issues that are dealt with.

Watching the other two videos, my sense of who Leadbelly was shifts a bit. In the first video, he was much more of a tangible character. In the Leadbelly "Newsreel" he becomes a nothing more than an actor, another person depicting a part. Regardless if the events were true to the nature of what took place in Leadbelly's life at the time, the representation didn't feel real. And this could have been from the mere fact that the clip was a newsreel, footage most likely directed at a predominantly white audience to capture their attention.

Now the last clip from Leadbelly singing Goodnight Irene was intense. You could really hear the power in his voice - it reverberated and demanded attention. The clip was clearly a setup with Martha sitting elegantly with a glass of champagne(?) in a gloved hand and Leadbelly all suited up and playing the guitar to her. The guitar, with it's old exterior and beat up wood was the greatest juxtaposition of the entire set. Now I am not saying that the setup makes the clip fake, but it really emphasizes who was in control when Leadbelly was asked to play Goodnight Irene for the recording.

Take this hammer, carry it to the captain

Tell him I'm gone

If he asks you was I runnin'

Tell him I was flyin'

If he asks you was I laughin'

Tell him I was cryin'

They want to feed me cornbread and molasses

But I got my pride

So who was Leadbelly. If each source provides a different depiction of Leadbelly, how can we be certain of who he was. I think Take This Hammer is the perfect explanation of who Leadbelly was. The lyrics suggest a strong personality that was very aware of his position and blunt about his opinion. And more reasonably, he resembles very much the hammer he used to break the rocks where he was imprisoned. A hammer itself can break things, but it is also used to piece things together - to create. Leadbelly is just the same; he may be fierce and break things/people, but he is also soft and pieces things back together. He is never one without the other.

WEEK 7 | Mississippi John Hurt - You Are My Sunshine

The two online readings about Mississippi John Hurt were, in my opinion, both very valuable. Out of necessity, I think it is more beneficial to read Jas Olbrecht's article first for its comprehensiveness and its background information. Max Ochs' With Mississippi John Hurt paints John Hurt in a relatable and colorful portrait. In that sense, one establishes the context, the second brings the character to life.

Personally, I prefer the Max Ochs article. There is a way in which the prose is constructed that truly requires the audience to search for the meaning between the lines. While there isn't much provided, in terms of written words, the story told is compelling and paints John Hurt in a much more compassionate color - a beautiful human.

My song of choice from Hurt's plethora of work is You Are My Sunshine. Although this song was an available choice for week two, I found myself returning to this song more than the others. Maybe it is because this song means something to me as opposed to the other songs, or because I found myself singing its lyrics after listening to all of them, but I truly feel that this was the right choice for this week.

Out of all the versions and covers available of this song, I think John Hurt sings it best. And it's not because he is the main artist covered this week; you can hear the difference in his voice. It's so much more sweet, sincere...humble. That's it, it's humble. I'm sure there are many ways to sing this song, but nothing can compare to how Hurt makes me feel when I listen to him sing. It's the closest way I would ever hope to sing it.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping

I dreamed I held you in my arms

When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken

And I hung my head & cried

***

The weather in my mind is seldom ever calm, but the thought of him is like the ray of sunshine that reminds me to always trek forward. He is the wooden ring and I always hold him to a standing higher than he will ever really know.

§

You burn as bright as the sun,

And if love is really blind

Then my eyes will never leave you.

§

WEEK 6 | Appalachia II: The British Ballads - Barbara Allen

They buried Barbara in the old church yard

They buried sweet William nigh her

Out of his grave grew a red, red rose

And out of hers a briar

They grew & grew up the old church wall

Til they could grow no higher

And at the top twined in a lovers' knot

The red rose & the briar

Did Barbara Allen deserve sweet William? Was sweet William a fool for courting Barbara Allen? Is it not upsetting that sweet William calls forth Barbara Allen when he is on his deathbed with the intention of telling her that he will die without her love? I mean really, he is putting Barbara Allen in a position that is not of her doing. How can he expect someone who he has barely met to give in to his "love" just to keep him alive? That is a poor excuse for love. In fact, it is not love at all! It is ridiculous, and yet this kind of thing happens all the time.

How can a man permit such power unto himself? It infuriates me that no one points out that 'sweet' William is pressuring Barbara to say yes to him. That the bells tolling "hard-hearted Barbara Allen" is just another way of describing society's view on women choosing themselves, their worth over a man's, as the 'hard-hearted' choice. It were the men who decided that they'd fall in love with Barbara Allen despite knowing that her tendency was to not reciprocate their same feelings. The men brought their troubles unto themselves, not Barbara Allen.

For goodness sake, a man staring at the sun cannot blame the sun for going blind. It is not the sun's fault that it exists, it is the man's fault for staring at it and knowing very well that blindness could occur. Similarly, Barbara Allen is just a person existing in this world. 'Sweet' William had quite the audacity to guilt trip Barbara Allen over his death (which, by the way, was of his own choosing - he chose to sicken himself over her).

Oh, but our leading lady refuses his request, only to feel bad after seeing the corpse of 'sweet' William. She did not die out of love for him, she died out of pity. Put yourself in her shoes; anyone can make themselves believe strong enough in something to make it happen, but that is effort put forth in making yourself feel a certain way - it is not your true disposition.

Barbara Allen did not love 'sweet' William, and I do not think 'sweet' William deserved Barbara Allen's love. It humors me to know that between the two graves, William's grew a rose and Barbara's grew a briar. Even in death does Barbara Allen not share the same feelings with 'sweet' William.

In my opinion, she died in vain.

WEEK 5 | Appalachia - Banks of the Ohio

Of the two songs, I was really drawn to 'Banks of the Ohio'. The contrast between the tone of the song and the lyrics struck me in a way that I very much appreciated. I listened to a few versions of the song and came to like the version with Bill Monroe and Doc Watson. It touched me in a way the others did not.

A little background on Doc Watson (born Arthel Watson). He was a pioneer in his form of guitar plucking, much like Maybelle Carter was with her own, and was considered a revolutionary when it came to the guitar, casting it in a new light of performance. He demonstrated such power and control over his notes; people almost take for granted the sheer complexity of his chords. Nevertheless, they were much enjoyed by everyone who heard them, even to this day.

On a different note, I really tried to figure out why I connected more to this song than the other one. While both songs center around the theme of losing a loved one, 'Banks of the Ohio' is told from the point of view of the killer instead of a witness standpoint. At first I was horrified by this notion, but the more I listened to it and weighted the tone of voice, I came to share that same remorse.

There's irony in what I say. I was proposed to twice before, and each time I declined. Even more ironic was that my suitor at the time was a singer of sorts. I can almost imagine him singing this song about my death. Fortunately for me, I was not killed for saying no, but I wonder how I would have died if I was not so lucky.

Even though it is hard to believe, we are all much luckier than we think.

Darling say that you'll be mine

In our home we'll happy be

Down beside where the water flows

Far on the banks of the Ohio

***

I have murdered the girl I love

Because she would not be my bride

WEEK 4 | Spirituals II - Oh Mary Don't You Weep

This week was particularly challenging for me, especially since I myself am not particularly familiar with biblical texts or connotations. The only difference I know between the Old and New Testaments is that the Old Testament reflects a fearful and awe-some God whereas the New Testament has a more merciful God. I could be wrong, but from the snippets of the stories presented to us from the readings and posts, I would appear to have the right general idea.

Regardless, O Mary Don't You Weep is a confusing mix of references from both Testaments and it would be a lie to say that I understand the point of both stories. In attributing the texts to the lives of Black people in the American South in the time of the slavery, EXODUS 14:20-30 could be suggesting that the Black people will be delivered freedom in the form of God allowing a safe passage of escape from the Whites and punishing them for their wrongs against the Blacks. In a varying tone, the story of Mary and Martha could be suggesting for the slaves at the time to focus on God instead of the tasks and burdens of their oppression.

The conjunction of the two texts is an understanding of a way to cope and bear the burden of their fate.

I decided to paint prior to completing the readings for the week by simply listening to the song. The images that came to mind were, of course, the Red Sea being parted, a woman crying, and water everywhere. The work turned into two pieces, ironically. I wanted to convey the emotion of tears and of being washed over with calm while also feeling the desire to be bold and roaring with a deep set of colors (deep not in the sense of dark-hued, but rather that the colors are purging and very raw).

And this was the result.

At first I considered only photographing one of the pieces but I soon came to realize that they only worked well by being featured with each other. Then it hit me. I subconsciously decided to represent the story of Mary and Martha (New Testament) with the blue hues and the parting of the Red Sea (Old Testament) with the red hues. The reason why I could not separate the two was very much the result that O Mary Don't You Weep is a telling of both tales and would not be the same were the stories separated - much in the same way that the Black people cannot escape their past of imprisonment because that is their story and denial of it would render their years of freedom not something to have been freed from. 

God gave Noah the rainbow sign

No more water but fire next time

Pharoah's army got drowned

O Mary down't you weep!

§

WEEK 3 | Spirituals, Work Songs & Gospel - Katiusha

Some way or another, I always come back to the fact that I feel strangely foreign in all of this. When I was playing music from the list of songs we were given, I stopped at this one. It was so foreign to me and yet so strangely familiar. It made me smile in a way that none of the other songs did. So I listened to it some more.

Strangely enough, I did know this song - one Russian song out of 50 or so other options. I heard my mother sing it, she knows Russian, too. You should hear her speak; like glaciers melting away and plummeting into frozen waters. That's what her speaking Russian sounds like.

Although Russian is not a language I personally know, my approach to interpreting this song (prior to looking up the english translation) were all from my memory of how my mother sang the it. There was such longing. In Russia, as my mother would say, the snow and rain were harsh. When you were sitting in a warm room with others you would eat, drink, and sing.

Coming from a village, folk songs were what everyone sang. To me, they say more about the person who chooses to sing them than the actual song itself.

Oh, my song, song of a maiden's true love,

To my dear one travel with the sun.

To the one with whom Katiusha knew love,

Bring my greetings to him, one by one.