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

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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.

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You burn as bright as the sun,

And if love is really blind

Then my eyes will never leave you.

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