In the Pines - Huddie William Ledbetter

On sort of a blues tour of the country, travelling in a vintage motor home. Can't play too loud but working on some material. This is an old Leadbelly song that has an interesting history. It is actually based on a very old song from Europe, which developed along two channels in America. There are Appalachian versions and there is the more dark Leadbelly version. But the social context is not well understood these days. The railroads were encouraged to lay track throughout the country by the government, and as a result they were given free and clear land on both sides of any tracks they put down. These tracks were laid by workers who lived and worked in railroad cars, moving throughout the country. Frequently they could be hundreds of miles away from home, and also far from any town or city. In the south, black workers were used on these crews, but in other areas other economically deprived minorities worked on these crews. The railroad exercised their own law over these workers. They had complete control over them while they were in their employ. The work was dangerous, with frequent accidents and death. The more experienced and skilled workers traveled frequently with their wives and families. But if the husband were killed in an accident, his family could be left in desperate straights and homeless far from home. My fraternal grand father was a Sicilian immigrant and a boss on one of these crews in Michigan. His five year old niece was killed in an accident in that camp. He picked up his gun and was going to kill the man responsible. He did not follow through, but if he had no one would have interfered. My maternal great grand father was killed in an accident in one of these camps. He was married to a Cherokee woman. This was a social context well understood in Leadbelly's time, but we have mostly forgotten it. This song is about a woman whose husband has been killed, and who has been made an offer by the captain to keep her little home. It's about a woman who says "no" to a certain type of coercion, despite the consequences. It's a very dark and riveting song; my arrangement. A "driving wheel" is the largest wheel on a steam locomotive. It directly transfers the power of the steam engine to the tracks. This wheel frequently collected debris from tracks, including human and animal remains from accidents.

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#Leadbelly #Blues_(Musical_Genre) #In_The_Pines_(Composition) #Parlor_Guitar #Blues_Guitar #Traditional_Music #Roots_Music #Huddie_William_Ledbetter #Fingerstyle_Guitar_(Musical_Genre)

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