- [Announcer] Produced in Athens at the Ohio University Telecommunications Center.

The following program was produced in part through a grant from the Ohio Educational Broadcasting Network Commission and through a grant from the Ohio Arts Council.

(audience applauding) From Athens, Ohio, Ramblin' with Jean Ritchie.

(audience applauding) - Thank you for that warm welcome, and you all look very, very beautiful out there.

The lighting is just right for you.

(laughing) My name is Jean Ritchie.

I was born and raised in Southeastern Kentucky in a little village called Viper.

My mother and father had 14 children and I'm the youngest one of them, believe it or not.

And so we are an old family now.

There was Mom and Dad, and there was me, Ollie, Mellie, Yuni, Raymond, Kitty, Truman, Patty, Edna, Jewel, Opal, Pauline, Wilmer, and Jean, that was all of us.

And there's 10 children living now, and as I say, we're getting to be an old family.

My oldest sister, I won't tell how old she is, but she's past 80 and, and I'm getting along up there too.

So we were happy to still be around.

We come from a time in music, America's musical history when music was very different.

And so my music tonight is gonna be just the music that I grew up with.

The songs that the old people sang, and we sang all these songs around the fireside and on the porch and around the work.

It's hard to believe, but in that part of, of Kentucky at those, in those times, well, I'll say before 18 but 18, oh, about 1870 or '68 or '70, we had no instruments at all.

There's a little pocket of mountains, just closed us off and we didn't have any fiddles or banjos or anything like that, like the rest of the country had.

The people didn't bring anything with them, or it wore out, maybe they had bagpipes in the old days from Scotland or Ireland.

But when, in those times there was a period in there when we didn't have any instruments and people just had to sing and, to make their music.

And this is the way I'm going to sing the first song that, in that old fashioned style.

This song comes from my father and from our family way on back, and it's the old love song, Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies sung in those times when there was plenty of time and you didn't have to have a beat, (laughing) you could just sing the song to keep yourself company or to tell how you felt to your sweetheart, or just one of those things.

Come All You Fair.

♪ Come all you fair and tender ladies ♪ ♪ Take a warning how you court young men ♪ ♪ They're like a bright star ♪ ♪ On a cloudy morning ♪ ♪ First they'll appear and then they're gone ♪ ♪ They'll tell to you some loving story ♪ ♪ Declare to you their love is true ♪ ♪ Straight away they'll go and they'll court another ♪ ♪ And that is the love they have for you ♪ ♪ I wished I was some little sparrow ♪ ♪ That I had wings and I could fly ♪ ♪ I would fly away to my false true lover ♪ ♪ And whilst they'd talk I'd sit and cry ♪ ♪ But I am not no little sparrow ♪ ♪ I got no wings and I can't fly ♪ ♪ So I'll sit right here in my grief and sorrow ♪ ♪ And pass my troubles by and by ♪ ♪ Young men there cast your eyes on beauty ♪ ♪ For beauty is a thing that will decay ♪ ♪ I've seen many a fair and a bright sunny morning ♪ ♪ Turn into a dark and deludinous day ♪ (audience applauding) Well this is my home in Kentucky, in Viper Kentucky, Perry County.

We built it, my husband and I, about two years ago and with some help from some young boys, college boys, out of old hand-hewn logs from old houses around here.

I guess the logs must be about 200 years old.

And it's a beautiful house, we enjoy it.

I can sit here on the porch and look down on the roof of the house where I was born.

That little brown house down there is the house that my dad built when he first came over from Knott County with his bride, and his wife and their little family.

And the house in front of that, the white house is my, our new house, which was built when I was 16 years old.

So it's not really new anymore but we call it that.

And beyond that is Aunt Maggie's house, and beyond that is the highway where I can sit and listen to the coal trucks go by.

(laughing) But there is other good music too.

There's the branch that goes by down there and sings, and there's, it's early in the spring now, but pretty soon the whittledings will be coming.

There all kinds of birds here already, but the whittledings are my favorite.

That's the wood thrush, and it's a beautiful bird.

My dad in that little house down there showed me how to play the dulcimer a long, long time ago, and that's our old mountain instrument here.

I used to slip it down off the mantle piece when he wasn't looking or when he'd gone to the corn field and couldn't see me when I was about four and I'd play Go Tell Aunt Rhody and a few other tunes that I knew.

When I was about seven he said, "Well Jean, it's time "you learned how to play the dulcimer.

"Here, sit down and play for me.

"Let me show you how to play."

Well, I just played away on Aunt Rhody and he said, "Abby, that girl's a natural born musician."

(laughing) But here's the first song I ever learned to play.

♪ Go tell Aunt Rhody ♪ ♪ Go tell Aunt Rhody ♪ ♪ Go tell Aunt Rhody ♪ ♪ The old gray goose is dead ♪ ♪ The one that she's been saving ♪ ♪ The one that she's been saving ♪ ♪ The one that she's been saving ♪ ♪ To make a feather bed ♪ ♪ She died last Friday ♪ ♪ She died last Friday ♪ ♪ She died last Friday ♪ ♪ Behind the old barn shed ♪ ♪ She left nine little goslings ♪ ♪ She left nine little goslings ♪ ♪ She left nine little goslings ♪ ♪ To scratch for their own bread ♪ ♪ Bye oh my baby ♪ ♪ Bye oh my baby ♪ ♪ Bye oh my baby ♪ ♪ Mm mm mm mm ♪ Well part of our view is we sit here on the porch and look around, is a little graveyard over there on the hill, and you'll see it if you look close.

I used to tell George that we could sit here on the porch and sing I Know Where I'm Going.

(laughing) That's a title of an old song from Scotland, but really, it doesn't bother me because it's a very beautiful, peaceful little place.

And I always like to think on death as being a part of life, and it doesn't really worry me.

All the old people, and then some of the young people in Viper are over there now.

My grandpa, my grandma and, and cousins and uncles, and some sisters and brothers and, well here's, here's the way I think on it.

This is a Easter carol, a resurrection song.

♪ Christ was born in Bethlehem ♪ ♪ And in a manger lay ♪ ♪ Judas he betrayed him ♪ ♪ Judas he betrayed him ♪ ♪ Judas he betrayed him ♪ ♪ They nailed him to the tree ♪ ♪ They nailed him to the tree ♪ ♪ They nailed him to the tree ♪ ♪ Judas he betrayed him ♪ ♪ They nailed him to the tree ♪ ♪ Joseph bagged his body ♪ ♪ Joseph bagged his body ♪ ♪ Joseph bagged his body ♪ ♪ And laid it in the tomb ♪ ♪ And laid it in the tomb ♪ ♪ And laid it in the tomb ♪ ♪ Joseph bagged his body ♪ ♪ And laid it in the tomb ♪ ♪ Tomb it would not hold him ♪ ♪ The tomb it would not hold him ♪ ♪ Tomb it would not hold him ♪ ♪ He burst the bands of death ♪ ♪ He burst the bands of death ♪ ♪ He burst the bands of death ♪ ♪ Tomb it would not hold him ♪ ♪ He burst the bands of death ♪ ♪ Down came an angel ♪ ♪ Down came an angel ♪ ♪ Down came an angel ♪ ♪ And rolled the stone away ♪ ♪ And rolled the stone away ♪ ♪ He rolled the stone away ♪ ♪ Down came an angel ♪ ♪ And rolled the stone away ♪ ♪ Mary she came weeping ♪ ♪ Mary she came weeping ♪ ♪ Mary she came weeping ♪ ♪ Her blessed Lord to see ♪ ♪ Her blessed Lord to see ♪ ♪ Her blessed Lord to see ♪ ♪ Mary she came weeping ♪ ♪ Her blessed Lord to see ♪ ♪ What's the matter Mary ♪ ♪ What's the matter Mary ♪ ♪ What's the matter Mary ♪ ♪ They stole my Lord away ♪ ♪ They stole my Lord away ♪ ♪ They stole my Lord away ♪ ♪ What's the matter Mary ♪ ♪ They stole my Lord away ♪ ♪ Run and tell your brethren ♪ ♪ Run and tell your brethren ♪ ♪ Run and tell your brethren ♪ ♪ He's risen from the dead ♪ ♪ He's risen from the dead ♪ ♪ He's risen from the dead ♪ ♪ Run and tell your brethren ♪ ♪ He's risen from the dead ♪ This is called We're Floating Down the Stream of Time.

It's a song that I like very much, and where we did sing this song outside the family was, my mother had a, our mother's family's name was Hall, and they had a family reunion.

They still have it every, every year.

Used to be the last Sunday in August, you could count on that.

Now they've changed it and we sort of don't know when it's gonna be from year to year.

But it started about 1922 or '23, I guess, and still going today.

That was the year I was born was 1922, but the end of 1922.

So I'm not as old as you think I am.

(laughing) And this kind of song was, was a the kind that Uncle Will Singleton used to always get up at the Hall reunion, you know had a, they had a time where you have speeches and, and you have people who get up and talk about the family and when they came over, and they came over and one of the old patriarchs was born on shipboard as he came over.

And all the Halls, the older generation, they had pictures on the wall and the family tree was up on the wall.

The wall was a little plank stage they had built, just a little square house, and the front of the building came down and made a stage.

And back in the rest of the house then, was all the artifacts from the family, and the pictures and the family tree and so on.

But Uncle Will Singleton would always get up and sing the song, and he played it on the dulcimer.

Later on I heard it on the autoharp and liked it.

And he and his little granddaughter would sing it, and it was very appropriate because the, many of the old faces that were there the year before had gone, and you missed them.

And there were a lot of new little baby faces around that looked like the old faces that were gone.

And so you had, you were very, very much conscious of being a part of the stream of time, and that's what the name of this song is, We're Floating Down the Stream of Time.

So everybody would always join in and sing it with him, and this was our kind of emotional moment in the meeting.

♪ We're floating down the stream of time ♪ ♪ We have not long to stay ♪ ♪ The stormy clouds of darkness ♪ ♪ Turn to brightest day ♪ ♪ Then let us all take courage ♪ ♪ For we're not left alone ♪ ♪ The lifeboat soon is coming ♪ ♪ To gather the jewels home ♪ ♪ Then cheer my brother cheer ♪ ♪ Our trials will soon be o'er ♪ ♪ Our loved ones we shall meet shall meet ♪ ♪ Upon the other shore ♪ ♪ We're pilgrims and we're strangers here ♪ ♪ We're seeking the city to come ♪ ♪ The lifeboat soon is coming ♪ ♪ To gather the jewels home ♪ ♪ The lifeboat soon is coming ♪ ♪ By faith we now can see ♪ ♪ As she sweeps through the waters ♪ ♪ To rescue you and me ♪ ♪ And land us safely in the port ♪ ♪ With friends we love so dear ♪ ♪ Get ready cries the captain ♪ ♪ Oh look she is almost here then cheer ♪ ♪ Then cheer my brother cheer our trials ♪ ♪ Our trials will soon be o'er our loved ones ♪ ♪ Loved ones we shall meet shall meet ♪ ♪ Upon the other shore we're pilgrims ♪ ♪ We're pilgrims and we're strangers here ♪ ♪ We're seeking the city to come the lifeboat ♪ ♪ The lifeboat soon is coming ♪ ♪ To gather the jewels home ♪ ♪ We're floating down the stream of time ♪ ♪ We have not long to stay ♪ ♪ The stormy clouds of darkness ♪ ♪ Will turn to brightest day ♪ ♪ Then let us all take courage ♪ ♪ For we're not left alone ♪ ♪ The lifeboat soon is coming ♪ ♪ To gather the jewels home then cheer ♪ ♪ Then cheer my brother cheer our trials ♪ ♪ Our trials will soon be o'er loved ones ♪ ♪ Our loved ones we shall meet shall meet ♪ ♪ Upon the other shore pilgrims ♪ ♪ Pilgrims and we're strangers here ♪ ♪ We're seeking the city to come lifeboat ♪ ♪ The lifeboat soon is coming ♪ ♪ To gather the jewels home ♪ (audience applauding) The very first song I ever consciously made up, I've changed a lot of old songs (laughing) 'cause you do that when you're, or you add to them, or you put in a note where you can't get the note, you put in a higher one or a lower one.

And as you change the old songs, around all the time, everybody does that, and that's how you get the different variants of the old songs.

All your family sings Barbary Ellen a different way because they just sort of change it naturally over the years.

But this is a song that I consciously did make up, the very first one.

It's a little lullaby, and I made it up with and for my children, Peter and Johnny, when they were very young.

We were having bedtime and they asked me, "What's the prettiest thing you ever saw?"

And I figured out what it was, it just sort of flew into my mind and I remembered what it was.

So out of that experience, my telling them about, this, the most, the prettiest thing I ever saw came this song after a while, because they had to have the story every night for another two or three weeks.

And it was a, once when I was under an apple tree, when I was very young, it was just bloomed, and the little bloom's blossom smelled so good.

And the little green leaves were just beginning to bud out and everything was so pretty.

Then over the tree came a darkness and a sort of a funny sound.

And what it turned out to be was about 150 bluebirds, all flying together and all settling down in my tree to rest, and it was so beautiful I ran and told my mother about it.

Just as soon as they saw me, they went zoom and went away, you know, so I ran in and I said, "You know what I saw, you know all those birds?

"So many birds, there's just so many birds."

And she said, "Well did you count them?"

And I said, "Well no, they flew away too fast.

"And besides, I can just count to 10, so."

(laughing) She said, "Well, this is a way you can count bluebirds "without counting over 10."

She said, "This rhyme, it just goes up to nine, "and if you say it over and over, whenever they rise and fly "that's your fortune, you can tell you fortune that way."

I was so excited, I ran back out and sat under the tree all the rest of the day and no birds.

And I went back the next day and sat all, most all day, no birds.

And so finally my mother took pity on me and said, "Honey, sometimes God just means for you "to see something that pretty once you've had your turn."

So I still looking, but I'm still looking, but I still haven't seen it, but we made a song out of it.

♪ When I was a young thing once on a day ♪ ♪ Dreaming under my apple tree ♪ ♪ A great flock of bluebirds sailing through the sky ♪ ♪ Espied my tree as they passed by ♪ ♪ And oh it was a wonderful sight to see ♪ ♪ When they settled down to rest in my apple tree ♪ ♪ Count them said my mother ♪ ♪ How said I ♪ ♪ Out of the window came this reply ♪ ♪ One you'll have sorrow ♪ ♪ Two you'll have joy ♪ ♪ Three get a present ♪ ♪ Four get a boy ♪ ♪ Five receive silver ♪ ♪ Six receive gold ♪ ♪ Seven's a secret that's never been told ♪ ♪ Eight a love letter with promises three ♪ ♪ Nine means your true love's as true as can be ♪ ♪ Only once in a lifetime the old folks say ♪ ♪ The vision of the bluebirds will come your way ♪ ♪ But only if you're dreaming only if you're still ♪ ♪ Only in an apple tree on a green hill ♪ ♪ So stop all your hurrying and worrying away ♪ ♪ And take time for dreaming on a sunny day ♪ ♪ Wait for the bluebirds when they come along ♪ ♪ Tell your fortune with a bluebird song ♪ Boys can say it like this.

♪ One you'll have gladness ♪ ♪ Two you'll have strife ♪ ♪ Three get a present ♪ ♪ Four get a wife ♪ ♪ Five receive silver ♪ ♪ Six receive gold ♪ ♪ Seven's a secret that's never been told ♪ ♪ Eight a love letter with promises three ♪ ♪ Nine means your true love's as true as can be ♪ (audience applauding) Not all the songs I've made up have been that happy.

I guess that's a happy one.

Sometimes I wonder how happy it is because there's not that many birds all together anymore.

There's just not that many birds, especially bluebirds around, we've kind of chased them all off or done something with them.

But it still is a happy little thought, and in a beautiful picture in my mind.

This one, I started to write songs then, after that, I found out that I could put things together and do do songs of my own.

And, and the way I write songs, the way I compose things, is that when a situation comes along that has no old song to go with it, why I'll make up a new one.

And they sometimes sound very much like old songs.

In fact, several people have been tricked.

They've thought that they've collected an old song and it's actually one I had written, but I didn't mean to trick them.

This one is, was written a few years ago when there was a coal mining accident in West Virginia.

And my two brothers worked in the mines, Raymond and Truman, and they were always around the mining camps.

And we all were always worried when Raymond, Raymond worked in the deep mines and Truman worked on the surface, but we always worried very much about Raymond.

And he'd go into the mines.

Well, you never could say anything about it because it was taboo to mention bad luck.

"If you mention bad luck, why you'll get bad luck," the old folks used to say, so you didn't do that.

You just hoped everything was gonna be all right.

Well this song is called West Virginia Mine Disaster.

It was a, an occurrence that happened in our neighboring state.

And when it happened, I suddenly, it sort of came to my mind that all the mining disaster songs are about what happened, they're chronological accounts of the events.

Dates, names, places, and so on, but nobody ever sort of wrote a song that told how women feel when they have to stay home.

It was taboo then to go into the mines too, for a woman, and wonder what's going on when the whistle blows off time.

So I just wrote a woman's song called West Virginia Mine Disaster.

♪ Say did you see him going it was early this morning ♪ ♪ He passed all these houses on his way to the coal ♪ ♪ He was tall he was slender and his dark eyes so tender ♪ ♪ His occupation was mining ♪ ♪ West Virginia his home ♪ ♪ It was just before 12 I was feeding the children ♪ ♪ Ben Moseley came running to bring us the news ♪ ♪ Number eight is all flooded many men are in danger ♪ ♪ And we don't know their number ♪ ♪ But we fear they're all doomed ♪ ♪ So I picked up the baby and I left all the others ♪ ♪ To comfort each other and pray for our own ♪ ♪ There's Timmy 14 and there's John not much younger ♪ ♪ Their own time soon will be coming ♪ ♪ To go down the black hole ♪ ♪ Oh if I had the money to do more than just feed them ♪ ♪ I'd give them good learning the best could be found ♪ ♪ So when they grow up they'd be checkers and weighers ♪ ♪ And not spend their time drilling in the dark underground ♪ ♪ Now what can I say to his poor little children ♪ ♪ Or what can I tell his old mother at home ♪ ♪ Or what can I say to my heart that's clear broken ♪ ♪ To my heart that's clear broken if my darling is gone ♪ ♪ Say did you see him going it was early this morning ♪ ♪ He passed all these houses on his way to the coal ♪ ♪ He was tall he was slender and his dark eyes so tender ♪ ♪ His occupation was mining ♪ ♪ West Virginia his home ♪ (audience applauding) Thank you.

Walking now down by the branch that goes by our house, makes a nice lullaby sound.

It makes me remember when I was about 13.

I loved to read, I just loved to read better than anything, and I never could find enough time to read 'cause my mama was always hollering at me, "Jean come and was the dishes, Jean come and do this.

"Jean come and do that."

Well, I'll tell you a little secret how I used to fool my mama.

You see that big tree over there?

That's a beech tree, and about halfway up the tree there's a heart-shaped knothole.

And out of that knothole used to come a limb, and it made a, it and that other limb.

I had nailed some boards across it there and made myself a little platform.

And I used to take my books and go up in that tree and just, and read, and my mother would walk all around in the yard here yelling, "Jean, come and wash the dishes.

"Where are you, where is that young'un now?"

And she'd holler and holler and I just wouldn't answer.

I just wouldn't say a word, and I'd read my whole, you know, all the chapters I wanted to read.

And then I'd sneak down out of the tree and, and suddenly appear.

And my mother would say, "Where were you?"

And I'd say "Well," "I've been hollering all day for you."

And I'd say, "Well, I didn't hear you."

(laughing) I lied to her I guess, but I, but I kept that I had in place a secret for a long time.

Years, and years and years.

We used to wade in that branch and catch minnows and crawdads and grampuses, and all kinds of little leaves and flowers and things used to grow around the edges of it and in it.

Well it's pretty dead now, it's a dead stream because of the strip mining, the strip mining has kind of killed it.

After 20 years, it's making a comeback though.

It's, last year I saw a few crawdads in the big waterhole.

So I hope it's gonna make a comeback, but that's what the strip mining is doing to the hills and the waters all over the country.

(water rushing) It does sound like singing, doesn't it?

It's all the musical accompaniment you need really.

I wonder about key that is?

(laughing) ♪ See the waters a-gliding ♪ ♪ Feel the joys of the spring ♪ ♪ See the waters a-gliding ♪ ♪ Hear the nightingale sing ♪ ♪ As I was out walking one morning in May ♪ ♪ I spied a young couple making their way ♪ ♪ And one was a lady so sweet and so fair ♪ ♪ And the other was a soldier and a brave volunteer ♪ ♪ I bid you good morning, good morning to thee ♪ ♪ Oh where are you going you pretty lady ♪ ♪ I'm going a-walking feel the joys of the spring ♪ ♪ To see the waters a-gliding hear the nightingale sing ♪ ♪ See the waters a-gliding feel the joys of the spring ♪ ♪ See the waters a-gliding hear the nightingale sing ♪ ♪ Well a-walking and a-talking for an hour or two ♪ ♪ When out from his knapsack a fiddle he drew ♪ ♪ And the tune that he played ♪ ♪ Made the whole mountain ring ♪ ♪ Oh listen oh listen how the nightingales sing ♪ ♪ See the waters a-gliding feel the joys of the spring ♪ ♪ See the waters a-gliding hear the nightingales sing ♪ The song that comes to mind right now after that is a song that I did with, also about mines in a way, it was about the, our little train, it was our train.

My husband said the other day, he thought all this time I was singing about, about the L&N coal cars, but I was, the train I had in mind was our passenger train.

It also was called L&N, but it was called the L&N short dog.

The short dog means that it didn't have many cars on it.

Had the mail car, one passenger car.

Sometimes that was all, just the engine and the coal thing, and then the caboose, or not the caboose on the, on a passenger train but the two cars, the mail car and the passenger car.

And sometimes if it was a long dog, (laughing) it would have two passenger cars.

And, but most of the time, it just was a short dog.

And it, it started up at McRoberts, Kentucky, went down through Viper, which is our little town, our village, Hazard, and down to let's see, Beattyville and Jackson and Lexington.

And at Lexington you could change for a train that would take you to Louisville or Nashville, and that's where it got its name, the L&N.

It was the Louisville and Nashville railroad.

And my two brothers, as I say, worked in the mines and after a while the mines started to close.

The deep mines started to close all around the country and people wondered what was happening.

They just thought hard times were coming, and they took off our train.

That was the first thing that happened, they took the short dog off, and we had no way of getting back and forth to Hazard, unless well, and you had to go buy a car then.

There weren't many cars as long as the train was running, because people depended on the train.

Well, this song has been around for a while now.

About 20 years I guess, 18 or 20 years.

Maybe not quite that long.

'Cause that's when they started to close the deep mines and tool up to open up strip mines, bring in big machinery and strip the hills.

That was a sad time when they started to do that.

We didn't know what they were doing though.

We just knew that the train was gone, that the mines were closed, people were out of work.

And this is just what my relatives around were saying, this song was just sort of what everybody was saying at the time.

I rhymed it out and made a song out of it.

♪ Oh when I was a curly-headed baby ♪ ♪ My Daddy sat me down upon his knee ♪ ♪ Said son you go to school learn your letters ♪ ♪ Don't you be no dusty miner like me ♪ ♪ For I was born and raised ♪ ♪ At the mouth of the Hazard holler ♪ ♪ Coal cars roaring and a-rumbling past my door ♪ ♪ Now they're standing rusty rolling empty ♪ ♪ And the L&N don't stop here anymore ♪ ♪ I used to think my Daddy was a Black man ♪ ♪ With scrip enough to buy the company store ♪ ♪ But now he goes downtown with empty pockets ♪ ♪ And his face is white as a February snow ♪ ♪ Yes I was born and raised ♪ ♪ At the mouth of the Hazard holler ♪ ♪ Coal cars roaring and a-rumbling a-past my door ♪ ♪ Now they're standing rusty rolling empty ♪ ♪ And the L&N don't stop here anymore ♪ ♪ Last night I dreamt I went down to the office ♪ ♪ To get my payday like I done before ♪ ♪ Them old kudzu vines had covered up the doorway ♪ ♪ And there was trees and grass ♪ ♪ Well a-growing right through the floor ♪ ♪ And I was born and raised ♪ ♪ At the mouth of the Hazard holler ♪ ♪ Coal cars roaring and a-rumbling a-past my door ♪ ♪ Now they're standing rusty rolling empty ♪ ♪ And the L&N don't stop here anymore ♪ ♪ Well I never thought I'd live to love the coal dust ♪ ♪ Never thought I'd pray to hear the tipple roar ♪ ♪ But Lord how I wish that grass could change to mining ♪ ♪ Them greenbacks fill my pockets once more ♪ ♪ And I was born and raised ♪ ♪ At the mouth of the Hazard holler ♪ ♪ Coal cars roaring and a-rumbling a-past my door ♪ ♪ Now they're standing rusty rolling empty ♪ ♪ And the L&N don't stop here anymore ♪ (audience applauding) This is, how will I describe it?

I guess it's an anniversary song.

About 18 years ago I, not 18 years.

No, no, no, that's wrong.

We've been married 30 years and this is, this September.

So when, about our 18th or 19th or 20th wedding anniversary, along there somewhere.

I, I did a song for us, for my husband and myself.

And it's called Sweet Sorrow in the Wind.

It's recently been recorded by a big country star.

I won't name names but, I can't play it the way she does or sing it the way she does, but I'll give you just the song the way it was written.

Just, it was our personal song and I never sang it outside for many, many years.

Didn't think it was any account you know, just a little poem I made up for us.

And, but I'm very happy to, when I hear it on the radio now, it sort of reinforces my belief that it's a song.

(laughing) When somebody else sings your songs they become songs, and not just your own, you know, poems and things.

So I'll do it, and I hope it comes out halfway decent.

I mean it to anyway.

Sweet Sorrow in the Wind.

♪ I hear the soft winds sighing ♪ ♪ On every bush and tree ♪ ♪ The sound of my heart crying ♪ ♪ When you're away from me ♪ ♪ When we're apart my darling ♪ ♪ There's sorrow in the wind ♪ ♪ When we're apart my darling ♪ ♪ Sweet sorrow in the wind ♪ ♪ You leave me in the morning ♪ ♪ Your footsteps die away ♪ ♪ Though not a leaf is stirring ♪ ♪ I hear the wind all day ♪ ♪ When we're apart my darling ♪ ♪ There's sorrow in the wind ♪ ♪ When we're apart my darling ♪ ♪ Sweet sorrow in the wind ♪ ♪ They say when love grows older ♪ ♪ It dies and fades away ♪ ♪ Yet all our life together ♪ ♪ One ever brightening day ♪ ♪ When we're apart my darling ♪ ♪ There's sorrow in the wind ♪ ♪ When we're apart my darling ♪ ♪ Sweet sorrow in the wind ♪ (audience applauding) Now I'll have to sing you my other anniversary song.

This is an older one, it was written for my mother and father and, get the right pick there, this is all right.

My mother and father were married 60 years, I hope I make it.

And when they were married 50 years, I did a song for them, especially for their 50th wedding anniversary.

My mother told me, when I was 17, she stood me up and turned me around and said, "You're just a baby, when I was 17 I was getting married."

Well, I pressed her to tell me about the day.

I said, "How was your, how was the day like?

"What did you, what'd you do on that day?"

And she said, "Well I got up at 4:30 "because nobody had given me any flowers.

"And I read somewhere or someone told me "that the more flowers you carried at your wedding, "your marriage, your marriage would be happier.

"The more flowers you carried at your wedding, "the happier marriage you'd have."

Well, she was going to get married out in the yard.

She had a pretty dress and everything, and they had a preacher, but people didn't know much about what weddings are supposed to, you know, the form of weddings and stuff.

And they thought, maybe she'd pick a few jonquils or something.

It wasn't, no it was June, so it wouldn't be jonquils, it would be something else, wouldn't it?

Roses, she might carry a rose or two.

But she decided that she was gonna have a lot of flowers and there wasn't enough roses blooming for, to suit her.

So she went, waded across the river.

Now it wasn't like you, like the river near here.

It was a, it was a very tiny river.

It was about as far as from here across the room.

It was the North fork of the Kentucky.

That's where we still live, down there today.

She waded across just as the light was coming over the mountain, and she gathered a big armload of rhododendrons.

That's what was blooming then.

And she said she was just a-staggering under that load of flowers when she came back and she carried them all at the wedding.

She insisted on it.

They tried to take some of them away from her and she wouldn't let them.

She decided she'd carry them all.

So she carried them all, and she was such a beautiful woman when she was old I knew that that, well, it was like she had given me a memory inside my head.

There I could just see her walking across that river, on the, you know, picking her way on the rocks and wading part of the way, and coming back with that big armload of flowers.

People always would tell her, and she lived to be 95.

"Abby you're prettier than nary a girl you got."

And she would just grin and say, "I know."

(laughing) So I knew that that, that must've been a lovely picture back then.

And I kept it in my mind all those years, and they were married 50 years.

I put that little bit of the memory into a song.

And some other things, the way I felt about home, the way I felt about growing up in that big family in that little pocket of the world and how much it means to me.

Sometimes home means a place that you're born in.

Sometimes it means a place you found since then that you like better.

Sometimes it's a feeling inside you, or a cause that you want to fight for, but when you've found home, you found what you're here for.

So think about that as I sing it.

♪ There's a place on this earth ♪ ♪ That is dearer to me ♪ ♪ Than all of the cities of pleasure ♪ ♪ Where Kentucky's old North fork ♪ ♪ Comes singing along ♪ ♪ On the banks of that little Green River ♪ ♪ There's an old square log cabin ♪ ♪ With a garden all around ♪ ♪ There's a pig and some chickens ♪ ♪ And a rusty old hound ♪ ♪ And when she's not a-sleeping ♪ ♪ His sweet dear girl's sound ♪ ♪ Goes ringing the high hills all over ♪ ♪ Oh Eastern Kentucky your people so fine ♪ ♪ Your high hills and mountains always on my mind ♪ ♪ And when I turn homeward the heart breaks in song ♪ ♪ The high hills and mountains are where I belong ♪ ♪ There a beautiful maiden went walking one day ♪ ♪ For the wild rhododendrons for a wedding bouquet ♪ ♪ Then she married her sweetheart in the garden that day ♪ ♪ And the branch waters sang like a fountain ♪ ♪ That was Papa and Mama they both worked so hard ♪ ♪ And they raised 13 children in the fear of the Lord ♪ ♪ And the old songs we sang for our day's work's reward ♪ ♪ Went ringing the high hills all over ♪ ♪ Oh Eastern Kentucky your people so fine ♪ ♪ Your high hills and mountains always on my mind ♪ ♪ And when I turn homeward a heart breaks in song ♪ ♪ The high hills and mountains are where I belong ♪ ♪ In search of the living we've left our poor land ♪ ♪ Scattered over this country like seeds in the wind ♪ ♪ And I search and I labor God's purpose to find ♪ ♪ And I'm safe in His love all surrounding ♪ ♪ But more and more urgent the memories call ♪ ♪ As the years swift and swifter unceasingly roll ♪ ♪ And the old songs come offering their wings to my soul ♪ ♪ To return the high hills and mountains ♪ ♪ Oh Eastern Kentucky your people so fine ♪ ♪ Your high hills and mountains always on my mind ♪ ♪ And when I turn homeward the heart breaks in song ♪ ♪ The high hills and mountains are where I belong ♪ (audience applauding) ♪ My Lord he said unto me ♪ ♪ Do you like my garden so fair ♪ ♪ You may live in this garden ♪ ♪ If you'll keep the grasses green ♪ ♪ And I'll return in the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Now is the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Now is the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Oh this earth is a garden the garden of my Lord ♪ ♪ And He walks in His garden ♪ ♪ In the cool of the day ♪ ♪ My Lord He said unto me ♪ ♪ Do you like my garden so pure ♪ ♪ You may live in this garden ♪ ♪ If you'll keep the waters clean ♪ ♪ And I'll return in the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Sing now is the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Now is the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Oh this earth is a garden the garden of my Lord ♪ ♪ And He walks in His garden ♪ ♪ In the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Then my Lord He said unto me ♪ ♪ Do you like my pastures of green ♪ ♪ You may live in this garden ♪ ♪ If you will feed my lambs ♪ ♪ And I'll return in the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Now is the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Now is the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Oh this earth is a garden the garden of my Lord ♪ ♪ And He walks in His garden ♪ ♪ In the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Then my Lord He said unto me ♪ ♪ Do you like my garden so free ♪ ♪ You may live in this garden ♪ ♪ If you'll keep the people free ♪ ♪ And I'll return in the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Now is the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Now is the cool of the day ♪ ♪ Oh this earth is a garden the garden of my Lord ♪ ♪ And He walks in His garden ♪ ♪ In the cool of the day ♪ Thank you.

(audience applauding) Let's see how well this has kept its tune.

Well, (laughing) I'm going to sing a song, it was a request.

It's the title song of one of my albums called None but One.

Guess that'll do.

I won't have all the nice instruments that I have, that's the trouble with doing records, you get all these beautiful instruments playing with you, and then you have to go out and sing by yourself.

But this is a, sort of a, it's been kind of a chain in my writing songs, I started out with writing things about things that happened.

And then you get to writing about feelings, and about, oh, about home, and about things like that.

This is about, I guess really thinking about, a little bit further, taking your feelings and your hopes a little bit further than just, that we hope, that make the world a good place to live in.

But really, we're all really one, one people, one person.

I think the song expresses it better than I can, so I'll just sing it.

♪ Across the plain there moves a sway ♪ ♪ It moves with human sound ♪ ♪ And some do walk and some do run ♪ ♪ Some crawl upon the ground ♪ ♪ And some do stop to help the weak ♪ ♪ Some trample on the others ♪ ♪ And some do laugh and some do weep ♪ ♪ And all of them are brothers ♪ ♪ And sounding all around this sound ♪ ♪ Round it everywhere ♪ ♪ And none but one can understand ♪ ♪ And none but one can hear ♪ ♪ I'm mine and are thine ♪ ♪ Father mother son ♪ ♪ I'm me and I'm thee ♪ ♪ And all of us are one ♪ (impassioned dulcimer music) ♪ I saw four travelers in a dream ♪ ♪ All in the wind and weather ♪ ♪ The chain they carried in their hands ♪ ♪ It bound them all together ♪ ♪ And one was yellow one was red ♪ ♪ And older than the others ♪ ♪ And one was black and one was white ♪ ♪ And all of them were brothers ♪ ♪ And sounding all around us sound ♪ ♪ Around and everywhere ♪ ♪ And none but one can understand ♪ ♪ And none but one can hear ♪ ♪ I'm mine and I'm thine ♪ ♪ Father mother son ♪ ♪ I'm me and I'm thee ♪ ♪ And all of us are one ♪ (impassioned dulcimer music) (audience applauding) ♪ Harp on the willow tree now it is hung ♪ ♪ One man one faith one God to them I clung ♪ ♪ Sweet were the songs of life ♪ ♪ Now they are sung ♪ ♪ Harp on the willow tree now it is hung ♪ ♪ Dear little son of mine a child on your knee ♪ ♪ Sing him your songs of life ♪ ♪ Let him fly free ♪ ♪ Dear little son of mine child on your knee ♪ ♪ Sing them for you, for him ♪ ♪ Sing them for me ♪ - [Announcer] The preceding program was produced in part through a grant from the Ohio Educational Broadcasting Network Commission and through a grant from the Ohio Arts Council.