"Anthem" by Leonard Cohen

"The birds they sang at the break of day
Start again, I heard them say
Don't dwell on what has passed away
or what has yet to be...

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in"

Thursday, December 10, 2020

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams)

Lindsay Holland giving me a guitar lesson

 

I learned this Hank Williams classic when I was a teenager, from a summer camp counselor who came from Ft Worth Texas. He taught me how to finger-pick, for which I am eternally grateful. This is a shot of me looking at the camera at age 14 with my guitar, learning an arrangement from my handsome camp counselor. Wherever you are today, thanks for teaching me Doc Watson, Hank Williams and Libba Cotton. I worked out my arrangement for "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" at that time, and I haven't change it much in the past 40 years...

Between him and one of my best friends in High School who was into Country music, I expanded my musical repertoire from Folk Songs (of the Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell variety) and show tunes (because Julie Andrews was one of my musical heroes), to Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, and the Carter Family.

And the rest is not just history, but my musical life so far...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this song!


x


Tim

Anonymous said...

(and it made me cry a bit but don't tell anyone)

Beth Kotkin said...

Your secret s safe with me Tim! thanks!

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