I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow

A traditional American folk ballad first published by Dick Burnett, a partially blind Kentucky fiddler, around 1913, originally titled “Farewell Song.” The song was first recorded by Emry Arthur in 1928, but gained widespread recognition through the Stanley Brothers’ 1950 recording. The Stanleys learned the song from their father Lee Stanley, who had turned it into a Primitive Baptist hymn sung a cappella. Ralph Stanley later explained: “‘Man of Constant Sorrow’ is probably two or three hundred years old… my brother and me put a few more words to it, and brought it back in existence.” The song reached new heights of popularity through the 2000 film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” featuring the fictional Soggy Bottom Boys. The ballad has been covered by numerous artists including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez (as “Girl of Constant Sorrow”), and Rod Stewart. John Garst (author) traced elements back to early 1800s hymns, including “Christ Suffering” which contained the lines “He was a man of constant sorrow / He went a mourner all his days.”