Jim Adams, our host for Song Lyric Sunday, has given us Country Music this week. Being a big city girl I was never really into country music growing up. I was not familiar with it at all. However after living in Texas for a number of years, I opened my senses to it and was pleasantly surprised. In recent years country has a lot of crossover into other genres and has an immense appeal to most audiences. I am sharing a song by an artist I really like. Her style combines elements of Bluegrass, Appalachian, Folk and Country. I think this particular choice fits the bill for today. It is Gillian Welch singing ‘The Way It Goes’
The Song
I was unable to find any background for the writing of The Way It Goes but being a country song it tells its own story.
The song is from the album The Harrow & the Harvest. The fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Gillian Welch. It was Welch’s first album in eight years and was released on June 28, 2011. The album was nominated for Best Folk Album for the 54th Grammy Awards.
The eight years since the release of 2003’s Soul Journey marked the longest period of time between album releases for Welch. In explaining the relatively long recording absence, Welch said, “The sad truth is we never liked anything enough to put it out, which is not a pleasant place to be.” She added, “over the course of that time that we were quiet we probably had enough songs to put out two or three records. Actually we made a few tentative steps at trying to record, but inevitably the heart would go out of it when we realized that we simply didn’t like the material enough to go on with it.” Welch frequently performed the song “The Way It Will Be” in years prior to the release of the album. Welch explains that this tense time period inspired the album title: “Our songcraft slipped and I really don’t know why. It’s not uncommon. It’s something that happens to writers. It’s the deepest frustration we have come through, hence the album title.”[3] The writing process involved “this endless back and forth between the two of us,” Welch said, stating that “It’s our most intertwined, co-authored, jointly-composed album.” John Dyer Baizley provided artwork for the album.
Courtesy of Wiki
The Lyrics
Becky Johnson bought the farm Put a needle in her arm That's the way that it goes That's the way And her brother laid her down In the cold Kentucky ground That's the way that it goes That's the way That's the way that it goes Everybody's buying little baby clothes That's the way that it ends Though there was a time when she and I were friends Well, Miranda ran away Took her cat and left LA That's the way that it goes That's the way She was busted, broke and flat Had to sell that pussy cat That's the way that it goes That's the way That's the way that it goes Everybody's buying little baby clothes That's the way that it ends Though there was a time when he and I were friends See the brightest ones of all Early in October fall That's the way that it goes That's the way While the dark ones go to bed With good whiskey in their head That's the way that it goes That's the way Now Billy Joe's back in the tank You tell Russo, I'll tell Frank That's the way that it goes That's the way Did he throw her down a well? Did she leave him for that swell? That's the way that it goes That's the way That's the way that it goes Everybody's buying little baby clothes That's the way that it ends Though there was a time when all of us were friends When you lay me down to rest Leave a pistol in my vest That's the way that it goes That's the way Do you miss my gentle touch? Did I hurt you very much? That's the way that it goes That's the way That's the way that it goes Everybody's buying little baby clothes That's the way that it ends Though there was a time when you and I were friends The Way It Goes Lyrics as written by Gillian Welch David Rawlings Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing Lyrics powered by LyricFind