Friday, October 01, 2010

"Just a few more weary days and then/I'll fly away."

The Song: "I'll Fly Away," Alison Krauss & Gillian Welch. Words & music by Albert E. Brumley. Track 9 of O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack album, 2000.
How/when acquired: Inherited CD, 2006.
Listen/watch here.

It's the end of a long week, made longer by the news this morning of Stephen J. Cannell's passing. He was a regular visitor to The Mystery Bookstore, a living legend, and a true gentleman.

"I'll Fly Away" is a Baptist hymn that may be the single most-recorded gospel song. (Check out Kanye West's surprising cover here, and Johnny Cash's here.) This version is part of the phenomenal soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the Coen brothers' Depression-era riff on the Odyssey.

I bought this CD as a gift for my mother, either for her birthday or Mother's Day. I took it back when we divided her belongings after she passed away — but it's not on my shelf, which makes me think I must have passed it along again, maybe to one of my siblings.

Anyway, it cheers me up, which is handy on this rainy day.

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