Where did you sleep last night
Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 12:25 PM Where did you sleep last night? has raised questions over time both about the lyrics of the song and how the meaning has changed from earlier versions by Bill Monroe and Lead Belly to modern day interpretations from Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. The original version of this song from Bill Monroe raised the most questions in my mind because of the up pace beat associated with a song that has a sad connotation. Where did you sleep last night raised the issue of adultery and how a woman chose to handle the situation: “His head was found in a driving wheel.” The story is told to us from the man who the wife had been sleeping with as he continues to ask her where she had been the previous day. The other three versions of this song seemed more appropriate with a slow rhythm and sorrow in the singer’s voices. Not only is there a difference in vocals between the songs, but also in instrument choice. The earlier versions where played in a more acoustic tone which gave a stronger sense of meaning for me when listening to the music. It sounds like they were putting their entire sole into the music they so strongly believed in.
Ben Binning
Reader Comments (7)
Ben - That's an interesting take on the lyrics, did you do some outside research on who the figures in the dialogue are supposed to be or is that just your interpretation? I was wondering myself what the relationship between the two was, so if that's true, that definitely clears some things up. Do you think that's also the case for Bill Monroe's version?
You're right, of course, that Monroe's version's melody and cheerfulness doesn't convey the sadness of the lyrics he's expressing. This, if you remember, came up in Ben's last lecture when he brought up the fact that many traditional folk songs have melancholy or disturbing lyrics, to which the music doesn't fit at all.
If you choose to write an essay, I'd encourage you to think a bit about the notion of authenticity (you'll have to compare at least one of the "In the Pines" songs that's mentioned in the article because there are only 3) and make sure you've read the Barker & Taylor article and can thoughtfully include it in your essay. Does Monroe's upbeat melody make it less authentic, or maybe more authentic? Think about the differences between the two songs you're comparing, and try to think about what these differences say about their connection to authenticity (Ben's essay prompt will help show you how to do this). We're not as concerned with you getting a "right" answer as we are with wanting you to be able to compare two songs thoughtfully, with attention to detail.
Ben
I liked your explanation of the story behind the songs. Also I enjoyed your comparison of the different versions of the song. If you wrote an essay on this topic you could probably further explore the differences and similarities of the various versions of the song.
Ben-
You brought up very valid and interesting points. The "appropriateness" that you mentioned of the slower tempo and acoustic versions is indeed a very comparable aspect when you look at the Bill Monroe version. Its interesting how such upbeat tempos can be applied to such a seemingly serious song. But maybe (and I discussed this in my discussion piece as well) this is a method that some singers used as they sought out further emotion--by purposefully eliminating the correlation of melody and lyrical meaning in order to give a more of a eerie feeling, almost as if something was not right because of that lack of the previously mentioned correlation. All in all, I think you are doing a great job at pulling apart the smaller details within the different songs instead of scraping along the surface level.
Ben brings up an interesting interpretation of the lyrics. The song sounds like a conversation between some male authority figure and the widow. However I'm not sure of the relation between the male and the widow. If one considers the lyrics from a different version in which 'my girl' is replaced by 'black girl,' then the male figure sounds like a police officer interrogating the widow about where she was last night, and not believing her answer of 'in the pines' because it would be too cold. However, this explanation doesn't match the song's tone, so I doubt it's correct.
Does anyone have any other ideas?
Ben I would have to agree with you on the fact that the song sounds like a man and women having a conversation. Geno I believe if the lyrics 'my girl' was replaced with 'black girl' it would definitely change how the song is viewed.
I didn't even think about looking at the differences in the lyrics. I would agree with you that Lead Belly's version is more fitting for the subject matter of the song.
A lot of students observed that the Kossoy Sister's version of "On the Banks of the Ohio" sounded “disturbing” or “morose,” like Megan Moore, whose post you can read here: (http://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/author/meganmoore). Why do the Kossoy Sisters in particular catch your attention? It could be argued that Bill Monroe, at least, if not Johnny Cash as well, performed with the same lack of emotion as the Kossoy Sisters. So is it their gender that makes a difference? Do we find their rendition “creepy” in the same way we find, for example…the twin girls in The Shining creepy? Is it because women are seen as more innocent? Do we expect men to commit murder before women? Kim Riamaud does a good job of explaining her opinion on this notion: (http://benleedscarson.com/by-banks-in-pines/author/kimrambaud).
(If this doesn’t seem relevant to your post, please think about it and make comments anyway, because it is relevant to the class! Also, make sure you’re commenting on other students’ posts, not necessarily just replying to me, your TA.)