Ballad Of Curtis Lowe does this song make anyone else sad?

Azwed

Invading Poland
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Ballad Of Curtis Lowe
From the albums Second Helping.
Lynyrd Skynryd

Well, I used to wake the morning,
Up before the rooster crowed,
Searchin' for soda bottles
To get myself some dough.

Run 'em down to the corner,
Down to the country store.
Cash 'em in, and give my money
To a man named Curtis Lowe.

Old Curt was a black man
With white, curly hair.
When he had a fifth of wine
He did not have a care.

Used to only play dobro,
Used to play across his knee
I'd give old Curt my money,
He'd play all day for me.

Play me a song, Curtis Lowe, Curtis Lowe.
I've got your drinking money, tune up your dobro.
People said he was useless, them people all were fools,
Cause Curtis Lowe is the finest picker to ever play the blues.

He looked to be sixty,
And maybe I was ten.
Mama used to whip me,
But I'd go see him again.

I'd clap my hands, stomp my feets,
Try to stay in time.
He'd play me a song or two
Then have another drink of wine.

Play me a song, Curtis Lowe, Curtis Lowe.
I've got your drinking money, tune up your dobro.
People said he was useless, them people all were fools,
Cause Curtis Lowe is the finest picker to ever play the blues.

On the day old Curtis died,
Nobody came to pray.
Old preacher said some words
And they chunked him in the clay.

Well, he lived a lifetime
Of playing the black-man blues.
And on the day he lost his life
That's all he had to lose.

Play me a song, Curtis Lowe, Curtis Lowe.
I wish that you was here, so everyone would know.
People said he was useless, them people all were fools,
Cause Curtis, you're the finest picker to ever play the blues
 
Azwed said:
Ballad Of Curtis Lowe
From the albums Second Helping.
Lynyrd Skynryd
...
He looked to be sixty,
And maybe I was ten.
Mama used to whip me,
But I'd go see him again.
...

Sounds like a tribute to a childhood friend that instilled a love of music in a ten-year-old child. Maybe a tribue to a black man who could have been famous except for his skin.
 
It is a really good song from LK and fairly recent.

I don't know the history behind the song, so I don't know if this was a real person from one of the band members childhood. It could be since they are all about the right age and from the right area.

The lyrics don't sound too sad, but they way they are put to music is sad. The song has just the right stretchy blues tempo with mix of minors chords to really get your emotions going. At least it does for me.
 
I LOVE this song!

some friends and I used to sing it all the time years ago. Everytime I hear it - it brings back memories.

Awesome song.

It's at least 11-12 years old.
 
It's never made me sad

as a long time Lynyrd Skynryd fan, I always saw it as a celebration of Curtis Lowe's life.

It does make me sad that I never heard Curtis Lowe, but life is full of sadness.
 
I don't know if i think of it as sad... but very touching... and beautiful.. not played enough on the radio even here in fla. :(
 
Re: I LOVE this song!

TN_Vixen said:

It's at least 11-12 years old.


more like 30 years. It was an early song. They were a 70s band. The plane crash was in 77.
 
Hey WD

you could be right. I was dating it simply from the first time I heard it played on the airways. And, wanted to correct Azwed that it wasn't "fairly recent"

thanks for the heads-up. :)
 
It must have been resurected recently then. I have listened to classic rock stations almost exclusively my whole life and I had not heard the song untill about 2 years ago.
 
It was from second helping, in 74. I heard it 3 days ago on a classic rock station, and I don't listen much. I'd say it rates about 6th on their songs that get airplay. I'm surprised you haven't heard it more. But Ga. is a little deeper in Skynryd country.
 
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