Since I spent a day on the road in my memories, driving through the mid west in a broke-down camper, with my family intact, and still some bones of a dream unbroken, there is nothing else to play the night out. Rhiannon Giddens is the founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, one of the most authentic American folk bands to ever break through into the collective consciousness. Her voice is uniquely female, it stands alone defiant and strong, singing about going over Jordon, going home. It almost feels if you could just hold onto a word, a phrase, a hook of banjo picking, something. You can almost feel that there is Truth, that there is something real, something that cannot be beaten, something you can almost lean on for comfort or a light thrown on the way ahead. I wish I could thank her, this rendition has kept me steadfast for years now. I’m not feeling very steadfast today, so I’ll let Ms. Giddens feel it for me. I wish I could thank her. There have been some very dark days, and I always felt a spark of light, of faith when I hear her sing this song, and it is precious.
Because I can’t leave any of you there looking over Jordan, here Rhiannon is again, this time with a cover of Elizabeth Cotten’s Shake Sugaree, a hopeful ode to being broke but still raising a little Cain. This is my favorite cover of my favorite song of all time. She even skips over the word “hell” just as Elizabeth Cotten’s granddaughter did in that original recording.
Goodnight, friends. Here’s to looking over Jordan, but maybe raising a little hell on the way over there, I always did like a detour. See you on the other side…..