Topic: God's Gonna Ease My Troublin' Mind

[lindy]

Duet of Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley, early 60s recording. Here's the lyrics:

REFRAIN: Troublin? mind x6,
God?s a-gonna ease my troublin? mind.

Mary and Martha, Peter and John,
They had trouble all night long.

REFRAIN

Down by the graveyard stood and tall,
There laid a long rail as well as the short.

REFRAIN

If you get there before I do,
You tell my friends I?m coming too.

REFRAIN

My question is about the meaning of the second verse. I'd like to think that "stood and tall" is an archaic way of saying "standing tall," but I have no evidence for that.

And if anyone can explain "There laid a long rail as well as the short," I'd appreciate it. Likely something very simple, but I'm puzzled.

Lindy

[waxwing]

Two rails of the cross?

Wax

[Stuart]

Orville has a different transcription:

http://acousticguitar.com/acoustic-classic-learn-to-play-gods-gonna-ease-my-troublin-mind/

Links to the S-F album & notes:

http://www.folkways.si.edu/doc-watson-and-clarence-ashley/original-folkways-recordings-1960-1962/american-folk-old-time/music/album/smithsonian

http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/smithsonian_folkways/SFW40029.pdf

Just a couple of wild guesses, but perhaps it refers to the different lengths of fence rails lying on the ground. Or maybe they're symbolic of the range of souls lying six feet under.

Wax just posted, and I think that he may be on to something, but I'll leave my guesses up.

[lindy]

I did web searches for "crosses" and "rails" and didn't find anything.

(I did learn 4 new words: stipes, patibulum/patibula, sediculum/sedicula, and suppedaneum--all parts of crosses on which people were crucified.)

I spent just a few minutes looking for collections of phrases in hymns, thinking that there might be another instance of "laid a long rail as well as the short" in church music. Didn't pursue this idea very far. The Bible has four instances of "railing(s)" but none for "rail(s)."

Rails (or at least I think you call them rails) are frequently put around an open grave before the casket is put in the ground. That fits with Stuart's idea.

Thanks for the feedback, will let you know if I find anything.

Lindy

[lindy]

From the liner notes that Stuart provided a link to:

"The African-American origin of this tune is unmistakable and the text is eclectic. Tom did not remember when or where he learned it, but explained the significance of the second line, second verse??there laid the long rail as well as the short??saying it was common practice to use two rails, one to measure the length, the other the width, when digging a grave."

I'd still like to know what "stood and tall" refers to, if anyone has any idea.

Lindy

[Johnm]

Hi Lindy,
Despite the way the title is listed on the CD/album, I believe that what Clarence Ashley and Doc Watson are singing is "God's Gonna Ease My Trouble In Mind".  You can especially hear the separation in the way Clarence Ashley sings the second line of every chorus.  "Trouble in mind" is a common phrase, and occurred in a lot of songs; it seems like it was the layman's term for depression.
I think the first line of that second verse is:
   Down by the graveyard, stood and TALKED
You can hear Clarence Ashley finish off the word the second and third times he sings the line.  It wouldn't make sense to group a verb and an adjective together, which I know is the problem with "stood and tall".
All best,
Johnm

[lindy]

You're right, John, "stood and tall" is grammatically weird, but I simply don't hear any hint of a /k/ sound at the end of "tall," and Clarence Ashley is very clear in his singing/diction. Of course I'm aware of the hundreds of examples of singers *completely* swallowing the ends of words ending in consonants, so I considered that, but I don't think it fits this case. In the absence of another explanation, I'll run with it.

Lindy

[Stuart]

Yesterday when I did a quick check for lyric transcriptions I saw that "stood and tall" was given for the Oak Ridge Boys' version. I don't know who did the transcription, but they just might have transcribed what they heard. We all know that regional and individual pronunciations vary, especially when words are being sung as opposed to spoken.

I guess the next step would be to check hymnals. Google Books didn't appear to have anything significant. The local libraries might be another place to look, but as a general rule, the libraries in the NW don't have as many 19th century and early 20th century titles in their holdings as the libraries back east do. There's no harm trying, though.

It's possible that as a function of oral transmission "talk" became "tall" at some point and continued as "tall" through the line of transmission. It wouldn't be the first time. Given the similarities in pronunciation, that's my guess.

I think that "Trouble in mind" can refer to worry or worries (both general and specific) in addition to a state of depression.

[orvillej]

Here's the youTube of the tune...



I hear him saying god's gonna ease my TROUBLING mind, with the G, at 13-14 seconds, also at about 1:01.

I think the line is "stood and talked" and that he was swallowing the consonant.