Today’s post was written by Paul.

For this installment in this year’s story song series, Katie joined me on a Louvin Brothers’ song from their album Tragic Songs of Life, the same album that featured “Knoxville Girl.” Corie also played rhythm guitar and Tipper played bass, though both of them are out of frame.

I always thought this was a really nice melody with a great little story, though I never knew of anyone else recording it. Dan Tyminski changed that recently, when he recorded it with his band. If you don’t recognize his name, he provided the lead vocal for the “Man of Constant Sorrow” in the film O, Brother, Where Art Thou? His lead vocal was later featured in another number 1 song, “Hey, Brother.”

Anyway, back to this song, “A Tiny Broken Heart.” Katie said that she read online that Ira wrote the song about a true event, when a neighboring family moved away, leaving him or Charlie (I can’t remember which) sad because of a crush on the share cropper’s daughter.

I identify a little bit with the song vicariously through Pap’s youth. When he was a boy, his parents share cropped on the Harshaw Farm and a few other places.

The little boy in this song doesn’t seem to fully understand the relationship between the workers and the land owners. It seems he probably figured they owned the land on which they were living.

Misunderstandings happened once or twice when Pap was a boy, which sometimes caused his parents financial loss. One of them was when Pap and his uncle Wayne (who was only a few years older) took a load of watermelons into the town of Murphy to sell. The melons weren’t selling fast enough, and Wayne had a date with a girl that night, so he dropped the price to get rid of them, not realizing that the price drop would have to come entirely from Pap’s parents’ earnings, not be split between them and the land owner. I don’t know if any of what happened was Pap’s idea or that he actively participated in not following what they were instructed to do, but Wayne and Pap both got whippings for selling the melons too cheaply and also for the fact that Wayne ran the horses too hard back to the farm, which was detectable by their sweat.

My favorite part of this song is when the 7-year-old boy states innocently, “Let us buy the farm so they can stay.” When you’re a young child, you think your “love affairs” are forever and ever, and you think things are just that simple. The love in this song is even younger than the young love that Sonny James sang about. 🙂 The little boy doesn’t understand that his father can’t simply buy the neighboring farm. He only knows that his sweetheart is his whole world.

If you check out the Louvins’ recording of this song, you’ll hear not only excellent harmony singing but also fantastic mandolin work from Ira.

I originally planned to film this song with Mr. Jamie Shook, but we didn’t have time to work it out. Katie filled in on the spur of the moment. I didn’t plan to capture the photos behind us, but they seem appropriate for the song.

The baby boy on the right is my grand nephew Asa Alexander. The baby boy on the left is my grand nephew Elek Wilson, along with his mother Maddie and father Mark.

I pasted the lyrics below:

“A Tiny Broken Heart”

He was just a little farm lad so busy at play In his little play house down by the gate. He stopped to watch a truck that was parking next door At the home of his tiny playmate; Then he saw his Daddy watching too, As the man swiftly walked to the cottage door. He knew they were strangers that came from the town, Men he had never seen before.

They soon were at their work and he heard his Daddy say, “Our neighbors are moving today.” “Oh no,” he cried, “Dear God, don’t let it be. They can’t take my sweetheart away. I know, Dad, that you don’t understand How a heart so young could conceive a plan. I’m only seven now, but it’s just like you said, Daddy, someday I’ll be a man.”

“The man who owns the farm where your playmate now lives, He told me it has to be this way. For winter time has come and their work is all done, So now they are moving away.” “Let us buy the farm so they can stay. Give them all my toys that dear Santy gave, And give him the pennies in my little piggy bank, Pennies that my darling helped me save.”

I see that there are two more weekends in March. For the final weekend, I hope to feature a funny story song, sung by the Late Mr. Sam Ensley. I have an online friend who is working on a cartoon to go along with the song.

For the next weekend, I will either try to get back with Jamie Shook or upload a solo story song. I hope you enjoyed mine and Katie’s performance of “A Tiny Broken Heart,” though neither of us were very practiced or familiar with the song.

As always, thanks for watching!

Paul

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