Feed Your Ears

[Luigi]

Marion Williams had a big voice, but she doesn't show the power of it in this song, "Standing Here Wondering Which Way to Go," which seems appropriate  for the post-election mood of a lot of people I know. She does, however, show her full vocal range, backed by just a piano and organ. 

 

Edited yesterday at 04:15 AM by Luigi

[Luigi]

This is The Carter Family from 1932 singing "I Wouldn't Mind Dying If Dying Was All." They apparently learned the song from the Norfolk Jubilee Quartet who had begun recording for Okeh records in 1921. There's also a recording by Washington Phillips, from Texas. The structure is characteristic of Black folk songs - three repeated lines and fourth line that completes the thought. I'm posting the Carter Family version because it's a clearer recording, with fewer voices, so the words are easier to understand. As a Carter Family recording it's unusual because A.P. sings lead, Sarah sings harmony, and Maybelle doesn't sing at all. You can find other versions on YouTube, and Wikipedia has an entry about the song itself. My favorite line is "I wouldn't mind dying, but I got to go by myself."