[1933]
Scritta da L. Herscher e S. Klein.

La prima registrazione di questa canzone deve essere attribuita a Jimmie Rodgers, il padre della country music, morto di tubercolosi a soli 36 anni nel 1933, proprio l’anno in cui interpretò questa bellissima “I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now”.
Ma la sua versione più celebre è senz’altro quella dell’immortale e mai abbastanza compianto Johnny Cash. Si trova nell’album “The Sound of Johnny Cash” del 1962 e poi anche nel postumo “American V: A Hundred Highways” del 2006.

A proposito di “chain gangs”, si vedano anche su questo sito Another Man Done Gone, Chain Gang, Cryin' Who? Cryin' You! (Part I & II), Nine Foot Shovel, No More Chain Gang e Lost John.

[1927]
Testo di Jimmie Rodgers
Lyrics by Jimmie Rodgers
http://members.fortunecity.com/folkfre...

Sull'aria di Once I Had A Sweetheart
To the tune of Once I Had A Sweetheart
[==> Joan Baez Ballad Book, Vol. I]


© 1927 Peer International Corporation
Lyrics as reprinted in Dorothy Horstman, Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy, New York, NY, 1976, p. 282-283

MRS. CARRIE RODGERS: "A pal of Jimmie's, Sammie Williams, told his sweetheart good-bye and went to France -- to be killed in action. So before the war was over, Jimmie found time to pick out words and air to his first composition, a sentimental song.... From the first his railroad buddies liked the song, and the young fellows in Meridian who were his boon companions liked it. With banjo, guitar, uke, they hung around the all-night places or strolled the streets playing and singing Jimmie's song along with 'Sweet Adeline' and other... (continua)