Friday, June 5, 2009

Motherless Children

The following is an old Carter Family song written in 1927. Apparently Clapton had a famous version, but I am not familiar with it. I heard Ralph Stanley do a version of it the other day on Pandora, I was blown away, with his classic mournful timbre. It made me even more aware of the great work that the Mangine Family is doing in Haiti, with so many children there without mothers... Thank you Gwenn, you can give those kids something no one else can.


Motherless children sees a hard time
When their mother's dead
Motherless children sees a hard time
When their mother's dead
They are driven out in the cold
Cause they've got no place to go
Motherless children sees a hard time
When their mother's dead

Orphan children sees a hard time in this world
Orphan children sees a hard time in this world
Sister does the best she can
But she don't really understand
Orphan children sees a hard time in this world

Brother won't treat you like mother will
When your mother's dead
Brother won't treat you like mother will
When your mother's dead
You may ask for a piece of bread
You are told to go to bed
Motherless children sees a hard time
When your mother's dead

Orphan children sees a hard time in this world
Orphan children sees a hard time in this world
Sister does the best she can
But she don't really understand
Orphan children sees a hard time in this world

Friends won't treat you like mother will
When your mother's dead
Friends won't treat you like mother will
When your mother's dead
They will tell you what to do
Then they'll turn their back on you
Motherless children sees a hard time
When their mother's dead

Orphan children sees a hard time in this world
Orphan children sees a hard time in this world
Sister does the best she can
She really don't understand
Orphan children sees a hard time in this world

1 comment:

Gwenn Mangine said...

Crying now. :) Sad song. Jeepers!

I am thankful that our God is a "father to the fatherless..." It is only because Him giving us the example of adoption that there can be redemption of "family" when things get broken...