Four-Legged Friends: Dog Gone Wrong

Freakwater: Dog Gone Wrong

[purchase]

To begin with I would like to commend the efforts of everyone involved in the disaster relief during the aftermath of the horrendous earthquake in Haiti. That said I would also like in particular to acknowledge the dogs and their handlers who have been and still are working feverishly to rescue survivors.

The old expression 'give them an inch and they'll take a mile' can appropriately be applied to dogs. Most of them will try just about anything that a dog can get away with at least once. But when a dog gets his of her first taste of blood, they become a different animal altogether. And just like people, should a dog fall in with a bad crowd, more often than not there is no turning back.

Footwear: Little Red Shoes

Loretta Lynn: Little Red Shoes

[purchase]

Here’s some scary music from Appalachia.

Loretta Lynn gives a firsthand account the trials and tribulations of her poor family trying to make do without adequate healthcare, charity, or transportation. The somewhat creepy background music orchestrated by Jack White is a perfect accompaniment for Loretta’s tale.

Dying is a big part of folk music. Loretta’s story about her little red shoes evokes the traditional bluegrass/folk song Put My Little Shoes Away (sometimes credited to Woody Guthrie) which is another first-person account told by a dying, but stoic, child. Little shoes are the primary image in each song.

We know Loretta pulled through, but the fate of the other little kid is not clear.

Bill Monroe: Put My Little Shoes Away [purchase]
Freakwater: Put My Little Shoes Away [purchase]

2:42 - Amelia Earhart

Freakwater: Amelia Earhart

[purchase]

This old song about Amelia Earhart, performed by the alt-country band Freakwater, is an example of the kind of history song that we'll be looking for next week. It also happens to clock in at exactly 2:42.