Governor Kaine Offers A Dirge
By Greg L | 30 November 2007 | Virginia Politics | 32 Comments
According to the Washington Times, Governor Kaine is suggesting that “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” should be come the official state song of Virginia. It’s a nice, upbeat song about waiting for a hearse to carry away the body of someone’s dead mother. It’s eerily appropriate for the way Governor Kaine is leading the Commonwealth.
Here are the lyrics:
I was standing by my window,
On one cold and cloudy day
When I saw that hearse come rolling
For to carry my mother awayWill the circle be unbroken
By and by, lord, by and by
Theres a better home a-waiting
In the sky, lord, in the skyI said to that undertaker
Undertaker please drive slow
For this lady you are carrying
Lord, I hate to see here goWill the circle be unbroken
By and by, lord, by and by
Theres a better home a-waiting
In the sky, lord, in the skyOh, I followed close behind her
Tried to hold up and be brave
But I could not hide my sorrow
When they laid her in the graveWill the circle be unbroken
By and by, lord, by and by
Theres a better home a-waiting
In the sky, lord, in the skyI went back home, my home was lonesome
Missed my mother, she was gone
All of my brothers, sisters crying
What a home so sad and loneWill the circle be unbroken
By and by, lord, by and by
Theres a better home a-waiting
In the sky, lord, in the skyWe sang the songs of childhood
Hymns of faith that made us strong
Ones that mother maybelle taught us
Hear the angels sing alongWill the circle be unbroken
By and by, lord, by and by
Theres a better home a-waiting
In the sky, lord, in the skyWill the circle be unbroken
By and by, lord, by and by
Theres a better home a-waiting
In the sky, lord, in the sky
Sometimes these folks just say things without thinking. That’s pretty much par for the course on the ongoing debate about a state song, as the last time when someone proffered up “Shenandoah”, they didn’t realize the song had nothing to do with Virginia.
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How about this song instead. Im sure Governor Timmie would
like this one. http://www.illegalaliens.us/illegalillegals.htm
Watch it. For those of us who were raised in the rural south, that song carries a lot of meaning and endearment.
I agree with Ducky. It’s kinda lame to find ANYTHING to pick on Kaine above…I understand the illegal immigration stuff, but not this.
[…] BVBL says: It’s a nice, upbeat song about waiting for a hearse to carry away the body of someone’s dead […]
How about Dickinson County native Ralph Stanley’s “O Death?”
Its morbid lyrics and funereal tone would certainly be appropos given they both portend the fate of the Governor’s pre-K initiative not to mention his ploy to raid the Rainy Day Fund?
Thin gruel this morning for BVBL’s daily Kaine bashing
breakfast, but state songs can be a challenge in this
PC age. Remember “Maryland, My Maryland”?
Do have several great songs, though, that a representative
group of Virginia citizens should sing before the Gov.
and GA during the next session.
- Aretha Franklin’s “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”
- Rolling Stone’s “(I can’t get no) Satisfaction”
-And, of course, Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”
“…. “Shenandoah”, they didn’t realize the song had nothing to do with Virginia.”
Sez who???? “Shenandoah” is folk music. Music that evolved in the oral tradition has no author so there is very little to research other than to quote some blow-hard who really knows very little. Furthermore, there are many different versions of the song.
Since we have a Shenandoah Valley, a Shenandoah River, a Shenandoah town, Virginia can very well claim the song. Back when that song originated on the lips of early pioneers pushing west of the Piedmont region, Virginia had different boundaries than it does now.
The Statler Brothers aren’t all really ‘brothers’ and none of them are named ‘Statler’ either. Who cares.
Big Dog,
Somehow I thought of Judy Collins singing ‘Send in the Clowns’ when I read your post.
I think there are more important things for the governor to decide besides a stupid state song.
How is Kaine going to settle the ILLEGAL alien issue?
How is Kaine going to settle the lack of school funding for No child left behind?
How is Kaine going to lower taxes?
How is Kaine going to help transportation congestion?
These are the real issues. Come on Richmond, get with the program!!!
Big Dog said on 30 Nov 2007 at 9:08 am:
Remember “Maryland, My Maryland”?
Soon to be Maryland, Mi Maryland
Big Dog on 30 Nov 2007 at 9:08 am:
How about Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine?”
/\/\3|)iç 64 said on 30 Nov 2007 at 9:22 am:
I think there are more important things for the governor to decide besides a stupid state song.
How is Kaine going to settle the ILLEGAL alien issue?
How is Kaine going to settle the lack of school funding for No child left behind?
How is Kaine going to lower taxes?
How is Kaine going to help transportation congestion?
Simply put, He isn’t!
Dolph @ 9:17 (Send in the Clowns)
Don’t bother…..they’re here!
999, It is because we are worried about a PC state song.
I always thought “Mandolin Rain” by Virginia’s own Bruce Hornsby would be nice.
You know, I love the song, but I figured that at the LEAST our state song should be about…well, you know…our state….
But of course, I don’t want to disrupt Kaine’s progression of thought. I’m sure he has a perfectly legitimate reason for wanting it.
…. …. …. ….
Actually, here’s the funny story. There is a band out there, based in VA, called Eddie from Ohio. Pretty famous, great music. Folky .They wrote a great song called “Old Dominion”. It had everything to do with VA, unlike Kaine’s choice. See the song here: http://www.lyricsdownload.com/eddie-from-ohio-old-dominion-lyrics.html
Apparently, when they were in concert a number of months ago at Staunton’s Blackfriars Playhouse, they lit into Senator Hanger (Big surprise there, huh?) about his inaction of helping to pick a new state song. Apparently, as they told it, their song had made it in the running for some time, and then it was booted out. According to them, because Hanger said it was verging on being offensive.
Are you kidding me? If EFO’s song doesn’t make your heart swell with at least a little bit of pride, are you even a Virginian?
Just a thought.
johnathon, I would like to hear the music that goes with those lyrics. I personally do not find anything offensive about it. It gets in the face of some of our sister states, but isn’t that what Virginians are about, being tough when we need to be and not backing down form anything?
I think this would be a better representation than the one Kaine has proposed. Besides that, it is by a band FROM Virginia!!!! What better way to reward one of our own??
[…] BVBL chimes in on Kaine’s thoughts that “Will the Circle be Unbroken” might make a good state song. […]
Timmy should choose “A Man of Constant Sorrow” for his own personal theme song.
LOL Advocator!! I can see that one!!
Eddie from OHIO based in VIRGINIA! Oh, well….
Any predications on what flavor will be designated as the Official Virginia State Jello? My vote goes for Cherry! www.CherryPAC2008.com
Doc - Love the new title, shipmate!
Gone Fishing,
We know the clowns are here.
Dolph,
Thanks for “Send In The Clowns”, that was regular for the 7th/8th Grade Chorus at SMS, back in the day of course.
Advocator,
You hit the nail on the head with that one. Perfect!
Wow, Greg! You’re getting really good at cherry picking in your comments on your blog. And, wow, do some of you need to stop feeding from Greg’s pablum and do a little reading beyond what Greg posts (i.e., when he links to an article, read it in full, not just the quotes Greg has hand-selected often out of context).
Read the whole article from the Washington Times. Kaine was asked on a radio call-in show about why Virginia does not have a state song. His first response? According to the Times article:
“‘I’ll wrestle with many tough questions, but I don’t want to get near the issue of state song,’ Mr. Kaine said before owning up to his favorite song. ‘I got thick skin but not that thick.’”
Then, after admitting that his personal choice (not what he was actually proposing) is “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” Kaine said, “I’m sure my popularity will plummet even further after having waded into that.”
Kaine’s comments were made off-the-cuff and were not part of any serious proposal to make the state song “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Kaine is not taking time away from a more serious legislative agenda to push the whole state song issue.
Come on, Greg, you’re usually better than this, though recently you seem to have started grasping.
Rob, I had to do it!! I didn’t get a mug or a shot glass, so I figured it would be cool!
I vote for Cherry to!!
While we are at it,
What is VA’s state jolly rancher flavor?
What is VA’s state Pop tart flavor?
What is VA’s state dirt type?
What is VA’s state cell phone ring tone?
What is VA’s state hat?
What is VA’s state camera?
See how ridiculous this seems to be in the grand scheme of things? We have many far more important issues facing the Commonwealth!!
From the first paragraph in the article I read:
Gov. Tim Kaine yesterday said that if he had his way, Virginia would adopt the bluegrass gospel tune “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” as its new state song.
Looks to me like a proposal.
Yeah, the lead written by a reporter at the Washington Times certainly qualifies the statements Kaine made on a call-in radio show as a proposal. Glad to see you’ve got those critical thinking skills down, Medic64.
Even if it wasnt an official proposal, Ill nominate this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYflDrQ9AC4
Turn Blue,
I bet you don’t have any issue with people that were suppose to be undecided republican voters asking questions when it has been proven they support Democratic presidential candidates. I guess the fact that CNN didn’t do anything about it in the beginning is OK as well. I guess this goes to show that you can not always believe what you read from any paper or blog, huh?
Apparently he said it or the reporter would not have lead in with it and Kaine would not have made the statement about his ratings plummeting. I will not degrade you True with a comment about you specifically as that is not my usual way here. (c:
Sorry, I’ve been at work and unable to respond…but yea. Eddie from Ohio is a VA band. Funny because of the name, but just so you know the story, says the band’s founder Eddie Hartness,
“It all started with a girl named Elizabeth. She and I had met through the gang with the band, the Shuffle. At the time these guys enjoyed a band called “Firehose”. The lead singer’s name for that group is Ed Crawford, but he called himself Ed from Ohio. For some reason, Elizabeth started calling me Eddie from Ohio and it caught on with everyone else. One of my band mates, Tim Hermes, thought it was funny and designed a logo for my bass drumhead and surprised me with it at a rehearsal. It was a black drumhead with Eddie from Ohio spelled out in duct tape. That is how it all started.”
As far as listening to the music, you’d have to download it online or buy one of their CDs. The live version of this is always better.
/\/\3|)iç 64 –
What is VA’s state dirt type? - Red clay of course!
What is VA’s state hat? - Tri-corner colonial
Why don’t we just use Train’s “Meet Virginia” in our state tourism ads and forget about an official state song?
Meet virginia
She never compromises, loves babies and surprises
Wears hi-heels when she exercises
Aint that beautiful
I vote this one for our new National anthem until we get answers or OUR country back:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXcQGsoDkDk