Friday 5:05: Tony Rice, “Shady Grove”

If this doesn’t set your feet to tappin’ call the undertaker.

Two hundred years ago in England this song was an angry, depressing screed. It was called Mattie’s Grove then. But our forefathers brought the melody with them over the Atlantic, lost the negativity and turned it into a wonderful, upbeat song about a young man just making his way in world and dreaming of the woman who would someday be his wife.

Alas, this is all instrumental, but they are countless vocal versions about too, if you care to look.

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