One of his most beloved works is "The Mary Ellen Carter." Every year at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, it is sung as the final song of the final concert, both as a tribute to Stan Rogers and because its conclusion is a rousing, enheartening clarion call to all who struggle against the unfairness and misfortunes of life:
And you to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go
Turn to and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.
Rise again! Rise again!
Though your heart it be broken or life about to end
No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.
I'm dedicating this video to all the forest fire evacuees of Fort McMurray and elsewhere who are waiting to return to their communities and rebuild their lives. And to any of you out there in the blogosphere who are currently waging your own personal battles.
what a perfectly beautiful tribute,
ReplyDeleteLove this! This reminds me of the singer who performs all weekend at the Stone Mountain (Georgia) Highland Games - I host my Scottish Clan's tent every October. Colin Grant-Adams has a performance tent next to ours.
ReplyDeleteI was about to list all the adversity that has been in and around my life this week, but no need for that - just know that this post has helped. I love that this song is sung like that at the end of the folk festival.
What a great song to choose as a tribute, Debra, and what great lyrics. My heart goes out to those who have been affected by the wildfires and to the brave firefighters.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best...the man, the song! Great tribute!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you know about this already but two wrestlers have put together a Go Fund Me for the victims of that fire. The Canadian government is promising to match all donations too. I wish I had a direct link but I'm a bit too busy to find it right now.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of the guy before but it's a great song.
ReplyDeleteLovely post. I can't listen to the song as at work on lunch break but the lyrics are beautiful
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute and touching sentiment Debs! You have a huge heart.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! My heart goes out to the people affected by the fire at Fort McMurray. ♥
ReplyDeleteYou know, I have a confession. I am a bad Winnipegger. I have never, ever been to the Folk Fest. Yikes! What have I been missing all these years?
ReplyDeleteGreat dedication! Folk music is fun to listen to with its stories.
ReplyDeletedid you see where heart in hands husbands own he worked in got burned as is home?
ReplyDeletesorry to hear there are fires in Canada :(
ReplyDeleteI needed this song today. Thank you, Debra. Thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteOh, and thank you for this line: "With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go". What a treasure.
It's a great song of encouragement. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThank you for this wonderful post
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed that. I wasn't familiar with Stan Rogers but I do enjoy fold music.
ReplyDeleteThe song reminds me a bit of all the paddlewheelers that sunk in the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The Mary Ellen Carter song/story
At the risk of boring you to tears...there is a museum here in Kansas City for the Arabian Steamboat.(I have no idea how it got that name)
During the mid 1800s through the end of the Civil War in 1865 more than 400 steamboats sank in the Missouri River. (longest river in the US). The owners didn't even try to recover them because it only took one successful trip to pay the entire cost of the boats. In other words, if the steamboat was on trip 5 it had paid for itself many times over. Anyway these steamboats averaged about 700 tons of freight and stayed buried by the silt that eventually covered them. NOW...in the last few decades people are digging up these boats and recovering all the merchandise, jewelry, gold, etc. The mud they are buried under has preserved the contents so everything looks brand new. The actual hull of the Arabian steamboat including the paddle wheel is now in a museum here along with a lot of its 222 tons of merchandise.
I really need to proof before I send..Of course I meant FOLK music and a had some serious typos. Not only did I bore you, I did it with sentence fragments and misspelled words.
ReplyDeleteI have once uploaded on my blog a song by Stan Rogers (Barrett's Privateers). I know too little of Stan Rogers really. Thanks for sharing this one and making me discover it.
ReplyDeleteinteresting... my name "Stacey" means "One who will Rise Again".
ReplyDeleteA great weekend to you and yours, dear Lady Debra.
What a cool tune. I've never heard it before!
ReplyDeleteI love folk music. Hadn't heard of Stan Rogers
ReplyDeletethanks
the Ol'Buzzard
I never heard this before. My foot is tapping. How fun is this? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteA lovely and loving tribute to both Stan and the many displaced by the fire in Fort McMurray.
ReplyDeleteStan's brother Garnet is an accomplished touring musician in his own right. If you like folkie/singer/songwriter stuff you can do much worse than listening to his music. He is also a funny and very friendly man.
ReplyDeleteLove it!! Nice tribute and well deserved..nice post
ReplyDeleteNot my normal music, but a very pleasing tune... Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteA lovely tribute and the perfect song.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned the god ISIS on the gods are bored post.. not a good idsa for one guy who used the slogan 'ISIS PLUMBING' on his vehicle named after the local river Isis in Oxford England. Due to the current commotion with ISIS Terrorists, local loonies trashrd his vehicle.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful tribute!!! I love this song! You have a big heart my friend! Thanks for being you!
ReplyDeleteGreat song - love the lyrics! Could apply to so many different situations. Thanks for posting, Debra.
ReplyDeleteSpeaks to me! Love it.
ReplyDeleteNot my kind of music but my hubby and one of the grands loves this kind.
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing me to wonderful new music <3
ReplyDeleteI love the words (any song with 'smiling bastards' in it has to be good), and I love the song. Big fan of folk music.
ReplyDeleteOld songs have more meaning and heart.
ReplyDeleteI love a few new tunes once in a while but most new songs lyrics are cringe-worthy.
I hope the fires are contained and everybody is ok.
Yes, we were reading about the fires in Alberta and specifically about Fort McMurray.. it's a disaster and I pray that people and animals are as safe as they could be...
ReplyDeleteBig fan of Stan Rogers. We used to sing 'Baretts Privateers' whenever we were drinking or camping or canoeing.
ReplyDeleteSorry I didn't chime in sooner. I am a Big fan of Stan. Still like to listen or watch video performances.
ReplyDelete