I heard this down in Kentucky many years ago. I was down there deer hunting with a friend on his family's property. Way back in them hollers, anyway, it was in camp on the second night, we were just lounging around drinkin' a little, tellin' stories, playin' music. A couple good ole boys broke out with this song and we all sang along while they played. After it was over, the old man said, "You all probably didn't know it, but that song was made up right on the stage one night, not too far from here." Then he had us, and he told the tale...
Well, this is legend of course, and can't be proved one way or another, not now.
Hank Williams SR had just finished singing a song in an old beat down bar somewhere in the deep south. As he was getting ready to start another, thanking the crowd and all, someone from the crowd shouted, "HEY HANK!!! Got any new songs for us to hear yet, we gettin' kinda tired of these ones?" Another man shouted out, "Yeah Hank, sing us a new one." Well, Hank stood there wondering what to do, he didn't have any new songs to play for the people, so the story goes, he prayed, "Dear Lord, give me a song to satisfy these people for the time being." He started strumming the old guitar, strummed on it some more, then, he lit up like a lite some folks say, and out of his mouth, and from the old guitar came this little GEM. It has stood the test of all time.
Well, this is legend of course, and can't be proved one way or another, not now.
Hank Williams SR had just finished singing a song in an old beat down bar somewhere in the deep south. As he was getting ready to start another, thanking the crowd and all, someone from the crowd shouted, "HEY HANK!!! Got any new songs for us to hear yet, we gettin' kinda tired of these ones?" Another man shouted out, "Yeah Hank, sing us a new one." Well, Hank stood there wondering what to do, he didn't have any new songs to play for the people, so the story goes, he prayed, "Dear Lord, give me a song to satisfy these people for the time being." He started strumming the old guitar, strummed on it some more, then, he lit up like a lite some folks say, and out of his mouth, and from the old guitar came this little GEM. It has stood the test of all time.
As Hank played he had a shine all about him, some folks said two bright lights were at his side, one on each side of him. The crowd sat there in stunned silence while the song came out of him and the guitar. After he finished playing he simply said, "Well, I just got that from the Lord, I hope it was all right, and I hope you liked it." There was no loud applause, no nothing from the small crowd at all, just a bunch of absolutely stunned men and women. Then Hank said, "That's all I got for tonight" and walked off the stage.
Now supposedly Hank just got in his Cadillac and drove off, headin' for another town, and supposedly a revival broke out in the bar that night. Many people turned to the Lord that very evening, right then and there, and in the weeks following. Now this is about the way I heard it, and I'm tellin' it as good as I can remember. Is it true? I don't rightly know, but I'll tell you what, I believe it, you can make up your own mind on it.
After the old man told us this story, someone said, "How do you know that? Where did you hear it from?" He just smiled, then he laughed, and he said, "Well maybe, just maybe, I was one of the folks there that night."
Believe the man or not, doesn't matter, the song has been recorded many times over, and there are a few versions of the story out there, maybe not on the net, but back in them hills. Indeed, the legend lives on...
Praise the lord, I saw the light!
Now supposedly Hank just got in his Cadillac and drove off, headin' for another town, and supposedly a revival broke out in the bar that night. Many people turned to the Lord that very evening, right then and there, and in the weeks following. Now this is about the way I heard it, and I'm tellin' it as good as I can remember. Is it true? I don't rightly know, but I'll tell you what, I believe it, you can make up your own mind on it.
After the old man told us this story, someone said, "How do you know that? Where did you hear it from?" He just smiled, then he laughed, and he said, "Well maybe, just maybe, I was one of the folks there that night."
Believe the man or not, doesn't matter, the song has been recorded many times over, and there are a few versions of the story out there, maybe not on the net, but back in them hills. Indeed, the legend lives on...
Praise the lord, I saw the light!
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