Back in '29
Journey to Detroit: Ol' Joe's 1929 Odyssey
Lyrics
Ol' Joe Bryson lived down a dirt road in the holler No use for no license and that automobile He got to town on his own two feet
Ol' Joe Bryson lived in a rural area, disdaining the need for a license and cars. He preferred walking to town.
Tough stained hands from raisin' his cattle and t'bacca And soft -hearted for the shiny clean Cherokee hair Rosalee could sit on in her rockin' chair
Joe had calloused hands from tending to cattle and tobacco. He had a soft spot for Rosalee, admiring her clean Cherokee hair as she sat in her rocking chair.
A dollar a day he made at the sawmill by the river And lost outta work like everyone and taxes comin' due He heard the news and you know it's the truth
Joe earned a modest income at the sawmill but faced unemployment and impending taxes. He learned unsettling news.
Back in '29, back in nineteen and twenty-nine
Refers to the year 1929, setting the context for the following events.
He cried, Rosalee I'm leavin' at sunrise I heard 'em talkin' down at the stockyard There's jobs up north and I know it Rosalee I'm walkin' to Detroit Rosalee I'm walkin' to Detroit Back in '29, back in nineteen and twenty-nine
Joe decides to leave at sunrise for job opportunities in Detroit. The decision is influenced by talks at the stockyard about jobs up north.
Ol' Joe Bryson sent money from Kentucky to the holler Soft-hearted for the shiny clean Cherokee hair Rosalee could sit on in her rockin' chair' Back in '29, back in nineteen and twenty-nine
Joe supports his community by sending money from his new location in Kentucky to the holler. He still cherishes Rosalee's hair.
He cried, Rosalee I'm leavin' at sunrise I heard 'em talkin' down at the stockyard There's jobs up north and I know it Rosalee I'm walkin' to Detroit Rosalee I'm walkin' to Detroit
Repetition of Joe's decision to leave and walk to Detroit due to job prospects, expressing determination.
Back in '29, back in nineteen and twenty-nine Back in '29, back in nineteen and twenty-nine
Reiteration of the year 1929, emphasizing the impact of this period on Joe's life.
The years rolled on past the wheels on his chair in the city No use for no license and that automobile He's gone to heaven with his own two feet
Joe, now in the city, continues to reject modern conveniences, having gone to heaven with his own two feet.
He cried, Rosalee I'm leavin' at sunrise I heard 'em talkin' down at the stockyard There's jobs up north and I know it Rosalee I'm walkin' to Detroit Rosalee I'm walkin' to Detroit Back in '29, back in nineteen and twenty-nine Back in '29, back in nineteen and twenty-nine
Repeat of Joe's decision and destination, underlining the significance of this journey in the year 1929.
He cried, Rosalee I'm leavin' at sunrise I heard 'em talkin' down at the stockyard There's jobs up north and I know it Rosalee I'm walkin' to Detroit Rosalee I'm walkin' to Detroit Back in '29, back in nineteen and twenty-nine Back in '29, back in nineteen and twenty-nine
Final repetition, emphasizing the enduring impact of Joe's choice to walk to Detroit in the backdrop of 1929.
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