Mary Don't You Weep

To the left are my notes about the song and its many references. I wrote in the form of questions. I did this because initially the song seemed straightforward, so I had to step back and figure out what I didn't know about it. Some of my questions are unanswered, and that's alright.

My favorite line in Mary Don't You Weep has got to be the 'three links of chain / every one was freedom's name' . It doesn't literally make much sense but it's such a satisfying, clear, powerful image. A lot of the other lyrics in the song have that same satisfying, thirst-quenching quality, relating to water in both Red Sea and the flood.

There are so many ways to sing this song, from the Andrewettes' performance to Leadbelly's scratchy, fast-paced, informal recording, but they all speak powerfully of liberation and share an upbeat, energetic, pulsing sound. They are all exciting to listen to.

I created something new with my ripped cloth from last week -- this time focusing on something mysterious and vast beyond. I chose dark blue because of the references to water as a powerful divine force in the song: God parting the Red Sea for the Jews and drowning Pharaoh's army, Noah's ark floating on the flood, even Mary's torrent of tears. If I may, I would like to claim that the element of this song is water.