Online since 2002. Patricia and James Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord NH.
written by Jimmy Cox (1882-1925)
as sung by Patricia Cummings
on September 29, 2009
This song is a classic tale and it is not surprising that it was written during the 1920s, a time that I think of as being pretty wild. If we absorb what cinema has to say about the era, it was rife with bootleggers, speakeasies, shoot 'em outs with Mafioso types, as well as ethnic gangs. The 1920s is a decade that I have not yet intently studied, so my speculations about it are based solely on impressions. Maybe that will be my next "course of study."
When I hear "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," I think of cold men, huddled around fires lit in rusty trash cans. I think of soup lines in Third World countries. Can you imagine having "not one penny and no place to go?" For many of the homeless in our own country, that is a daily reality.
The song also speaks of "friends of convenience." Everyone is up for a good time, especially if someone else is paying the bill. Should that person become "down and out," well, in this society, that person is cast aside. We no longer "know him."
I enjoyed singing this song, although I had not sung it in years. I learned it, probably from a Weaver's recording, in the 1960s, although they did not write it. As always, I have more to investigate. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my version of this song.
Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH, 2009. All rights reserved. Do not copy this song for your own profit. I only say that because I've found some of my songs, placed here for educational purposes, being used for "ringtones." I am honored, but please ... don't.
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