I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1949. Williams wrote the song originally intending that the words be spoken, rather than sung,^[2] as he had done on several of his Luke the Drifter recordings. The song about loneliness was largely inspired by his troubled relationship with wife Audrey Sheppard. With evocative lyrics, such as the opening lines "Hear that lonesome whip-poor-will/He sounds too blue to fly," the song has been covered by a wide range of musicians. During his Aloha from Hawaii TV-special, Elvis Presley introduced it by saying, "I'd like to sing a song that's...probably the saddest song I've ever heard."

Hank Williams version

According to Colin Escott's 2004 book Hank Williams: A Biography, Williams was inspired to write the song when he found it on a schedule of upcoming MGM releases. The song was recorded on August 30, 1949 at Herzog Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio. Williams is backed by members of the Pleasant Valley Boys - Zeke Turner (lead guitar), Jerry Byrd (steel guitar), and Louis Innis (rhythm guitar) - as well as Tommy Jackson (fiddle) and Ernie Newton (bass).^[3] As Escott observes, the plaintive despair in Williams' voice on the recording is echoed by the backing of the musicians:

"Zeke Turner underpinned 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry' with recurring figures on the bass strings of the electric guitar. A few weeks earlier, Turner had led the backing on the Delmore Brothers' recording of 'Blues Stay Away From Me' using very similar licks...Jerry Byrd played a solo of unusual simplicity, paraphrashing the melody to haunting effect, subtly adjusting tone and volume. Hank sang with unshakable conviction."

Remarkably, the song was released as the B-side to the blues "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" because up-tempo numbers were deemed more appropriate for the jukebox trade than melancholy ballads. The single reached #4 on the country chart in 1949.^[4] The song has become closely identified with Williams' legend and musical legacy and has been widely praised. In the 2003 documentary The Road to Nashville, singer k.d. lang states, "I think 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry' is one of the most classic American songs ever written, truly. Beautiful song." In his autobiography, Bob Dylan recalls, "Even at a young age, I identified with him. I didn't have to experience anything that Hank did to know what he was singing about. I'd never heard a robin weep, but could imagine it and it made me sad."^[5] In its online biography of the singer, Rolling Stone notes, "In tracks like 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry' Williams expressed intense, personal emotions with country's traditional plainspoken directness, a then-revolutionary approach that has come to define the genre through the works of subsequent artists from George Jones and Willie Nelson to Gram Parsons and Dwight Yoakam." Rolling Stone ranked it #111 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, the oldest song on the list, and #3 on its 100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time.

Cover versions

Terry Bradshaw, at the time the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, recorded the song in 1976. Bradshaw's version was a top-20 hit on the country charts.

Chart performance

Hank Williams version

Year	Chart	Position
1949	Billboard Country Singles	b-side of #2 "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It"
1966	Billboard Country Singles	#43

Williams' version ranked #29 in CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music in 2003.

B. J. Thomas version

Year	Chart	Position
1966	Billboard Pop Singles	#8

Charlie McCoy version

Year	Chart	Position
1972	Billboard Country Singles	#23

Leon Russell version (credited to Hank Wilson)

Year	Chart	Position
1973	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	78

Terry Bradshaw version

Year	Chart	Position
1976	Billboard Country Singles	#17

Jerry Lee Lewis version

Year	Chart	Position
1982	Billboard Country Singles	#43

Volbeat version

Year	Chart	Position
2008

References

↑ Escott, Colin (2004). Hank Williams: The Biography. Back Bay Books. p. 125.
↑ Escott, Colin (2004). Hank Williams: The Biography. Back Bay Books. p. 124.
↑ Escott, Colin 2004.
↑ Hank Williams, "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" Chart Positions Retrieved March 31, 2014
↑ Dylan, Bob & 2004 96.

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Hank Williams

Discography Songs

Albums	Hank Williams Sings Hank Williams on Stage 40 Greatest Hits Three Hanks: Men with Broken Hearts The Complete Hank Williams Memorial Album

Songs	"Move It On Over" "Honky Tonkin'" "I Saw the Light" "Lovesick Blues" "Mind Your Own Business" "Lost Highway" "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" "Why Don't You Love Me" "Cold, Cold Heart" "Hey Good Lookin'" "Honky Tonk Blues" "Half as Much" "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" "You Win Again" "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" "Kaw-Liga" "Your Cheatin' Heart" "Take These Chains from My Heart" "The Blues Come Around" "Six More Miles (To the Graveyard)" "The Pale Horse and His Rider"

Family	Hank Williams Jr. Jett Williams Hank Williams III Holly Williams

Related articles	Death of Hank Williams List of tributes to Hank Williams Drifting Cowboys Sterling Records MGM Records Grand Ole Opry The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams The Garden Spot Programs, 1950 Rufus Payne

B. J. Thomas

Albums	On My Way Longhorns & Londonbridges Reunion You Gave Me Love (When Nobody Gave Me a Prayer) Love Shines The Living Room Sessions

Singles	"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" "Hooked on a Feeling" "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" "I Just Can't Help Believing" "Most of All" "Long Ago Tomorrow" "Rock and Roll Lullaby" "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" "Don't Worry Baby" "I Recall a Gypsy Woman" "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" "New Looks from an Old Lover" "Two Car Garage" "Night Life" "As Long As We Got Each Other"

Book:B. J. Thomas

Andy Williams

Studio albums	Andy Williams Sings Steve Allen Andy Williams Sings Rodgers and Hammerstein Two Time Winners To You Sweetheart, Aloha Lonely Street The Village of St. Bernadette Under Paris Skies Danny Boy and Other Songs I Love to Sing Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes Warm and Willing Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests The Andy Williams Christmas Album The Wonderful World of Andy Williams The Academy Award-Winning "Call Me Irresponsible" and Other Hit Songs from the Movies The Great Songs from "My Fair Lady" and Other Broadway Hits Andy Williams' Dear Heart Merry Christmas The Shadow of Your Smile In the Arms of Love Born Free Love, Andy Honey Happy Heart Get Together with Andy Williams Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head The Andy Williams Show Love Story You've Got a Friend Love Theme from "The Godfather" Alone Again (Naturally) Solitaire The Way We Were Christmas Present You Lay So Easy on My Mind The Other Side of Me Andy Let's Love While We Can Greatest Love Classics Close Enough for Love I Still Believe in Santa Claus Nashville We Need a Little Christmas I Don't Remember Ever Growing Up

Greatest hits albums	Andy Williams Andy Williams' Best Million Seller Songs Canadian Sunset Andy Williams' Newest Hits May Each Day The Andy Williams Sound of Music Andy Williams' Greatest Hits The Impossible Dream Love Story Andy Williams' Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (UK version) Andy Williams' Greatest Hits Vol. 2 Reflections B Sides and Rarities Moon River: The Very Best of Andy Williams The Very Best of Andy Williams

Live albums	Greatest Hits The New Andy Williams Christmas Album

Singles	"Jubilee Time" "Louisiana Purchase" "Why Should I Cry Over You" "Now I Know" "The Wind, the Sand and the Star" "Walk Hand in Hand" "Canadian Sunset" "Baby Doll" "Butterfly" "I Like Your Kind of Love" "Lips of Wine" "Are You Sincere?" "Promise Me, Love" "The Hawaiian Wedding Song" "Lonely Street" "The Village of St. Bernadette" "Wake Me When It's Over" "Do You Mind?" "You Don't Want My Love" "The Bilbao Song" "Danny Boy" "Fly by Night" "The Wonderful World of the Young" "Stranger on the Shore" "Don't You Believe It" "Twilight Time" "Can't Get Used to Losing You" "Days of Wine and Roses" "Hopeless" "The Peking Theme (So Little Time)" "A Fool Never Learns" "Charade" "Wrong for Each Other" "Under Paris Skies" "On the Street Where You Live" "Almost There" "Dear Heart" "...and Roses and Roses" "Ain't It True" "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)" "May Each Day" "You're Gonna Hear from Me" "Bye Bye Blues" "How Can I Tell Her It's Over" "In the Arms of Love" "Music to Watch Girls By" "Holly" "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" "Sweet Memories" "Battle Hymn of the Republic" "Happy Heart" "Live and Learn" "A Woman's Way" "Can't Help Falling in Love" "One Day of Your Life" "It's So Easy" "Home Lovin' Man" "(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story" "A Song for You" "Love is All" "You've Got a Friend" "Music from Across the Way" "Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from The Godfather)" "MacArthur Park" "Last Tango in Paris" "Solitaire" "Getting Over You" "Remember" "Love's Theme" "Another Lonely Song" "You Lay So Easy on My Mind" "Love Said Goodbye" "Cry Softly" "Sad Eyes" "The Other Side of Me" "Tell It Like It Is" "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

B-Sides	"Not Anymore" "High Upon A Mountain" "Since I've Found My Baby" "It Doesn't Take Very Long" "Stop Teasin' Me" "Straight From My Heart" "Be Mine Tonight" "Your Hand, Your Heart, Your Love" "The House of Bamboo" "Summer Love" "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" "We Have A Date (Andy's Theme)" "Dreamsville" "Don't Go to Strangers" (A-side) "How Wonderful to Know" "Help Me" (A-side) "I Want to Be Wanted" "Summertime" "So Rare" "Madrigal" "Emily" "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" "Loved One" "I'll Remember You" "The Summer of Our Love" "The Many Faces of Love" "The Face I Love" "I Want to Be Free" "When I Look in Your Eyes" "You Are Where Everything Is" "Ave Maria" "Our Last Goodbye" "You Are" "What Am I Living For" (A-side) "Long Time Blues" "Whistling Away the Dark" "Something" "What's The Matter Girl" (A-side) "Home For Thee" "I'll Never Be The Same" "My Love" "They Long to Be Close to You " "A Mi Esposa Con Amor" "I Love My Friend" "One More Time" "Quits" "Goin' Through The Motions"

Related articles	Columbia Records The Williams Brothers

Jerry Lee Lewis

Studio albums	Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee's Greatest Last Man Standing Mean Old Man Soul My Way Southern Roots: Back Home to Memphis The Golden Cream of the Country Who's Gonna Play This Old Piano?

Collaborations	Class of '55 (with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison) Million Dollar Quartet (with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley)

Live albums	Live at the Star Club, Hamburg The Survivors Live Last Man Standing Live

Soundtrack albums	Jamboree (1957) American Hot Wax (1978) Great Balls of Fire! (1989) Dick Tracy (1990)

Compilation albums	All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology

Songs	"Baby Baby Bye Bye" "Baby, Hold Me Close" "Breathless" "Chantilly Lace" "Cold, Cold Heart" "Come as You Were" "Crazy Arms" "Don't Let Me Cross Over" (with Linda Gail Lewis) "Down the Line" "End of the Road" "Great Balls of Fire" "Hi Heel Sneakers" "High School Confidential" "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" "In the Mood" "Invitation to Your Party" "It'll Be Me" "Jackson" (with Linda Gail Lewis) "Lewis Boogie" "Me and Bobby McGee" "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" "One Minute Past Eternity" "She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye" "She Still Comes Around (to Love What's Left of Me)" "Sixteen Candles" "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" "Sweet Little Sixteen" "There Must Be More to Love Than This" "To Make Love Sweeter For You" "Turn On Your Love Light" "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)" "What'd I Say" "When He Walks on You (Like You Have Walked On Me)" "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" "Would You Take Another Chance on Me" "You Win Again"

Filmography	Jamboree (1957) High School Confidential (1958) American Hot Wax (1978)

Family	Mickey Gilley Linda Gail Lewis Carl McVoy Jimmy Swaggart

Related articles	Discography Great Balls of Fire! Walk the Line Kenny Lovelace Mack Vickery

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