Bless My Soul

Bill published this song in his collection If I Were a Word, Then I'd Be a Song, published in 1980 by Folk-Legacy Records. I don't believe he recorded the song until 1993 on his "Happy Wanderer" album on Red House Records.

It was recorded earlier by Rick Kirby & Michael Kline on their "They Can't Put It Back" album, which was made to fight strip mining in West Virginia. It's hard to believe there have not been more recordings of this beautiful iconic song. It was also included in the songbook Voices from the Mountains, edited by Guy & Candie Carawan, about the struggles of people in Southern Appalachia and West Virginia especially. This beautiful and important book of words, songs & photographs has been re-issued by University of Georgia Press.