Growing up, there were few promising opportunities for young man of Legg’s stripe in Cajun country and things eventually got difficult and strange: chronic bouts of depression, habitual drug use, small town drama, and arrests soon became routine. During one gloomy episode - deflated, broke, and strung out - Legg climbed the Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge, determined to dive into the next life, but after a last minute change of heart, humbly climbed back down and vowed to find a better way to exist. He immediately drove himself to rehab in a stolen Camaro and rededicated himself to his creative pursuits, namely songwriting. He formed the southern tribal rock band, Santeria who had a 10-year run of chaos and bedeviled kookiness (1994-2004). After four albums, they disbanded in an anarchic heap of bad luck, poverty, exhaustion, and voodoo curses they suspected were cast on the band to hasten their demise.
Legg spent the next year living in low-rent motels and trailer parks, writing new songs that tapped into the haunting style of the Delta Blues greats. With an odd ease, the songs poured out, spitting new life into the genre, not by hackneyed imitation, but by infusing original Delta-slide songs with his own experience of growing up in the Deep South—young, white, alienated, and lost. Legg’s Robert Johnson-on-Thorazine-style slide work paired with his droning-rural psychedelia brought the backwoods sounds of Louisiana (hurricanes, cows, cicadas) to life while remaining firmly rooted in the troubled and death-obsessed masters. This batch of songs became the first Brother Dege release, the now critically-acclaimed Folk Songs of the American Longhair (2010) - a record that Quentin Tarantino later referred to as “almost like a greatest hits album” of new Delta blues.
Home-recorded in Alan Lomax-like austerity, the album delivered postmodern tales of desperate southerners, apocalyptic prophecies, midnight angels, hippie drifters, burning barns, and the endless ghosts that haunt the history the Deep South. Quietly self-released with no distribution, no representation, and absolutely no hype, Folk Song of the American Longhair quickly earned 4-star reviews (UNCUT) and gained the attention of numerous tastemakers in film and TV, scoring sync placements on Discovery Channel’s After the Catch, Nat Geo’s Hard Riders, women’s cycling documentary Half the Road, Netflix’s The Afflicted, and most notably hand-picked by Quentin Tarantino for inclusion in the movie and soundtrack to Django Unchained.
Brother Dege quickly expanded his cinematic vision of the South with two follow-up albums: How to Kill a Horse (2013) and Scorched Earth Policy (2015). Teaming with otherworldly slide guitars, country psych, barn burning anthems, the tradition continues with his latest release Farmer’s Almanac (2018), a sprawling, southern concept album that further explores the unique mysteries of small towns.
Brother Dege’s latest album is the critically acclaimed Farmer’s Almanac, an 11-track, southern gothic journey that explores escapism, class structure, and the opiated dark side of America’s small town rural communities. Brother Dege’s fourth album swarms with otherworldly slide guitars, rustic psychedelia, possessed barn burners, and swamp-drenched cinematic songcraft.
Poor Momma Child
Brother Dege Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where you trying to hide?
Two troubled kids.
Maybe got one more inside.
You got them modern ways.
You know they ain't right.
This ain't no kind of place for a poor momma child.
God help that poor momma.
Momma child.
Lord, Lord, Lord, poor momma child.
Now they got you scream and crying.
Where you going?
What you trying to find?
Man done led you astray.
Now you got to get sanctified.
He got them modern ways.
You know they ain't right.
This ain't no kind of place.
For a poor momma child.
The first verse of Brother Dege's song "Poor Momma Child" depicts a mother with two troubled kids, who might have another one on the way. She seems to be lost and trying to hide from something or someone. The lyrics suggest that the kids are influenced by modern ways that are not deemed appropriate for them. The verse concludes by stating that this place is not suitable for a poor momma child and that God should help her, highlighting the difficult situation she's in.
The second verse delves deeper into the situation by revealing that the mother is screaming and crying and searching for something. She's led astray by a man and now has to get sanctified. It seems that this man has influenced her in a negative way, and she's struggling to find her way back to a better path. The lyrics again reference modern ways that are not suitable for a poor momma child.
Overall, the song tells the story of a struggling mother who is trying to do the best she can for her children while fighting against the odds. The lyrics suggest that she's lost in a world that's not suited for her or her kids, and she's desperately searching for help and guidance from a higher power.
Line by Line Meaning
Where you going?
Asking where the person is headed to.
Where you trying to hide?
Questioning if the person is trying to escape or avoid something.
Two troubled kids.
Referring to the person and their child/children as they may be going through difficulties.
Maybe got one more inside.
Implies that the person may be pregnant again.
You got them modern ways.
Referring to the person's rapid lifestyle that may not conform to everyone's standards.
You know they ain't right.
Telling the person that the things they do are not proper.
This ain't no kind of place for a poor momma child.
Implying that the environment is dangerous for the person's child/children to grow up in.
God help that poor momma.
Requesting divine intervention for the person's safety and wellbeing.
God help that poor momma child.
Imploring for divine assistance in safeguarding the person's child/children.
Momma child.
Addressing the person's children.
Lord, Lord, Lord, poor momma child.
Expressing sympathy for the person's difficult situation.
Now they got you scream and crying.
Suggesting that the person is in distress.
What you trying to find?
Inquiring about the person's objectives.
Man done led you astray.
Indicating that the person has been misled by someone.
Now you got to get sanctified.
Implying that the person needs to become righteous or purified.
He got them modern ways.
Alluding to the person's partner who may have similar lifestyle.
This ain't no kind of place.
Conveying that the location or situation is unfavorable.
For a poor momma child.
Expressing concern for the person's child/children's welfare and safety.
Contributed by Natalie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paulinho Chagas
Congratulations for Music!! Brother Dege Number one 👏👏👏🎸🎶
Miguel Gonzalez Martinez
Thanks, great album