Boggs was born in Norton, Virginia and began working in the coal mines of Appalachia at the age of twelve. At around this time, Boggs became interested in the banjo. As was the case of many musicians and performers of his era, Boggs learned to play the banjo watching and listening to family members and other performers, drawing additional influence from local African American musicians.
Boggs, while playing a traditional-style of play, did not play in the knock-down, sometimes called clawhammer or frailing style, instead employing a three-finger method that involved picking upwards on the strings of the banjo and permitted him to execute crisp single-note runs in a manner similar to that of a fingerstyle guitarist. Nevertheless, Boggs' style should not be confused with the bluegrass style of playing otherwise known as Scruggs style, made famous by Earl Scruggs, which also involves up-picking the banjo strings.
In 1920 Dock Boggs became influenced by blues tunes. He heard music played and sung by African-Americans while working in the coal mines and around the railroads of Appalachia. In 1927 he attended an audition in Bristol, Tennessee with the Brunswick record company. He was offered a contract to record with Brunswick and as a result travelled to New York where he recorded eight sides: "Sugar Baby," "Down Home Blues," "Country Blues," "Sammie Where Have You Been So Long," "Danville Girl," "Pretty Polly," "New Prisoner's Song" and "Hard Luck Blues." After these sessions, Boggs never recorded for Brunswick again.
By 1933, Boggs had given up hope of making a living as a musician. He hocked his banjo and did not play again until the early 1960s when he was re-discovered by Mike Seeger of the New Lost City Ramblers. As a result of his relationship with Seeger, Boggs enjoyed a renaissance of sorts during the Folk Revival, and recorded again.
Drunkard's Lone Child
Dock Boggs Lyrics
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For the voice of my mother to sing me to sleep.I'm alone, all alone, in this cold world so wild; God look down and pity a drunkard's child.In pity look down and hasten to me
And take me to dwell with mother and thee.She sleeps on a hill in a bed of cold clay; How sad it did seem to lay mother away.She is gone with the angels and none do I see; So dear is the face of my mother to me.I'm alone, all alone, in this cold world so wild; God look down and pity a drunkard's child.In pity look down and hasten to me
And take me to dwell with mother and thee.It is springtime on earth and the birds are so glad; I listen and I wonder, my heart is so sad.Sweet flowers around and strangers pass by, But the form of my mother no longer is nigh.
The lyrics of Dock Boggs's song, "Drunkard's Lone Child," speak to the loneliness and sadness felt by a child who has lost both parents. The child is alone in a cold and wild world as their friends have left, and their mother has passed away, leaving them in the care of their alcoholic father. The child longs for the comforting voice of their mother to sing them to sleep, but she is gone, buried in a bed of cold clay on a hill. The child's heart is heavy, and they wish to be taken away to be with their mother and God.
The song's lyrics are deeply emotional and paint a picture of a child who has been abandoned in the world, with no one to turn to for comfort or support. Despite the sadness and despair conveyed in the lyrics, there is also a plea for help and forgiveness. The child calls out to God, asking for mercy and compassion, and begs to be reunited with their mother.
"Drunkard's Lone Child" is a poignant reflection on the harsh realities of life and the impact that poverty, loss, and addiction can have on families. It is a reminder that in the midst of sorrow and pain, there is always a glimmer of hope and a possibility for redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm alone, all alone, my friends all have fled.
I am by myself, without any friends to keep me company.
My father, he's a drunkard; my mother, she is dead.
My father has a drinking problem and my mother has passed away.
I'm a poor little child and I wander and weep
For the voice of my mother to sing me to sleep.
I am a young child and I wander around crying because I miss my mother's comforting voice when she sang me to sleep.
In pity look down and hasten to me
And take me to dwell with mother and thee.
Please have mercy on me and help me join my mother and you in the afterlife.
She sleeps on a hill in a bed of cold clay;
How sad it did seem to lay mother away.
My mother is buried on a hill in the cold ground, and it was very difficult to say goodbye to her.
She is gone with the angels and none do I see;
So dear is the face of my mother to me.
My mother is in heaven now, and I miss her so much because she meant everything to me.
It is springtime on earth and the birds are so glad;
I listen and I wonder, my heart is so sad.
Even though it is springtime on earth and the birds are singing happily, I am still sad inside and wondering why my life is so difficult without my mother around.
Sweet flowers around and strangers pass by,
But the form of my mother no longer is nigh.
There are beautiful flowers all around, and people I don't know walk past me, but my mother is not amongst them – she is gone forever.
God look down and pity a drunkard's child.
I hope that God can see me and feel sorry for the way my life has turned out as the child of an alcoholic.
I'm alone, all alone, in this cold world so wild;
God look down and pity a drunkard's child.
I am completely isolated and lost in this cruel and unpredictable world, and I pray that God will take pity on me and help me.
In pity look down and hasten to me
And take me to dwell with mother and thee.
Please have mercy on me and help me join my mother and you in the afterlife.
Contributed by Owen K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.