She was born Odetta Holmes in Birmingham, Alabama, grew up in Los Angeles, California, and studied music at Los Angeles City College. Having operatic training from the age of 13, her first professional experience was in musical theater, with a touring company of the musical Finian's Rainbow in 1949.
While on tour with Finian's Rainbow, Odetta "fell in with an enthusiastic group of young balladeers", and after 1951 concentrated on folksinging. She made her name by playing around the country: at the Blue Angel nightclub (New York City), the hungry i (San Francisco), and Tin Angel (San Francisco), where she and Larry Mohr recorded Odetta and Larry in 1954, for Fantasy Records.
A solo career followed, with Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues (1956) and a live album recorded at the Gate of Horn in Chicago in 1957. Harry Belafonte included her in a nationwide television special in 1959, and Odetta Sings Folk Songs was one of 1963's best-selling folk albums.
Odetta was active in the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King, Jr. called her "the queen of American folk music". Bob Dylan and Joan Baez were among many folk musicians who credited Odetta with being a major influence on their work.
Having previous acting experience, Odetta also acted in several films, notably the film of William Faulkner's Sanctuary (1961) and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974).
On December 02, 2008, Odetta died from heart disease in New York City. She was 77 years of age.
Another Man Done Gone
Odetta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another man done gone,
Another man done gone from the county farm,
Another man done gone.
I didn't know his name,
I didn't know his name,
I didn't know his name, didn't know his name,
He had a long chain on,
He had a long chain on,
He had a long chain on, had a long chain on,
Had a long chain on.
They killed another man,
They killed another man,
They killed another man, killed another man,
Killed another man.
Another man done gone,
Another man done gone,
Another man done gone from the county farm,
Another man done gone.
The song "Another Man Done Gone” by the American folk singer Odetta is a traditional African-American work song that originated from the prison farms or chain gangs in the southern United States, where convicts were forced to work long hours under brutal conditions. The song expresses the pain and sorrow of yet another prisoner dying while laboring on the farm. The repeated lines, “Another man done gone” and “He had a long chain on,” serve as powerful reminders of the inhumanity and oppression of the prison system, where prisoners were treated little better than slaves, and their lives were considered expendable.
The lyrics of the song are simple but poignant, emphasizing the loss of human life and the anonymity of the victim, whose name is unknown. The line “I didn’t know his name” is repeated three times throughout the song, highlighting the fact that the prisoners were reduced to mere numbers, without identity or value. The long chain mentioned in the song is a reference to the ball and chain tool used to keep prisoners from running away. The chain is also symbolic of bondage and imprisonment, as well as an instrument of punishment and torture.
The song “Another Man Done Gone” has been recorded by various artists over the years, including Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Harry Belafonte, among others. Its haunting melody and soulful lyrics have made it a classic of American folk music, embodying the struggles and hardships of marginalized communities. The song remains relevant today, serving as a reminder of the ongoing need to fight against racism, injustice, and oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
Another man done gone,
Yet another man has left, is no longer with us.
Another man done gone from the county farm,
Once again, a man has died while incarcerated at the county farm.
I didn't know his name,
I never learned the identity of the man who passed away.
Didn't know his name.
I was never given the opportunity to know this man on a personal level.
He had a long chain on,
The man was physically bound, perhaps as a prisoner or slave.
Had a long chain on.
His physical bondage was a defining characteristic of his life.
They killed another man,
This man's death was not a natural occurrence - he was killed by others.
Killed another man.
These individuals took another life, adding to the senseless violence already present in society.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PATRICK KEENE, DON PARTRIDGE, . TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@melv5566
Song speaks volumes even more today😢🙏rip to all our brothers and sisters who are gone from our world
@hilmarwensorra1215
the magnificent, the one & only Mrs. Odetta (1930 - 2008 R.I.P. // gone but not forgotten) ... btw, way back in 1975 i had named my daughter after her ... smile?
@jabjones2165
Can feel this song inside.
@RyanBile
An incredibly versatile artist. Thanks for the post!
@nevillegriffiths4395
So, so good
@bid84
Brilliant
@gijsschubert7901
WOW WOW WOW
@msuddie1237
This is an amazing rendition of this song! Also, Johnny Cash, the Man in Black, did an amazing version of this song as well and it is on YouTube - check it out!
@frankpeter6851
They killed another man
@BLUX777
Она не поёт... Она живёт...