Red Molly was formed late one night at the 2004 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. Abbie, Carolann, and Laurie, solo singer/songwriters, were the last ones left at a song circle. They liked the way they sounded together and decided to form a band. The name Red Molly is taken from a character in the Richard Thompson song "1952 Vincent Black Lightning."
On June 15, 2010 Red Molly announced that Carolann Solebello would be leaving the group and replaced by Molly Venter. On July 24 Solebello announced to the crowd at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival it was her last show with the band and concluded: "I know about 75% of you by face, and I wanted my last show to be with my friends here at Falcon Ridge, not at some small club in some country I didn't know anybody." Solebello continues to perform as a solo artist and released her third solo album "Threshold", in June 2011.
Molly Venter's debut with the trio was on August 6, 2010 at the Lunenburg Folk Festival.
Their career started to take off in 2006. They were the top vote getters in the 2006 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase. WUMB in Boston named them Top New Artist of the Year and picked their Album Never Been to Vegas one of their Top 10 Albums of 2006. They appeared in John Platt's Under the Radar series in New York a showcase for up and coming musicians.
In 2007 they toured with Pat Wictor and Ellis, the other winners of the Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist showcase, on the Falcon Ridge Preview tour and performed with them in the Most Wanted Song Swap at the Festival itself.
In 2010 they have played Merlefest and have been invited back to the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival as a headliner.
Their album "Love and Other Tragedies" reached number 15 on the Americana Charts on June 30, 2008.
Their next album "James" reached #4 on the Americana charts in May of 2010 and # 1 on the Folk DJ chart.
The recording, "The Red Album", the group's second since the departure of founding member Carolann Solebello, is their freshest and edgiest to date. After immersing themselves in songwriting, the Mollies made a conscious decision to record more original songs than on any previous album, making their choice of specific covers all the more significant. With their arsenal of new songs and select favorites at hand (including a very long-awaited cover of the song that is their namesake) "1952 Vincent Black Lightning", the band traveled to Nashville to work with producer Ken Coomer (drummer for Uncle Tupelo and Wilco), and the result is a darkly percussive, wildly cool, and powerfully different collection of songs than you'd expect from a ladylike folk trio.
"The Red Album", realized on May 27, 2014, was featured in USA Today and CMT Edge. It spent 16 weeks on the Americana Radio Top 40 chart, reaching #10, and it was #1 on the Folk DJ Radio Chart for all of 2014.
A 6-song EP, "One for All & All for One," was released in 2018.
Poor Boy
Red Molly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where did you learn your song?
From the back of a black hill in the land of the free
Faces of the conquered for the conquerors to see
A mountain murder ballad in four part harmony
That's were I learned my song
Poor boy, poor boy
Where did you learn your song?
From the ring of a hammer on a long iron rail
Sung by the hungry and the young men in jail
Singing for their souls, singing for their bail
That's where I learned my song
Poor boy, poor boy
Where did you learn your song?
From the mourners mourning in the streets of the town
They cried as they layed their brothers bodies down
The songs that they were singing made the sweetest sound
That's where I learned my song
From the preacher preaching in a long monotone
Sharpened by the seasons of slaving alone
But the saint is sinner like a sculpture is a stone
That's where I learned my song
Poor boy, poor boy
Where did you learn your song?
The song "Poor Boy" by Red Molly is a reflection on the different sources from which the titular poor boy has learned his song. The song is essentially about the way that music can be a means through which marginalized communities express their experiences and perspectives.
The first verse speaks to the way that the poor boy has learned his song from the land itself, specifically from the back of a black hill in the land of the free. The faces of the conquered are for the conquerors to see, which implies that the song is in some way a representation of the experiences of those who have been oppressed. The reference to a mountain murder ballad in four part harmony suggests that this song is one that tells a story of violence and struggle, and that it is deeply ingrained in the cultural memory of a particular community.
The second verse speaks to the way that the poor boy has learned his song from the sounds of labor and imprisonment. He has heard the ring of a hammer on a long iron rail, which is a sound associated with the work of building the infrastructure of the country. He has also heard singing from those who are in jail, who are singing for their very survival. This verse suggests that the song of the poor boy is not just one of struggle, but also one of resilience and hope.
The third verse speaks to the way that the poor boy has learned his song from the mourning of those who have lost loved ones. The fact that the songs they are singing are described as making the sweetest sound is an interesting juxtaposition, suggesting that even in the midst of grief and mourning, music can still serve as a source of beauty and solace. Finally, the fourth verse speaks to the way that the poor boy has learned his song from a preacher, who is described as both a saint and a sinner. This verse acknowledges the complexity of religious leaders, but also posits that even they are capable of teaching important lessons through their preaching.
Overall, "Poor Boy" is a song about the resilience and strength of marginalized communities in the face of struggle and oppression. The different sources from which the poor boy has learned his song all speak to the power of music to reflect and transform the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Poor boy, poor boy
Addressing the singer of the song, questioning where he learned to sing.
Where did you learn your song?
Asking for the origin of the singer's musical style.
From the back of a black hill in the land of the free
The singer learned a somber mountain ballad from a place in America that outwardly touts freedom, but whose history has many darker undercurrents.
Faces of the conquered for the conquerors to see
The song uses visual and musical motifs to mourn the idea of colonization, with the faces of conquered peoples haunting the minds of those who celebrate conquest.
A mountain murder ballad in four part harmony
The song in question is a type of classic, mournful folk tune common to many isolated rural areas.
That's were I learned my song
The singer is cementing the fact that they learned their musical style from the historical context described before.
From the ring of a hammer on a long iron rail
The singer learned a more energetic, rhythmic, and labor-focused type of music from hard laborers, people working for limited wages and often behind bars.
Sung by the hungry and the young men in jail
The song continues to focus on laborers and how the struggle of these individuals can result in artistic expression as they sing for their souls and their freedom.
Singing for their souls, singing for their bail
The song emerges from a place of deep vulnerability and suffering.
That's where I learned my song
The artist is again emphasizing the origins of their musical style as being rooted in the difficult conditions forced upon those in labor camps.
From the mourners mourning in the streets of the town
Another type of musical style is introduced as the singer learns it from those leaving funeral processions, some of the saddest and most somber songs that people might sing.
They cried as they laid their brothers' bodies down
Emphasizes the emotional element of the funeral procession and the fact that the songs arising from these more emotional and troubled circumstances often pack the greatest emotional punch.
The songs that they were singing made the sweetest sound
Paradoxically, some of the most melancholy songs can be the sweetest when the emotions in the meaning and melodies are heartfelt and moving.
That's where I learned my song
A final rhyming repetition once again drives home the idea that the musical style of the singer is a composite of elements based on the sorrows of others.
From the preacher preaching in a long monotone
A final type of musical influence is introduced as the singer learned from a preacher who spoke in a long steady way that made the words sink in deep.
Sharpened by the seasons of slaving alone
A nod to the fact that many forms of labor aren't strictly physical; emotional and mental struggles from keeping oneself dedicated to long term work also require effort to overcome.
But the saint is sinner like a sculpture is a stone
A philosophical exposition about the complexities of human nature, how we all carry viiances within us no matter how hard we try, for sinner and saint can be two sides of the same coin.
Writer(s): Jonathan Byrd
Contributed by Nora J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.