The Carter Family was a country music group that performed and recorded bet… Read Full Bio ↴The Carter Family was a country music group that performed and recorded between 1927 and 1943. Their music had a profound impact on later bluegrass, country, pop and rock musicians, as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s.

The original group consisted of Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (A.P.; 1891-1960), his wife, Sara Dougherty Carter (autoharp and guitar; 1898-1979), and Maybelle Addington Carter (guitar; 1909-1978). Maybelle Carter (later popularly known as Mother Maybelle Carter) was married to A.P.'s brother Ezra (Eck) Carter. All three were born and raised in southwestern Virginia where they were immersed in the tight harmonies of mountain gospel music and shape note singing. Maybelle Carter's distinctive and innovative guitar playing style quickly became a hallmark of the group.

The Carters got their start on July 31, 1927 when A.P. convinced Sara and Maybelle (pregnant at the time) to make the journey from Maces Springs, Virginia to Bristol, Tennessee to audition for record producer Ralph Peer who was seeking new talent for the relatively embryonic recording industry. They received $50 for each song they recorded.

In the Fall of 1927 the Victor recording company released a double-sided 78 rpm record of the group performing "Wandering Boy" and "Poor Orphan Child". In 1928 another record was released with "The Storms Are on the Ocean" and "Single Girl, Married Girl". This one proved very popular.

They stopped touring and recording in 1943.

In 1987, the three daughters of Maybelle Carter - June Carter (also known as June Carter Cash, following marriage to Johnny Cash), Helen Carter and Anita Carter, along with June Carter's daughter Carlene Carter, appeared as the Carter Family and were featured on a 1987 television episode of Austin City Limits along with Johnny Cash.

The Carters were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970 and were given the nickname "The First Family of Country Music". In 1988, the Carter Family was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and received its Award for the song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". In 1993, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring A.P., Sara, and Maybelle. In 2001, the group was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. In 2005, the group received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Carter Family III carries on the tradition. The group consists of A.P. Carter and Sarah Carter’s grandson Dale Jett, Maybelle Carter’s grandson John Carter Cash and his wife Laura Cash.

For more details, see the Carter Family biography at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carterfamily/peopleevents/p_carters.html

Lonesome Pine Special
The Carter Family Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was walking out this morning
With rambling on my mind
I am going to catch the special
That train called Lonesome Pine

You can hear the whistle blowin'
And she's coming down the line
That's the train I catch this morning

To ease my troubling mind

Well, ah-le-ho, ah-le-ho-lay
Well, ah-le-ho, ah-le-ho-lay
Take me back to Texas
Back to my old home

Oh, I'm weeping like a willow
And I'm mourning like a dove
There's a girl way out in Texas
That I know I really love

Oh, I'm going back to Texas
Where the lonesome coyotes whine
Where the longhorn cattle are roaming
'Round that cabin home of mine

Well, ah-le-ho, ah-le-ho-lay
Well, ah-le-ho, ah-le-ho-lay
Take me back to Texas
Back to my old home

Oh, give me back my rifle
Oh, give me back my gun
Give me back my home in Texas
And my rambling days are done

Well, ah-le-ho, ah-le-ho-lay
Well, ah-le-ho, ah-le-ho-lay

Take me back to Texas
Back to my old home

Overall Meaning

The Carter Family's song "Lonesome Pine Special" tells the story of a person who is feeling restless and wandering, but has found a sense of direction in catching the "train called Lonesome Pine". The train is personified as a saving grace, a means of escape to something better. The singer describes their longing to return to their home in Texas, where they are mourning the loss of a loved one. The lyrics are infused with a sense of nostalgia for a simpler time and place, where the singer's troubles can be eased.

The song is full of vivid imagery and emotive language, painting a picture of a lonely wanderer searching for a sense of belonging. The repetition of the phrase "Take me back to Texas" serves as the song's refrain, emphasizing the singer's feelings of displacement and isolation.

Overall, "Lonesome Pine Special" is a classic country song that captures the essence of the homesick wanderer, searching for solace in the arms of their loved ones.

Lonesome Pine SpecialThe Carter Family Lyrics

amy osgood

Frank Ah Mya

Awareness Careless Broadcasting Network

RedBlue Bae

SpaceGhost67

Jerry Mcjunkin

The PinCushionMan

Robin Johnson

jamie Denney

Gabino Rodriguez

Gabino Rodriguez

Gabino Rodriguez

Lonesome Pine Special
The Carter Family Lyrics