The band's best-known song was a 1970 cover of Jerry Jeff Walker's folk song "Mr. Bojangles". Their greatest critical acclaim has been for a 1972 album of country and folk standards, recorded in Nashville in collaboration with more traditional country artists, entitled "Will the Circle Be Unbroken".
"Will the Circle be Unbroken" was a collaboration album recorded in 1972 by the Dirt band with traditional artists such as Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Roy Acuff, Merle Watson, Jimmy Martin, Junior Huskey, Norman Blake, and Pete Oswald Kirby (known to Grand Ole Opry fans as Bashful Brother Oswald). Vassar Clements, not widely known then, was tapped for fiddle duties which led to greater notoriety and success for him.
"Will the Circle be Unbroken" featured classic bluegrass and folk standards written by A.P Carter, Doc Watson and others. The title comes from the song of the same name but indicates what the Dirt Band was trying to achieve. The long-haired boys from California were making an effort to reach out to the older veterans of American music and unite them in a divided America. Two other editions were released, one in the 1980s and another after September 11, 2001.
In July 1974 The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was one of the headline acts at The Ozark Music Festival, at the Missouri State Fairgrounds, in Sedalia, Missouri. Some estimates have put the crowd count at 350,000 people, which would make this one of the largest music events in history.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's peak in popularity – at least on the radio — came during the mid- to late-1980s, when they charted a string of successful songs. Among the lot were three No. 1 singles: "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)" (1984); "Modern Day Romance" (1985); and "Fishin' in the Dark" (1987). Other successful songs were "Dance Little Jean" (1983); "I Love Only You" (1984); "High Horse" (1985); "Home Again in My Heart," "Partners, Brothers and Friends" and "Stand a Little Rain" (1986); "Fire in the Sky," "Baby's Got a Hold on Me" and "Oh What a Love" (1987); "Working Man (Nowhere to Go)" and "I've Been Lookin'" (1988); and "Down That Road Tonight" and "When it's Gone" (1989).
The current members are:
* Bob Carpenter - keyboard, accordion, bass, and vocals (1977-present)
* Jimmie Fadden - drums, harmonica,guitar, washtub bass, jug and vocals (1966-present)
* Jeff Hanna - guitar, mandolin, drums, harmonica, bass, washboard, jug and vocals (1966-present)
* John McEuen - banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, accordion washtub bass and vocals (1966-1986 & 2001-present)
Former members:
* Ralph Barr - guitar, clarinet and vocals (1966-1968)
* Merel Bregante - drums and percussion (1977-1979)
* Jackson Browne - guitar and vocals (1966)
* John Cable - guitar, bass and vocals (1976-1977)
* Jackie Clark - guitar, bass and vocals (1976-1977)
* Chris Darrow - fiddle, guitar, mandolin and vocals (1967-1968)
* Michael Gardner - drums (1980-1981)
* Al Garth - saxophone, fiddle, keyboard, percussion and vocals (1977-1981)
* Richard Hathaway - bass and vocals (1977-1981)
* Jimmy Ibbotson - guitar, bass, mandolin, piano, accordion, drums, flute and vocals (1968-1975 & 1982-2004)
* Bruce Kunkel - guitar, kazoo, vocals (1966-1967)
* Bernie Leadon - guitar, banjo, mandolin and vocals (1987-1989)
* Vic Mastrianni - drums (1980-1981)
* Les Thompson - guitar, bass, mandolin and vocals (1966-1973)
Dark As A Dungeon
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seek not your fortune in a dark dreary mine
It'll form as a habit and seep in your soul
Till the stream of your blood runs as black as the coal
Where it's dark as a dungeon damp as the dew danger is double pleasures are few
Where the rain never falls the sun never shines
It's a dark as a dungeon way down in the mine
(uh huh no laughin' during this song please it's bein' recorded)
Like a fiend with his dope and a drunkard with his wine
A man will have lust for the lure of the mine
And pray when I'm dead and my ages shall roll
That my body would blacken and turn into coal
Then I'll look from the door of my heavenly home
And pity the miner digging my bones
Where it's dark as a dungeon
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's song Dark As A Dungeon is a cautionary tale for young men who are looking for their fortune in a mine. The lyrics warn that the mine can be a dangerous and dreary place that can become habit-forming and seep into your soul. It is a place where danger is twice as high and pleasures are low, where the rain never falls and the sun never shines. The mine is like a dungeon, and the men who work there often fall into vices like alcohol and drugs in order to cope with their harsh, dark reality.
The second part of the song talks about the lust that some men have for the lure of the mine. The lyrics suggest that these men are willing to sacrifice their health and their lives for the sake of the coal they hope to mine. They pray that when they die, their bodies will blacken and turn into coal, so that they can remain forever connected to the mine. However, the singer of the song suggests that in death, he will look down on the miners who are "digging his bones" and feel pity for them, knowing the dangers they face in trying to extract the coal.
Overall, the song Dark As A Dungeon is a stark reminder of the harsh realities of the mining industry, and a warning against the lure of easy money that can sometimes lead young men to make dangerous choices.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh come all you young fellers so young and so fine
Hey there, all you young men out there, full of youth and vitality, listen to me.
Seek not your fortune in a dark dreary mine
Don't waste your energy and time looking for wealth in a dangerous and gloomy mine.
It'll form as a habit and seep in your soul
Working in a mine may become your regular routine, and it will gradually affect your innermost being.
Till the stream of your blood runs as black as the coal
The harsh and dangerous conditions of the mine may even physically affect you, making your blood like the dark coal.
Where it's dark as a dungeon damp as the dew danger is double pleasures are few
The mine is a miserable place, with no light, damp conditions, and double the danger, while offering only a few pleasures.
Where the rain never falls the sun never shines
The closed and underground mine has no natural light and hence, there's no chance of rain pouring or sun shining over there.
It's a dark as a dungeon way down in the mine
The mine is utterly bleak, dark, and burdensome, located deep down in the earth.
Well it's many a man that I've seen in my day
I have seen plenty of men like this in my lifetime.
(uh huh no laughin' during this song please it's bein' recorded)
Please refrain from laughing during this recording.
Like a fiend with his dope and a drunkard with his wine
These men have an addiction to mining like a drug addict to dope and an alcoholic to wine.
A man will have lust for the lure of the mine
The man's desire for money and a promising career in mining will overcome his compassion and logic.
And pray when I'm dead and my ages shall roll
When I die, and my life has long passed, I hope to be remembered.
That my body would blacken and turn into coal
I wish that after my death, my body would transform into coal or something useful for future miners.
Then I'll look from the door of my heavenly home
I'll gaze upon the earth from the gate of heaven.
And pity the miner digging my bones
I'm going to sympathize with the mining worker digging my buried body in search of valuable minerals.
Where it's dark as a dungeon
The mine is an abysmal and dismal place.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music
Written by: Merle Travis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind