The War interrupted any thoughts of a musical career, and it was not until both brothers returned from the service that they were able to make their own mark in music -- ultimately ending up on WCYB Bristol, Tennessee, where they would remain for over ten years as stalwarts of the famed "Farm and Fun Time" radio show. Their music initially followed a more old time style favored by Mainer's Mountaineers, with Ralph playing the banjo in the old two-finger style, interspersed with old time clawhammer playing, before taking a stab at the new three-finger style popularised by Earl Scruggs.
They formed The Clinch Mountain Boys in 1946. They were perhaps the first band to adopt the new music style created by Bill Monroe in the mid-1940s that later became known as bluegrass. Carter played guitar and sang lead while Ralph played banjo and sang with a strong, high tenor voice. Their harmonies are much admired, and many consider Carter Stanley to be one of the greatest singers in the history of country music. The brothers also wrote many of their own songs and Carter had a particular knack for writing deceptively simple lyrics that portrayed strong emotion. The Stanley's style can best be described as a traditional "mountain soul" sound that remained close to the Primitive Baptist vocal stylings they learned from their parents and others near their southwestern Virginia home.
The early Stanley Brothers recordings on Rich-R-Tone (of Johnson City, Tennessee) included Pee Wee Lambert on mandolin. They later added an innovative touch to their traditional sound with the guitar solos of George Shuffler who often used a crosspicking style.
Carter performed briefly with Bill Monroe while Ralph was recovering from injuries received in an automobile accident in 1951. As bluegrass music grew less popular in the late 1950s, the Stanley Brothers moved to Live Oak, Florida to headline the weekly Suwannee River Jamboree radio show on WNER. The three-hour show was also syndicated across the Southeast. Otherwise the brothers performed together until 1966 (from 1961 on as a duo). After Carter's death Ralph revived the Clinch Mountain Boys and is still performing in 2006. Among the musicians who have played in the revived Clinch Mountain Boys are Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Larry Sparks, Curly Ray Cline, Jack Cooke, and Ralph Stanley II. Ralph's career received a big boost with his prominent role on the phenomenally successful soundtrack recording of the 2000 film, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?." The Stanley Brothers were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1992.
Among the Stanley Brothers' best known recordings are:
* I'm A Man of Constant Sorrow (1950, Columbia)
* Rank Stranger
* Angel Band
* How Mountain Girls Can Love
* How Far to Little Rock? (novelty)
* Still trying to get to Little Rock (novelty)
* Ridin' That Midnite Train
* Clinch Mountain Backstep
* She's More To Be Pitied
* The Memory of Your Smile
* Love Me Darlin' Just Tonight
Clinch Mountain Boys Members
* Carter Stanley (guitar)
* Ralph Stanley (banjo)
* Darrell "Pee Wee" Lambert (mandolin)
* Jim Williams (mandolin)
* Curly Lambert (mandolin)
* Leslie Keith (fiddle)
* Robert "Bobby" Sumner (fiddle)
* Les Woodie (fiddle)
* Ralph Mayo (fiddle, guitar)
* Chubby Anthony (fiddle)
* Art Stamper (fiddle)
* Joe Meadows (fiddle)
* Red Stanley (fiddle)
* Don Miller (fiddle)
* Vernon Derrick (fiddle)
* James "Jay" Hughes (bass)
* Ernie Newton (bass)
* Chick Stripling (bass)
* Mike Seeger (bass)
* Bill Napier (guitar, mandolin)
* George Shuffler (guitar, bass)
* Larry Sparks (guitar)
External links
* Ralph Stanley Discography
* Recording of "We Are Going to Paint the Town" from a 1958 Florida radio show (made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida)
* Podcast (mp3) of one of the Stanley Brothers' Suwannee River Jamboree raido show from 1958 (made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida)
I'm Lost I'll Never Find The Way
The Stanley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you say its best to part
Even though it breaks my heart
I′m lost and I'll never find the way
Since you said we must part darling you have broke my heart
I am drifting like a ship lost at sea
In a world of despair its so lonesome there
You said you'd be true no one else would ever do
I believed you with all my heart and soul
But you broke every vow and its all over now
I'm left in this world lone and cold
The Stanley Brothers' song "I'm Lost I'll Never Find The Way" is a poignant ballad about heartbreak, loss, and despair. The song's opening line, "Lonesome, lonesome, pining away," immediately sets the tone for what follows, which is a tale of woe that is relatable to anyone who has experienced a painful breakup.
The lyrics talk about the pain of being told that it's best to part ways despite the significant other's heart being broken. Instead of uplifting or offering hope, the song portrays a lost cause of despair, where the singer is drifting like a ship lost at sea. The line "You said you'd be true no one else would ever do, I believed you with all my heart and soul" is particularly gut-wrenching, revealing the depth of the singer's emotions.
The song exemplifies traditional bluegrass harmonies, with tight vocal harmonies, mandolin, banjo, and guitar as the main instruments. The melody is relatively simple, and the emphasis is on the lyrics and the emotional expression of the song, which is typical of the genre. The song's lyrics are concise and poetic, and the melody is hauntingly beautiful. The Stanley Brothers have recorded several versions of this song, but each one captures the heart of its theme.
Line by Line Meaning
Lonesome, lonesome, pining away
Feeling extremely lonely and sad
Now you say its best to part
You have suggested to end our relationship
Even though it breaks my heart
Although it causes me immense emotional pain
I'm lost and I'll never find the way
I feel like I have lost my direction in life and won't be able to recover from this break up
Since you said we must part darling you have broke my heart
Your decision to end our relationship has left me heartbroken and shattered
I am drifting like a ship lost at sea
I feel aimless and directionless, like a ship lost at sea
In a world of despair its so lonesome there
I am in a dark mental state of despair and loneliness
Why don′t you come back to me
I am asking you to reconsider your decision and return to our relationship
You said you'd be true no one else would ever do
You promised to be loyal and faithful to me, and that no one else could replace me
I believed you with all my heart and soul
I had complete trust and faith in your words
But you broke every vow and its all over now
You have betrayed my trust by breaking your promises, and our relationship is now irreparably damaged
I'm left in this world lone and cold
I am now alone and feeling emotionally numb after this heartbreak
Writer(s): Carter Stanley
Contributed by Isaiah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Yellow Rose Farm
fantastic
leamankid13
I love how the chords in the description are as inaccurate as it gets 😂 but I appreciate the effort
Cardinal Guzman
@Germano Ciavone thanks for the history lesson Sir. It's always nice to learn something new. 👍
Germano Ciavone
@Cardinal Guzman Hello :-) I take this opportunity to give a historical-stylistic notion that probably not everyone knows!..they didn´t use the capo on the third fret, but tuned the instruments half- tone up compared to G. The capo was on 2nd fret.
Regards
Cardinal Guzman
Thanks. Haha. Yes, it is kind of inaccurate. I copied it from Classic Country Song Lyrics com and didn't check it after I posted it (my mistake).
I only added the info about capo on 3rd fret. Now I see that the C part on the verse there has moved forward in the formatting between being copy/pasted. When I play the song myself I use a D, not D7.
Mads Bjørkli
Here's a cover/mash-up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxNygDdbkqw