The Stanley Brothers (Carter Stanley, 1925-1966, and Ralph Stanley, 1927-20… Read Full Bio ↴The Stanley Brothers (Carter Stanley, 1925-1966, and Ralph Stanley, 1927-2016) were an American bluegrass duo originally hailing from Dickenson County, Virginia. The family soon moved to McClure, Virginia, where their parents worked a small farm in the Clinch Mountains. Music was a part of their lives from the word go, as they were able to listen to the likes of The Monroe Brothers, Mainer's Mountaineers, and other artists featured on the Grand Ole Opry radio program.

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)

It
The Stanley Brothers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now darling I've loved I've never done wrong
I've been fair to you you know all along
Why treat me this way you're breaking my heart
I'm lonesome for you we're so far apart

Its never too late to start over new
I've loved you so long you know I've been true
Please come back to me my heart is so blue

It's never to late to start over new

Now when you are tired your new love's gone down
I hope you'll return I'll still be around

I love you so well you know I will wait
But remember these words it's never too late

Overall Meaning

The Stanley Brothers's song It is a heart-wrenching plea to a lost love to come back, reminding them of the singer's unwavering love and faithfulness. The opening lines, "Now darling I've loved I've never done wrong, I've been fair to you you know all along," emphasize the singer's innocence and loyalty. The chorus, "It's never too late to start over new, I've loved you so long you know I've been true," is a hopeful reminder that the singer is still waiting for their love, still believing that they can start a new chapter together. The final lines, "But remember these words it's never too late," serves as a warning that even if the lost love chooses a new path, the singer will always be there waiting for them to return.

The simple melody and sparse instrumentation of the song enhance its emotional power, highlighting the stark beauty of the lyrics. The Stanley Brothers, an American bluegrass duo, were known for their exceptional harmonies and authentic, traditional approach to bluegrass music. The mournful, plaintive sound of their music perfectly fits the emotional tone of the song It.

Line by Line Meaning

Now darling I've loved I've never done wrong
My dear, I have always loved you and never made mistakes

I've been fair to you you know all along
I have been honest and just with you all this time

Why treat me this way you're breaking my heart
Why are you hurting me like this? Is it not breaking my heart?

I'm lonesome for you we're so far apart
I feel so lonely without you, and the distance between us doesn't help

Its never too late to start over new
It is always possible to start afresh and make things right

I've loved you so long you know I've been true
I have been in love with you for such a long time and my loyalty is unwavering

Please come back to me my heart is so blue
My heart is aching and I desperately need you back in my life

Now when you are tired your new love's gone down
When your new love has left you and you are weary

I hope you'll return I'll still be around
Know that I will be here waiting for you and hoping you come back to me

I love you so well you know I will wait
My love for you is strong enough to endure the wait until you return to me

But remember these words it's never too late
Please do not forget that it is never too late to give us another try

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@tima1929

6y↑76

I wandered again to my home in the mountains
Where in youth's early dawn I was happy and free
I looked for my friends but I never could find them
I found they were all rank strangers to me
Everybody I met seemed to be a rank stranger
No mother or dad not a friend could I see
They knew not my name and I knew not their faces
I found they were all rank strangers to me
Now they've all moved away said the voice of a stranger
To a beautiful home by a bright crystal sea
And some day I'll meet them all up in Heaven
Where no one will be a rank stranger to me

All comments from YouTube:

@janiejolly2818

40w↑32

My dad served 2 tours in Vietnam. He told me that this song is how he felt when he returned home. So much had changed and would never be the same again😢

@TexasRed71

14w↑2

most vets had a hard time coming over the trauma from their tours and battles, those scars are there forever. but i always felt bad for the homeless and disabled vets. and the song makes a good point. mostly i searched it up, its about a civil war vet feeling like a stranger its mostly the moral. but i think the song can hit hard emotionally

@louisbiederman620

12w↑3

This isn’t home. We’re just visiting. God rest your father’s soul. He’s home now.

@TexasRed71

12w

amen@@louisbiederman620

@grapenanners282

2y↑92

I remember my daddy listening to this song, and he would cry, I never understood as a child. Now daddy has gone up ahead, I understand...

@jaywalker712

2y↑9

His tears probably came from missing family and friends, some of us drifted way too long and came home to nothing and this song brings out a lot of sadness.

@grapenanners282

2y↑1

Something like that

@EyeShotFirst

3y↑503

This song hits harder when you start getting older. The last few times I've gone to my old home, is to bury someone. That home starts to look a lot more strange and desolate the more of your friends and family leave this world.

@stevenwebb7936

2y↑12

I couldn’t agree more!

@tapertom1351

2y↑25

Yes it does hit closer to home the older we get. ive lost 2 parents and 2 good friends in 8 months time.. hopfully they;ll be waiting for me on the white crystal shore!!!

@jaywalker712

2y↑22

@@tapertom1351 The older we get often we know more dead folks than alive, this song really hits home with me.

@johnharrison3930

2y↑17

Thomas Wolfe was right - you can't go home again.........

@crawwwfishh3284

2y↑7

Rejoice oh young man in thy youth.

40 More Replies...

@sharonturner6480

1y↑77

Parents were married for 65 years 10 children. We grew up listening to this song. Daddy and Mama both are in heaven now. TY Stanley Brothers

@lionofjudahlambofgod9132

1y↑3

Have you been born again?

@sharonturner6480

1y↑4

Yes been serving the lord since I was 14 My entire family is Christians. Thank Christ Jesus for Salvation thur repentance. I study the KJV , I like it the best. Have a nice day.

@debbiemcwilliams2789

31w

I want to put "They were all like rank Strangers to me" on my mother's grave marker, she's buried by my father and share a grave stone. My father was very beloved in the community we lived in (Gordonsville VA where Charlie Waller lived and is buried in the same cemetery).. my father was an old farmer and a scholar.. he was well sought out for his knowledge of animal husbandry and farming expertise.. people came from all around yearly to pay their respects to him. The visitors were always greeted with the best cooking and hospitality by my dear sweet mother. My father unfortunately took his own life after many years of declining health.. the funeral home could not accommodate the people who turned out for his funeral.. the streets of Gordonsville were lined that day with people my mother had made welcome in her home for years.. my father died November 3rd 1994... December 24 1995 my mother who was still grieving her loss busily made her home ready for an onslaught of visitors who normally came every Christmas Eve.. no one bothered to come see her without him being there.. little did they know or understand all that she did to make him the man that he was.. he definitely was a lucky man. My mother lived 7 years beyond my dad's death and every Christmas she prepared her home for the Christmas Eve visitors who never came again.. Rank Strangers indeed.

@MsCherokee70

20w

@@sharonturner6480my grandmother was Eva Stanley & she married Worley Rose. They had 9 survived children. Are we related?

@longjohnsilver7986

13w

God bless you all

@carlhaynes5317

3y↑47

Carter and Ralph Stanley are the true Godfathers of Bluegrass music.
Buddy it can't get any better this that.
RIP BOYS UP IN THEM HILLS OF HOME

@sailingikaika8704

5y↑58

RIP Cumberland Gap. Goodbye Nanny and Papaw, our tobacco farm, churning butter, canning the bounty of the garden, hunting deer, picking and singing on the porch and detesting “ brought on bread “ A moon pie and a Mountain Dew was a fancy city treat. I will see you when I cross the river Jordan. Farther along we’ll know more about it.

@steveboyd3551

1y↑2

Me too

@freedom4all61701

10y↑19

My Dad just passed away and he was a country singer. Our last Father's Day weekend before he passed away I videoed him singing this as his all time favorite song he sang at Cowboy Church in Farmer City, Illinois. R.I.P DAD. NO MORE RANK STRANGERS AGAIN. Normand D. Barnes Sr.

@adamszayden8330

Hello freedom

@tapertom1351

5y↑63

How can there be any thumbs down??? Thank the good Lord for the Stanley Brothers!!!Beautiful!!!!

@jasonarnold314

3y↑16

If this song don't grab you, you ain't got a handle.

@jpalberthoward9

2y↑160

George Shuffler is grossly under rated. The man was a master of playing exactly what the song needs, and not overplaying or showboating. He's one of those guys who can step up, nail it in 8 bars and not take away from the focus of the song. It's a fine art, and Mr. Shuffler deserves a lot more consideration than he gets.

@williamjarvis3473

2y↑8

Agree, 100% Folk would go to a concert just to get a glimpse of George doing his cross pick.

@mathewfines8727

1y↑7

He was the perfect accompanist to The Great Stanleys, in the later period of their recording and performing career, before Carter left this World.

@ronniechilds2002

45w↑2

True. And of course that applies to his singing as well as his guitar playing.

@leerider1912

39w↑2

I met George at Wintergrass in the '90's, real nice guy. Was playing with Jim and Jessie at the time I believe...

@williehazel4625

33w↑1

When i was a little girl i heard my daddy sing this pretty song❤

1 More Replies...

@littlewalter44

5y↑11

Carter Stanley was the master. Gone too soon.

@winstonrocco1981

3y↑46

This music was before my time but I can listen to it all day it never gets old. These brothers were so talented just beautiful music and harmony.

@rickycarter7154

2y↑48

Of all the great and famous lead singers that performed with Doctor Ralph over those many years, NOBODY was as good as Brother Carter. He was such a natural. I feel honored to hear his voice one more time today. Thank you

@gustaveisler2849

1y↑4

What a beautiful voice..

@artrolf4223

1y↑3

I met Ralph Stanley at a concert in St. Paul, Minnesota. What a Good Ole Boy! I'll never forget that evenin'. (brush with greatness.)

@walterpierce6061

1y↑59

One of the best Bluegrass gospel numbers ever.
Wonderful!

@bertblackburn5946

44w↑1

I'm 26 an I was raised on this music and still listen to it

@johndoylemc

48w↑8

This song hits me hard. I have lost 299 family and friends since 1990. All of the previous generation are gone and almost all of my generation. My home community is almost empty - only 8 people where almost 300 lived. Miss them.

@richardsmith3129

1y↑15

I love this song so much I have to hear it just about every day. The Stanley Brothers were the best. 🪕

@hoke0818

1y↑1

Yes sir, AMEN

@toonsign

7y↑165

Retired from USMC (1978) and went back home to MA. These words describe what my heart felt. Knew no one.. Friends moved or died (Vietnam). Felt so alone and lost. No matter who sings the song, the feelings remain the same.

@frankjennings4022

4y↑7

My younger bro is 100% DAV. 26 surgeries. Army medic Vietnam era. Other brother DAV same time, father died in VA

@derekgoins6547

4y↑11

Thank you for your service. You have a home in heaven and a friend in the Lord.

@revpgesqredux

4y↑9

Your post has blessed me. From the first time I ever heard the song it made me think of soldiers coming home with PTSD... the story of one of my world War II friends who came back to his rural home in Ohio in the middle of the night... And laid down on his feather tic. he said when he woke up people just acted like he never left and he never had the heart to tell them what he'd been through in the War. another one of the veterans that I was blessed to listen to had three daughters and a wife... He was in Europe for almost a year-and-a-half after the war building barracks for the Germans that killed his only brother. He said " since the war, my life has been filled with beautiful girls. They want me to talk to them about the war. But how can I live with myself if I visit that Hell upon them?" I gave my second son the middle name "Leighton" because that was his battle-dead brother's name. He cried when I told him and brought my baby boy to him. God bless you Vietnam Vets. And Korea and all the wars since including the invisible ones still ongoing. Thanks and Love 😍.... pg 🙏✝️❣️🤗

@israelfitts5066

3y↑3

Bless you

@minnowpd

3y↑2

my dad had that feeling after 4 years 41-45 Came hyome . knew no one.

18 More Replies...

@missbritt288

5y↑5

I used to come home from middle school and listen to bluegrass music , it was like a refuge at the time, these songs and melodies were so comforting - I had such a rough time in middle school , then i learned how to play guitar - and one of the first songs i ever learned was "man of constant sorrow" I could find validation and comfort in the words of those music more than i could the people around me - it helped to give me a better piece of mind - i also started praying more and looking into the word of god . It helped me relax .

@truthseeker7233

1y↑44

There is something so powerful and so peaceful about this song that sets comfort to the soul it is in the powerful force of music 🎼✨️💛🙏🏼

@bertblackburn5946

44w

I'm 26 an I was raised on this music and still listen to it

@coyotecreekblues6935

3y↑27

The harmonies, the call and response, Rank Stranger is bluegrass at it's very best. I never grow tired of hearing this song, and the Stanley Brothers had the best version of the song.

@marthahenderson4808

3y↑11

This was one of my Daddy s favorite songs, God, how I miss him

@user-mp9hr7sx8k

34w↑4

My sweet Daddy used to play and sing this all the time, I hear it now and I just cry!! (We had it played at his funeral)

@douglassmith826

2y↑11

This song brings back so many memories The Stanley Brothers are the best

@jaywalker712

4y↑96

This song touches a spot in me, I left my home an what little family and friends I had at a very young age, first the Army, then roaming the world, just could not find peace . After 30 plus years I came "home' and everybody had died or moved away so I understand being a Rank Stranger and never connected again.

@cynthiaparris7549

3y↑3

Bless you

@j_lode

2y↑2

I'm your friend brother

@barrypowell829

2y↑2

Yes I had the same experience. Left home early @16 joined the Army. Seen the world 🌎 returned back to my childhood home. No one recognize me, or they all moved away.

@jaywalker712

2y↑4

@@barrypowell829 I know what you mean, after Vietnam I was restless so some guys I served with talked me into going to South Africa where we worked training kids to fight. I worked on a freighter all over the world , time just flew by. Being the baby of family time I returned everybody was gone.

@garylake1497

2y↑3

Don’t know where in the world you are Jay Walker but you ain’t alone brother, Stay strong, it can be a hard lonesome road and we don’t get an answer to the question ‘why ?’. Gary from England.

1 More Replies...

@cathyjackson607

6y↑3

Grew up with my wonderful Daddy singing this song...miss him and all the wonderful times in Church.

@philipdhelmet9104

6y↑5

I moved far away from my homeland in search of prosperity. It is always best at home, where the heart is. And everytime I hear this song, I break down in tears becouse "one beautiful day ill meet them in heaven, where no one will be a stranger to me".

@marcatkinson5187

9y↑75

holy Christ , what talent. This IS REAL American music. No effects, filters or help...just your voice and the guitars and banjo.

@brendond.3158

I was looking at the music chart breakers and all of them seemed to go to the Globalist In Great Britian and nothing to the U.S. Talented Bands! Nothing.

@dillionwilliams8061

7y↑597

People who give it a thumbs down clearly is a rank stranger to music.

@looleescrogg3170

5y↑16

I agree 100 percent...

@davidlowney634

4y↑3

@@looleescrogg3170 who cares?

@domeniccarson8511

4y↑11

@@davesheil7454 Wow! You told him! Good job, mate. Any music with any mention of Christianity should be outlawed.

5 CENT FREDOS!!!

You fucking Euro tart.

@skatetodeath666

4y↑1

@@davesheil7454 lol

@Solexcruiser

4y↑1

People is plural. They are.

18 More Replies...

@scottholland6652

23w↑3

This is one of the best country songs of all time ....there talent blows me away

@trap_or_treat2862

3y↑50

That skipping fiddle bow after Carter says "They've all moved away" gives me chills every time.

@mic8435

2y↑3

Yessir

@AranMcGinnis

3y↑17

American folk. Never forget who we are or what we once were. God and family.

@zteaxon7787

Family. The so called religion is rank.

@richardlusk1715

3y↑8

This song haunts my soul,after all the other folks that play this I always end up back here

@deanrossiter7473

4y↑11

This was one of my dads favorite song s i played this song at my dad's funeral great song this song is a tear jerker for sure.

@TheCissero

6y↑70

Perfect harmony. Beautiful. High Lonesome Sound Bluegrass is my favorite.

@boanerges149

perfect harmony ?

@Jager-gq1bv

@@boanerges149 you dance with tina.

@billyandloriweaver3448

Play this song at my daddy's funeral,Carter an bill stanley live n my home town,we talk daily,ralph is their uncle Carter is their daddy

@baseballfanatixx1

7y↑476

this song sends chills up my spine. one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs I have ever heard.

@crazychannel1478

5y↑9

My too brother

@howardlovecraft750

5y↑12

It's a good one.

@michaelradcliff3106

5y↑9

Try "Angel band". Oooh, it will get ya!

@johnrunion7258

5y↑19

I'm goin' back to those beautiful Eastern Tennessee mountains where I was born to be reunited with those I've lost.A quiet little place along Roseberry Creek,near the little town of Mascot.This beautiful bluegrass music used to play all day from a wood radio sitting atop an ammonia fridge.

@jackpuskar6439

4y↑11

High lonesome!

18 More Replies...

@Joshholbrook2024

2y↑28

Oh my! I have no words to try and explain to people that don’t listen to bluegrass how out of this world crazy good this is!

@jbrown1384

1y↑7

I have heard this song thousands of times, and never tire of it

@shannonburns6724

3y↑13

Some of the greatest meaning words ever uttered. God be with us.

@davidholton9667

2y↑1

So sorry for the infringe on your privacy. Beautiful song. Hello

@lewiefrazier1041

2y↑11

One of the best songs ever written.....

@accousticdecay

5y↑49

Haunting song that makes me sad, but I cannot stop listening. It is part of my life.

@kevinevans4273

2y↑8

I wish I could listen with my mother one more time

@3Bullets4Alice

3y↑22

There are few that equal the Stanley Brothers. This song is a classic example of the beauty of their talent.

@juliestinson8942

2y↑17

I have loved this song since I was a child. Thank you for playing it again.

@carolpicard3716

21w↑4

Love the Stanley brothers!

@jandeband

8y↑34

THE GOLD STANDARD OF BLUEGRASS GOSPEL MUSIC

@Christina-bk7yv

8y↑4

Truly one of my favorite songs of all time. RIP Ralph Stanley your voice truly hit a spot in my soul.

@adamszayden8330

Hello Christina

@jessehaines7720

2y↑14

This song makes me cry don't know why

@ronniechilds2002

1y↑2

Then in that case, you better not listen to 'Sweet Flowers Will Bloom' by Ralph. I sob every time I hear it.

@marcyfan-tz4wj

i know exactly why i weep when i hear this. it describes hell on earth.

@elwitchdoctor

34w

That’s how you know it’s real shit 💯

@ferdtergesin9927

6y↑77

This performance is a work of art.

@nealpomea2836

7y↑22

Some beautiful day I'll meet 'em in heaven, where no one will be a stranger to me.

Thank you Albert E. Brumley!

@elliehjemmet

3y↑4

I was just scrolling down here wondering who wrote this incredible song... one of my very favorites! Many thanks, indeed!

@shirleywhite8286

2y↑6

I love this song. So beautiful.

@RBnd-te6ez

Sure is

@rosamundackenthorpe8899

6y↑10

This is the best. Reminds me of my Great Grandparents. How I miss them. Some beautiful day I'll meet them in Heaven. God Bless Everyone

@tommywood343

4y↑5

I love this song it brings tears to my eyes. Ralph Stanley / brothers r one of the best bluegrass singers. R.I.P Mr Stanley 🎶😭

@karenray7925

5y↑25

The heart and spirit that were in the blue grass songs and music can never be replaced. I believe it touched the soul .

@joleenperez4996

2y↑18

Such authentic music! Being from the Ouachita Mountains on the Arkansas-Oklahoma line, this music sounds like home. This is what church music and “ singin’s” sounded like when I was a little girl ( and I’m only 43)…it’s a sound and an art that has, sadly, lost popularity
Brumley worked hard, and (even today)serves as a great example of what one can achieve—regardless of the small, rural area they may come from. I only wish more of the original Hartford Music Company had been preserved.

@jadefire2817

I relate to this so much! Arkansas gal here (Murfreesboro), and this really was what church sounded like when I was little. I know people poked fun at us, because we seemed like we were 30 years behind the times, but I SO loved singing harmony in choir and with groups. All those old-time tunes like "I Saw the Light", "Everybody Will Be Happy" , and "Just a Little Talk with Jesus" and so many more. What a precious heritage we had!

@Raider1961

2y↑4

I power walk 1hour a day and listen to this song 2 times every time because it has such a touching feeling to it and sends chills down my 61 yrs old back

@dancochrane617

36w↑2

It’s songs like this that makes me love bluegrass music and makes the world a better place for everyone

@michaelmetz9198

34w

Today is first time I listen to this song since I was a teen running from fishing spot to spot with my uncle Herb Jones...he's in heaven and today was the 3rd most horrible fishing days in my life and I'm done fishing for good I'm gonna was this day off me listening to it once more then never again..will never pick up my musky rod and bass poles ever again

@deanhoskins4844

7y↑1

Haven't heard this song my grand pap passed in 1988...thanks for the memories

@veronicasv7

1y↑2

Heard this song for the 1st time today. It's beautiful! 😭💔❤

@tima1929

6y↑76

@CapnPetros

3y↑4

Thanks for adding the lyrics. I heard the next to last line as "Some beautiful day I'll meet them in heaven."

@gustaveisler2849

1y↑1

Song poetry of heavenly beauty

@steveroberts8719

5y↑14

Stanley Brothers were awesome. The best old-timey band of all time! Rams forever.

@user-uk2cp8ol5d

14w

Hearts touching 💕 Thank God for these men of faith they sing from the hearts I my touch by these songs they never get old

@barbaralabry9026

4y↑1

My dad, who would be 100 if he had made it, was from Western Virginia. The Stanleys and Carter family's timeless music brings him close

@adamszayden8330

Hello Barbara

@richardpersoage8504

7y↑38

Thank Goodness, these treasured masters are captured on film

@bettyminard5828

6y↑2

Pure Gold Ralph and Carter, No one will ever come close to matching them... So glad we still have their music to enjoy,

@user-po2ql5tb6w

27w↑2

Me and mama used to listen to this all the tine

Now she is with jesus

@appledoreman

7y↑89

Bluegrass music doesn't get much better than this. What a great clip & thank you for posting.

@martydaniel3163

Hell yes I cheated

@looleescrogg3170

5y↑4

Bluegrass music is so amazing. Thank you for kind of music..gotta luv it!!!

@ruthdixon7807

49w↑6

the perfect mingling of Carter's emotional lead and Ralph's ethereal tenor.

@budahbaba7856

7y↑169

OMFW these guys were so good! People in our age do not understand how hard it is to get that kind of harmony.

@countrypaul

5y↑13

I do understand, Bub. Part of the magic is how effortless they make it seem.

@ronniefennell2335

Listen to bill monroe s version

@5291982

WHUTS HARD

@5291982

2y↑2

@@ronniefennell2335 you're not the boss of us.

@billmacaulay

@@ronniefennell2335 we,re happy enough with what we're listening to.

@sharonturner6480

1y↑1

My Daddy passed at 88 years old
He loved this song
All of us children grew up hearing this song
Mama passed first
I have 10 sibbing

@bradsparks6008

3y↑5

I do not care what music you are into.... this high lonesome bluegrass oldtime music is one of the best. Especially Ralph's tenor

@fullshark09

2y↑6

One of the most beautiful songs ever to be written on the english language.

@petercady698

5y↑224

"Perhaps the most dramatic moment in all the Stanley Brothers' hundreds of recordings occurs in the chorus of "Rank Strangers." After Carter sings the verse, Ralph enters with the words 'Everybody I met/ Seemed to be a rank stranger' in a voice that stabs like an icepick. He raised the tension in the Stanley Brothers' music to the nearly unbearable: singing above Carter's melody, he would hang on a dissonant note in anticipation of the chord that was about to arrive. Over time, these harmonies became wilder, more edgy and attention-getting - a separate drama that didn't cozy up to the melody but defied it before an ultimate reconciliation."

- David Gates, The New Yorker, Aug. 20-27, 2001

@jeaniestanley1250

3y↑3

Thank you, David Gates/Peter Cady.

@sartainja

3y↑2

I understand why David writes for The New Yorker and I try to come up with something clever for YouTube.

@michaelbarnett2527

2y↑4

David Gates: If I cant dazzle them with brilliance, I’ll baffle them with BS…

@jrcrawford4

Um.... yeah. Kinda sorta.

@jerryvan6709

2y↑2

... and I love every single second of it.

2 More Replies...

@avisswope6495

6y↑2

LOVE YOU RALPH YOUR MUSIC IS SOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!! RIP GOD BLESS YOU YOURE HOME NOW. PRAISE GOD

@ellestudio7182

5y↑4

Ĺove this song forever before and forever more. Thanks for posting this clip.

@vivarhodes7789

3y↑7

Love the Stanley brothers ❤👍

@LtDan8832

8y↑18

45 years listing to RALPH an love every minute of it RIP

@sherlenspankyhorn4680

5y↑1

That's cool Dale Jr88

@Jamanko45

2y↑5

A new definition of hell on Earth, with high lonesome harmony.

@robertprock3639

3y↑4

This is the music I grew up on and I'm love rock and roll I got my friends to listen to this and they loved it went to several bluegrass concerts and they were blown away because of the style of music in the picking

@alanoneill3065

19w↑1

A wonderful song and performance...evocative of a time gone by...a sad time

@chuckwagon5518

8y↑62

Any country that can produce music (and musicians) like this has got to be great!

@cedricdeering1729

4y↑4

The. Best

@stevenwalker2558

5y↑1

History folks that's what this is.There'll be no more it's our past.You can't have a future without a past.So those of you who gave this historic al band a thumbs down think about your parents and their parents yes your history...respect is good!!!

@kayeninetwo3585

9y↑93

Unbelievable. They were at their best in this period. Powerful Appalachian song.

@jeremyscorpio4170

39w↑1

8 years later I had to bring you back 😉

@kayeninetwo3585

39w↑1

@@jeremyscorpio4170 Thanks . I can't believe it was that long ago that I first saw this video. I come back and watch it all the time.

@jeremyscorpio4170

39w↑1

@@kayeninetwo3585 your welcome 😊

@jeremyscorpio4170

39w↑1

Time flies but bluegrass will never die ❤

@chitahigh-performanceopera8246

38w↑1

Maybe best music video ever, for many reasons. 4 talented angels. Flawless performance. Maybelle.

@tommedland1264

8y↑40

Thank you for posting Rank Stranger by Carter and Ralph. I have enjoyed listening to it over and over. I love Carter's style on the guitar. Great blue grass music! Margaret Medland

@mr.bluegrass9723

6y↑2

These three are the best ,no one can top them .RIP

@greenergonomics

2y↑5

This was one of my faves before I was saved

@TheGisele777

37w↑1

I feel the same way. Once loves ones and friends have passed, it doesn't feel like home. But I'll always be a coal miner's daughter from Eastern Kentucky and very proud of it.

@miked3883

7y↑5

Me and my buddy used to listen to this. Brings a tear to my eye. RIP Eric Neighbor

@jonathangude2504

7y↑12

This is the best version of this song. GREAT!!

@RoryVanucchi

2y↑7

It's a classic by two legends.. powerful music

@BeingRomans829ed

2y↑9

Ralph's voice.
Just does something to you.
If I could pick anything that represents everything deep and meaningful about bluegrass music, it would be the voice of Ralph Stanley.

@34Lisaann

2y↑5

I love there singing

@justinmays9680

7y↑7

This songs reminds me of my grandparents that are not here anymore wish them every day

@williamgailit2064

8y↑17

love this song can hear it over and over excellent song

@countrypaul

5y↑17

Quiet, intense, astounding. They make the creation of such an exquisite sound seem effortless.

@reggiemoses2508

1y↑13

Good music cannot be denied. This is powerful stuff.
I put it right next to Mahalia Jackson.
Gospel music that touches the soul.

@blueridger28

38w↑1

I grew up in the blue ridge mountains of NC, this one was and is a staple tune

@tomf429

13w↑1

“To a beautiful home by the bright Crystal Sea” - I actually saw this in the most vivid dream I ever had several years ago. I’ll never forget that dream. It’s just this side of Heaven.