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)
My Long Skinny Lanky Sarah Jane
The Stanley Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a town that I love dear
There's a lady that's got me on a string
She's the worst you ever saw
She nearly broke my jaw
She made me carry my left arm in a sling.
She's my darlin, my daisy
Humpbacked, box-ankled and she's lame
Oh, her nose is like a cork,
She's the terror of New York
My long, skinny, lanky Sarah Jane.
Oh Jane, my good old Jane,
Won't you come back to yer bonehead once again
Oh, they say she's mighty nice
but her armpits smell like spice
She's my long, skinny, lanky Sarah Jane.
Oh she promised to meet me in stockyard 17
Down at the stockyards, just three miles out of town
Our pigsfeet, and pigs ear, and tough old Texas steer
And sell all the steaks for 14 cents a pound
She's my darlin, my daisy, she's my peaches ----
Humpbacked, bowlegged and she's lame
For they say her teeth are false, for they rattle when she walks
She's my long, skinny, lanky Sarah Jane.
Oh Jane, my good old Jane,
Won't you come back to yer bonehead once again
Oh, they say her breath is sweet
but I'd rather smell her feet
She's my long, skinny, lanky Sarah Jane.
The Stanley Brothers' song "My Long Skinny Lanky Sarah Jane" tells the story of a man who is infatuated with a woman named Sarah Jane, despite her many physical flaws. The song begins with the man describing Sarah Jane as someone who has him "on a string," suggesting that she has some sort of hold over him. He then goes on to list her physical imperfections, including her knock-knees, lazy demeanor, humpback, box ankles, and lameness. He even claims that she nearly broke his jaw.
Despite all of these flaws, the man can't help but love Sarah Jane. He refers to her as his "darlin" and his "daisy," and insists that she is the "terror of New York." He even makes plans to meet her at the stockyards and sell pigs feet and Texas steaks for 14 cents a pound. The song ends with the man professing his love for Sarah Jane, even though he admits that her breath is not very sweet and her armpits smell like spice.
The song is a humorous take on the idea of love and infatuation, particularly when it comes to physical attraction. It pokes fun at the idea that love can sometimes be blind, and that people can fall in love with others despite their flaws. Despite the fact that Sarah Jane is described as having numerous physical imperfections, the man in the song is still madly in love with her.
Line by Line Meaning
Not too many miles from here
The person is speaking about a place that is not far away.
In a town that I love dear
The singer is referring to a place they hold dear to their heart.
There's a lady that's got me on a string
The singer is referring to a woman who has some control over them.
She's the worst you ever saw
The woman is not attractive at all according to the singer.
She nearly broke my jaw
The person had a physical altercation or disagreement with the woman.
She made me carry my left arm in a sling.
The woman caused physical harm to the singer, making them carry their arm in a sling.
She's my darlin, my daisy
Despite the negative things said, the singer still has affection for the woman.
She's knock-kneed, she's lazy
The woman is not physically fit according to the artist.
Humpbacked, box-ankled and she's lame
The singer is stating the woman has physical deformities and is handicapped.
Oh, her nose is like a cork,
The woman's nose is being compared to the shape of a cork.
She's the terror of New York
The woman seems to be talked about and feared in the area of New York.
My long, skinny, lanky Sarah Jane.
This is the chorus and the name of the woman they are singing about.
Oh Jane, my good old Jane,
The singer is addressing the woman they are singing about.
Won't you come back to yer bonehead once again
The singer is asking the woman to come back to them.
Oh, they say she's mighty nice
Other people talk about the woman in a positive light.
but her armpits smell like spice
The artist points out a negative physical attribute of the woman.
She's my long, skinny, lanky Sarah Jane.
This is the chorus repeated again.
Oh she promised to meet me in stockyard 17
The woman apparently promised to meet the singer at a specific location.
Down at the stockyards, just three miles out of town
The stockyards are a location not far from the town being referred to.
Our pigsfeet, and pigs ear, and tough old Texas steer
The artist is discussing the type of animal products that will be sold at the location.
And sell all the steaks for 14 cents a pound
The artist is indicating that the products will be sold at a low price.
She's my darlin, my daisy, she's my peaches ----
The artist is once again reminding the listener that they are still fond of the woman.
Humpbacked, bowlegged and she's lame
The singer once again points out physical deformities of the woman.
For they say her teeth are false, for they rattle when she walks
The woman potentially has fake teeth which make a noise when she walks.
She's my long, skinny, lanky Sarah Jane.
This is the chorus repeated for the third time.
Oh Jane, my good old Jane,
The singer is addressing the woman once more.
Won't you come back to yer bonehead once again
The singer is asking the woman to come back to them again.
Oh, they say her breath is sweet
People say the woman has fresh breath.
but I'd rather smell her feet
The artist would rather smell the woman's feet than her breath.
She's my long, skinny, lanky Sarah Jane.
This is the chorus repeated for the final line of the song.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RALPH (USA 1 STANLEY, RALPH (USA 1) STANLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind