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57basstra
Senior Member
Username: 57basstra

Post Number: 793
Registered: 4-2005
Posted on Friday, December 12, 2008 - 7:46 pm:   Edit Post

I know y'all know the term or phrase 'High Lonesome'; but do you know what it means? According to my favorite writer, Robert Penn Warren - the only writer to have won three Pulitzer Prizes, one for fiction, two for poetry - in his novel "All the King's Men" that won him the Pulitzer for fiction and was made into a movie that won the Oscar in 1947 for Movie of the Year (under the same name) High Lonesome is when you get off -- contemplate -- drink, drink, drink until you sleep, sleep, sleep. .... and you do it by yourself. Technically this is not a High Lonesome since I am posting Here. Anyway...as I said the reason for the HIgh Lonesome is that I am feeling pretty strange. The largest full moon in a blue moon and one of my good childhood friends will be buried tomorrow. We played in the high school (and elementary school band) together. He was first trumpet: I was bass tromobone.



Since joining the club, I secretly have always wanted to have my Alembic moniker on all the the main posts.

As I said in another post, bear with me guys -- as is with many of y'all, this is one of my primary social circles.



Oh Penn Warren was born and grew up on Guthrie, Ky., not far, not far away at all....

"Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us."
-- Jerry Garcia,
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 7253
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Friday, December 12, 2008 - 9:34 pm:   Edit Post

Sorry to hear of your friend's passing.

And yes, the moon is amazing tonight. I just got home from a gig, and while bringing the bass in, I stopped and looked up and just enjoyed the beauty.

I've always thought "high lonesome" was a bluegrass term, referring to those beautiful harmonies on those really sad and soulful tunes. In fact, I just checked to make sure and the second album by Old & In The Way is called That High Lonesome Sound.
3rd_ray
Intermediate Member
Username: 3rd_ray

Post Number: 148
Registered: 2-2008
Posted on Saturday, December 13, 2008 - 7:54 am:   Edit Post

My condolences David.

I noticed the full moon last night too. We had clear skies here in the Piedmont and I saw the moon when it was rising... it looks huge when it's on the horizon. Wish I had a camera on me at the time.

Mike

(Message edited by 3rd_ray on December 13, 2008)
57basstra
Senior Member
Username: 57basstra

Post Number: 795
Registered: 4-2005
Posted on Saturday, December 13, 2008 - 3:31 pm:   Edit Post

Thanks, guys.
57basstra
Senior Member
Username: 57basstra

Post Number: 796
Registered: 4-2005
Posted on Saturday, December 13, 2008 - 3:55 pm:   Edit Post

Excerpt from the poem "Blizzard's Function" from Collected Poems of Robert Penn Warren

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