Jacob’s Dream is based on a true story about two boys, Joseph, aged five, and George Cox , aged six, who were lost in the in the dense forest of Spruce Hollow, in the Allegheny Mountain region of Pennsylvania.
Two little boys lost in the wilderness of the Allegheny Front in April 1856 brought a thousand men from near and far to search the twisting hollows and steep ridges. For two desperate weeks, they hunted in vain until a man named Jacob Dibert had three dreams, in which he found them.
“The song itself pretty much tells the story except for the chorus, which we wrote trying to imagine what the boys would be thinking or doing to get out of their predicament. But, the song has its origin in a legend that comes from the area in Pennsylvania where Julie grew up. You can look it up online for a complete telling of the story.
The main thrust of the story is that two boys became separated from their parents early in the day in the spring of 1856. They were not found for two weeks after their disappearance, and it was a dream that a young farmer named Jacob Dibert had that led them to the place where they were discovered.
Several hundred men had searched in vain for the boys. Word was spread through church gatherings and newspapers about their disappearance, but, it was only after Jacob had his dreams that they were found. And, it was only Jacob and his wife’s brother who did the search, with many of the details of the dream reappearing as they looked for the boys. (a boy’s shoe, a dead deer and the tree under which they were found).
A very chilling and sad story, but one of hope, I think, if you believe in a life after death. A very spiritual song, I believe.”
Julie Lee shares her recollections of the story behind the song ….
“I grew up hearing the story and going to the monument where the children were found; as I did as a child, as my mother and grandmother before me. It’s between the small mountain towns of Pavia and Lovely, Pennsylvania.
I am distantly related to Jacob Dibert on my mother’s side, by marriage. So all my relatives up in this small area of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny mountains know this true story. Everyone in that area knows the story of The Lost Cox Children or The Lost Children of The Alleghenies.
You can buy the little homespun book about it at local shops and historical sites.
The boys lived in Lovely, but got lost in the woods and disoriented because back in 1856 there were few roads and no electric light or lamp posts. The woods were very thick and the rivers and creeks in spring would have been full and raging with melted snow and it was a sparsely populated mountain settlement of German and Dutch immigrants, ‘Pennsylvania Dutch’ is what they are called now.”
Country Gentlemen Music, admin by ICG (SESAC) / Solargrass Music, admin by Bug Music (BMI)
In the spring of 1856 with the snow still on the ground
Two little boys were lost in the mountains above the town
The father went out hunting the boys had stayed behind
While mother tended to her chores they wandered from her side
The two had gone to follow him and lost their way instead
By dusk the boys had not been found and fear had turned to dread
200 men had gathered there to comb the mountain side
The fires were built on the highest peak in hopes they’d see the light
Oh mommy and daddy why can’t you hear our cries
The day is almost over, soon it will be night
We’re so cold and hungry and our feet are tired and sore
We promise not to stray again from our cabin door
Now Jacob Dibert woke one night from a strange and erie dream
He saw a path between two hills near a dark and swollen stream
He told his wife he saw the boys huddled close beside a log
For two more nights the dream returned this vision sent from God
Oh mommy and daddy why can’t you hear our cries
The day is almost over, soon it will be night
We’re so cold and hungry and our feet are tired and sore
We promise not to stray again from our cabin door
a thousand men had searched in vain the west side of Bob’s creek
But Jacob’s wife knew of this place and said to travel east
With a guide to take him there, Jacob came upon the scene
And found the boys cold and still beneath the old birch tree
Oh mommy and daddy, look past the tears you cry
We’re both up in Heaven now, God is by our side
As you lay us down to rest in the presence of the Lord
Know that we will meet you here at Heaven’s door
Oh mommy and daddy, look past the tears you cry
We’re both up in Heaven now, God is by our side
And as you lay us down to rest in the presence of the Lord
Know that we will meet you here at Heaven’s door
The next installment of the Bluebird in the Bluegrass songwriter series will take place next Thursday, September 13, at the Bluebird Café in Nashville, TN.
The concept behind the series is to shine a spotlight on our bluegrass tunesmiths, while also raising money for the IBMA Trust Fund which supports musicians in need.
There will be two shows on the 13th that will feature well established bluegrass writers, as well as some newer “kids” on the block. It looks like each show is well balanced with writers who have had a good many cuts already, and those just now beginning to make their mark writing bluegrass. Bringing together these interesting combinations of bluegrass writing talent has been a focus of the Bluebird in the Bluegrass committee, chaired by Louisa Branscomb.
The first show is at 6:00 p.m. (CDT). Writers on the early show will include John Pennell, Mark Brinkman, Chris Stuart, and Becky Buller. This set is free and open to the public (though there is a nominal $7 food and drink minimum if you sit at the bar.)
A second show starts at 9:00 with songwriting legend Paul Craft, as well as Sierra Hull, Nora Jane Struthers, and Ron Block. Tickets are $10 for this show, and reservations can be made online (for either show).
This post is a contribution from David Morris, one of our 2010 IBMA correspondents. See his profile here.
The improvisation that is the hallmark of bluegrass is usually thought of in terms of instrument breaks, but at a workshop Tuesday at the World of Bluegrass conference in Nashville, Lisa Aschmann and John Pennell demonstrated it can apply to talking about the music as well.
Pennell, who invited a young fiddler named Alison Krauss to join his band Union Station some years ago, was a last-minute replacement for Mark Simos in a workshop that was originally billed as an effort to group-write a bluegrass song in 45 minutes. With Simos grounded by flight delays, Pennell and Aschmann switched gears and focused on pointers for developing the tension and release, harmonies and melodies that combine to make great songs.
While the focus was bluegrass, the pair of much-published songwriters injected an all-star cast of songwriters into the discussion, including Mozart, the Beatles, Leonard Bernstein, Bob Dylan and the ubiquitous Bill Monroe. But along with the heavyweight names, Aschmann and Pennell offered some basic advice, starting with an admonishment not to make the process or the result more complicated than it needs to be. “You don’t have to divulge the secrets of the universe in a song,” Pennell said.
While lyrics are the focus of many songwriting workshops, this pair of presenters put much of their focus on the melody. While the process of creating a melody can seem complicated to outsiders, Aschmann reminded the audience that there are really only six choices to get from one note to the next – go up a little or a lot, go down a little or a lot, hold the note or rest. And Pennell demonstrated on the guitar how the same melody can take on a different feel by changing the key and the instrumental approach.
First, he played and sang the Beatles Nowhere Man as it was written, in a minor key that gave it a pop feel familiar to several generations of listeners. Then he switched to a major key with a simplified I-IV-V chord progression played in a boom-chuck style and – voila – he was playing a countried-up version as recorded by Red Knuckles.
The group didn’t write a song in 45-minutes, as advertised, but under the idea that writing credits should go to all those “in the room” when the song was created, splitting the credits about 30 ways would have been more about math than music. But there were plenty of ideas from the publishing stars to leave at least one songwriter eager to get back to his music room to try some new tricks.
This post is part of our occasional feature, Songwriter Profiles. If you have a suggestion for a bluegrass songwriter we might want to consider, please contact us.
John Pennell started playing bluegrass in Arizona while he was in school at Arizona State University. He grew up surrounded by music. His father played upright bass – the instrument that John himself now plays – in square dance bands and his uncle played fiddle and guitar.
When he was about 12 years old he started playing trumpet and continued that through his high school years. He started playing guitar during his junior year in high school.
Pennell got more involved in bluegrass when he returned to Illinois for graduate school. Paul Zonn (Andrea’s father) invited him to play with them and they played a lot around the Champaign, Illinois area. Paul Zonn acquired a bass fiddle that Pennell played through the music school. While Pennell was a composition student at the University of Illinois he wrote songs for their little ensemble.
He met Alison Krauss during this period and the duo, along with Nelson Mandrell and John Gantz, started a band (Silver Rail). She was very good about wanting to do original material and Pennell was able to get a number of songs placed on her first Rounder album. This got him started as a songwriter.
He moved to Nashville in April 1996.
As a bluegrass performer Pennell has played with Chris Jones, Harley Allen and, currently, Charlie Sizemore, in addition to Alison Krauss.
When did you begin writing songs and why?
I started when I was about 20 (1970). I was doing solo gigs on guitar and wanted to include some songs that I had written. I’m a fan of the Beatles and I study their song writing all the time and it always inspires me. When I got into bluegrass, initially, I wrote songs that showed a lot of their influence as well as James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell. As I became more involved in bluegrass I started writing songs more specifically influenced by bluegrass or country. It’s an ongoing synthesis. The first songs I wrote were “acoustic” and more in the James Taylor, and Simon and Garfunkel thing, but they could be adapted to bluegrass.
Many of your songs have been recorded by Alison Krauss; who else has recorded your songs?
Alan Jackson (Meat and Potato Man, As Lovely As You), Eva Cassidy (If I Give My Heart), Jeff White, Chris Jones, The Infamous Stringdusters (Fork In The Road, I Wonder), Cadillac Sky (Blind Man Walking), Sam Bush (Riding That Bluegrass Train, The Wizard Of Oz, Bless His Heart), Gina Jeffries (Never Mine) Charlie Sizemore (Devil On A Plow).
Is there a particular art to writing songs for Alison Krauss?
Well, I think the songs have to come from some sort of genuine inspiration. And from that you get the elements she likes, i.e., good melodies, chord progressions and lyrical content. I try to take the approach I learned in music school, which was to search out a unique approach. The only difference is that I also wanted to make it accessible. The stuff I wrote for music composition classes was very inaccessible. Initially, I wrote songs with different chord progressions so that the melodies would always sound different and I tried to be a little adventurous in searching for the chord progressions I came up with. She can be very difficult to write for, but she has high standards, so when you get a song recorded by her you feel really good knowing she loved it. And her performance of it, well, enough said. Right?
Is there a song of yours which there is a background story?
Well, I suppose they all have a background story, to some extent, especially if it’s a broken heart song. But, a couple, Carry Me Across The Mountain, the basis of which was relayed to us by Hazel Dickens about a illness she had as a child and her mother’s determination to find a doctor in spite of her clans’ forbearance, and Jacob’s Dream (co-written with Julie Lee). The song itself pretty much tells the story except for the chorus, which we wrote trying to imagine what the boys would be thinking or doing to get out of their predicament. But, the song has its origin in a legend that comes from the area in Pennsylvania where Julie grew up. You can look it up online for a complete telling of the story; type in The Lost Children of The Alleghenies. The main thrust of the story is that two boys became separated from their parents early in the day in the spring of 1856. They were not found for two weeks after their disappearance and it was a dream that a man named Jacob Dibert had that led them to the place where they were discovered.
Several hundred men had searched in vain for the boys. Word was spread through church gatherings and newspapers about their disappearance, but, it was only after Jacob had his dreams that they were found. And, it was only Jacob and his wife’s brother who did the search, with many of the details of the dream reappearing as they looked for the boys. (a boy’s shoe, a dead deer and the tree under which they were found). A very chilling and sad story, but one of hope, I think, if you believe in a life after death. A very spiritual song, I believe.
Which of your songs give you the most satisfaction and why?
I dunno, different ones give me some satisfaction for different reasons. I guess as a songwriter, your always hoping to find the perfect blend of all the elements, i.e., melody, rhythm, harmony and lyrical continuity. And, you hope, a tight synthesis of all those elements. I like Every Time You Say Goodbye, Carry Me Across The Mountain and Jacob’s Dream for these reasons. But, I also like Dark Skies and Foolish Heart even though, technically, they are not perfect.
The most important thing to go for is to bring out the emotion of the idea you are writing about and that requires inspiration. Sometimes inspirational ideas overrule technique. I remember writing the chorus to Every Time You Say Goodbye. I played the song, as I had it written for Alison, over the phone. She loved it, but I said I didn’t like the bridge (some call it a chorus, but technically, it’s a bridge) and I’ll make it better. It just didn’t feel right. When I sat down the next day to work on it and it came in five minutes and I was very happy with it. It was the inside of the outside, if that makes sense. The verses were metaphors of rain and tears and arrows and coldness and the bridge was the internal emotional impact of those things, cause and effect, I guess.
Tell me about your own CD. Have songs from that CD been recorded by others?
I put this CD together towards the end of 1999. (guess I should think about doing another one) I had a bunch of really good demos that I had done myself with some great, great singers and musicians performing them, so, I thought, why not put out a CD of some of the ones you like the best, so, I did. It covers a wide range of styles that fall under the umbrella of country music; i.e. traditional country, somewhat progressive country, rockabilly, bluegrass, western swing, Nashville sound swing, country rock and so forth. My good friend and one of the best singer/songwriters I know, Harley Allen, sang a few of these for me. A couple were ones we wrote together, Devil On A Plow, and Half Mile Down The Road, and three that I wrote that he sang for me, very appreciative of that. Also, Mandy Barnette sang one, what an incredible voice, Kim Parent, one of my favorite singers ever, Jeff White, Jeff Allen (no relation to Harley) and Chris Jones; all are superb vocalists.
Several of these songs have been covered; Heartaches To Forget recorded by Chris Jones on Rebel Records, I Wonder by Jeff White on Rounder and The Infamous Stringdusters on Sugar Hill, Devil On A Plow by Charlie Sizemore on Rounder, Carry Me Across The Mountain by Dan Tyminski on Rounder, Half Mile Down The Road, by Troubled Waters, Lost And Found by Sally Jones on Pinecastle.
Your website indicates that Alecia Nugent, Sam Bush, and Gina Jeffries have recorded your songs, What are the respective titles?
Alecia recorded a song I co-wrote with Jerry Salley titled You’ve Still Got It, Gina recorded Never Mine (one of my favorite songs) co-written with Julie Lee and Sam has recorded three that he and I have co-written, Bless His Heart, Ridin’ That Bluegrass Train and The Wizard Of Oz.
The Wizard song is about St. Louis Cardinal shortstop Ozzie Smith. It was written to commemorate his induction into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 2002. Bob Dylan played it on his XM Radio Hour and the resulting sound track was packaged and given to the Hall Of Fame. Pete Rose may not be in the Hall but Sam and I are. Sam and I really appreciate Bob selecting and playing our song. He’s a big baseball fan (obviously). The resulting album is a very eclectic collection of songs having to do with baseball; a couple blues, a jazz instrumental by Sonny Rollins for Brooklyn Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe, a lament by Ry Cooder , a real diverse and socially challenging collection as you might expect from Bob Dylan.
Who else has recorded your songs?
Well, I think I’ve mentioned about everyone, but here’s a list; Alison Krauss, Alan Jackson, Eva Cassidy, Gina Jeffries, Sam Bush, Charlie Sizemore, Alecia Nugent, Chris Jones The Infamous Stringdusters, Jeremy Garrett, Chris Jones, Sally Jones, Dan Tyminski, Katie Penn, Cadillac Sky.
What inspires you to write? Do you write from 9-5 (office hours)?
That’s a difficult question to answer. I write or like to write when an idea either comes to me or is presented to me (by a co-writer) that just takes over and won’t let go ‚Äòtil it’s done. Sometimes you have to wait for the inspiration to come, sometimes it just hits you. No set plan, just keep your antenna up and follow the muse. I write when I’m inspired, which could be any time day or night and I write by appointment with co-writers.
With whom have you written songs and what are the songs in question?
Too numerous to mention. But some of my favorite co-writers are Harley Allen:(Meat And Potato Man, Devil On A Plow), Sam Bush: (Wizard Of Oz, Ridin’ That Bluegrass Train), Julie Lee (Jacob’s Dream, Never Mine), Jeff White (Carry Me Across The Mountain, I Wonder, End Of The Line) and Chris Jones (Fork In The Road, Heartaches To Forget).
Friends of Julie and John Pennell will be delighted by the news of the arrival of their first born, Eva Lauren Pennell, born on March 1, 2009, at 8:22 a.m. She weighed in at 6 lbs, 11.5 ozs. Mother and daughter are well.
John Pennell is a founder member of Union Station and the writer of many of the songs on the first album by Alison Krauss & Union Station. He is also noted for Devil On A Plow by Charlie Sizemore, Carry Me Across The Mountain by Dan Tyminski, The Wizard Of Oz by Sam Bush, Lost And Found by Sally Jones, and Jacob’s Dream, another Alison Krauss block-buster.
Wayne played banjo with Sizemore, and is featured on his recent CD, Good News, released in 2007. Pennell is a member of Sizemore’s band as well, and is a noted songwriter in his own right.
Here is his heartfelt eulogy to Wayne:
Wayne Fields (1952-2008)
This letter is not only for Wayne Fields, and his family, it is just as much for me and anyone who knew him – and had so much more they wished to have said to him while he was here.
Wayne Fields was my friend and I loved him as did everyone who knew him. He was, of course, an incredible banjo player and musician. Being in a band with him is one of the greatest musical experiences I have had. He had that rare ability to make you feel so good about being on stage with him that it seemed to make you a better player. I recall looking over at him on stage and he’d give me that nod and wink to let me know he was enjoying my playing. This just made me feel like a million dollars. He always told me how much he enjoyed playing with us and how much he was looking forward to our next show.
And this from someone who was suffering physically about as much as a person could. When we cut our album “Good News”, Wayne was just a few weeks removed from chemotherapy and he told us he could barely feel his fingertips. Well, listen to that album and tell me if you think his playing sounds like a person struggling with a life threatening disease. He was the consummate pro. He played flawlessly on that album and was the spark that made us all want to do and play better.
To his wife, Tina, and his children Scottie, Charles, Christina and Tiffany, we want to extend our deepest sympathies for your loss. As much as I or any of his friends will miss him, this doesn’t even begin to compare to the loss you must feel. He was so proud of all of you and spoke about each of you all the time. He loved music so much and he passed a long his great gift to each one of you.
I remember first meeting Wayne when I was playing with Alison back in the early days of Union Station. We played several gigs together with his band, Southern Blend. We couldn’t wait to hear them perform. They were a fantastic band that had all the elements of a great bluegrass band; exceptional singing, lead and harmonies, great timing and just an incredible, infectious “feel” that only a few bands ever achieve. When we heard them, we all said, let’s learn to play together like that. They we’re our friends, but also our mentors; we wanted to be like Wayne’s band.
Wayne, thank you for being our friend. Knowing you and playing with you was as good as it gets in this world. I know I speak for everyone in our band and for anyone else who knew you when I say how much we loved you and how much we will miss you. You left an incredible mark on all of us and anyone else who was fortunate enough to have known you.
