Welcome to the song of the day, where we feature a single track, whether its brand new or older than us, overlooked or overplayed, our favorite or no one’s favorite; as long as its interesting, it can be the song of the day.
In 2000, Wilco and Billy Bragg collaborated together on a second collection of recordings featuring previously unsung Woody Guthrie lyrics. Today’s song is one of the standouts from Mermaid Avenue Vol. II. According to the liner notes, Guthrie wrote these lyrics in 1944, which were put to music here by Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett. Bennett joined Wilco in 1994, although he did not play on their 1995 debut, AM. He was with the band through its next three albums, and left following 2001’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
The Mermaid Avenue projects were spearheaded by Guthrie’s daughter, Nora, and featured songs sung and co-written by British musician Billy Bragg.
I learned the reason why man must work and how to dream big dreams
To conquer time and space and fight the rivers and the seas
I stand here filled with my emptiness now and look at city and land
And I know why farms and cities are built by hot, warm, nervous hands