So after watching the documentary last night called “High Lonesome”, I felt exactly like that. I will elaborate on this as well. So, growing up, I heard stories from my granddad about “the Good ol’ days”. He always talked about singing in the fields, singing in church on Sundays, and listening to the radio with the family every Friday night. He would tell me about going to barn dances, fiddler’s conventions, and about having the opportunity to go to the Grand Ole Opry to see Bill Monroe perform. Last night, I watched the documentary; it was the first time since I have started college that I truly felt homesick. Granted, I do not live that far from here, I still am not home everyday like I was. The songs Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, and some of the other musicians played in the documentary were some the I grew up listening to as a child. When Monroe played “Uncle Pen” last night, I can still remember sitting in the hay field, after the hay was baled, singing that song with my dad and granddad. When Monroe discussed his childhood as “work, school, church, huntin’, fishin’, and swimmin'” it reminded me of the stories my granddad used to tell about hunting grouse and “finishing feedin’ the hogs early” to go swim in the swimmin’ hole to escape the hot July sun.
The documentary hit a little too close to home and made me reminisces on the past. I remember playing pick up games of baseball, hanging out on the backs of trucks, and listening to the old banjos and guitars screaming at the old country . stores. You could never go to the old country stores and be back “in just a minute”. When you would go to town, you knew you had to have time on your hands because you would be stuck there for a couple of hours. Times have changed in the last ten or so years. The little country store my dad would take me to as a little six or seven year old has been shut down. My granddad doesn’t go to town as much since the old banjo and guitar pickers have all packed up and moved away. Some traditions will never end though. We still sing old songs out in the fields to remind us of what we have and to remember that we are not alone. This whole documentary simply reminded me of home every step of the way.