Seven Long Years in State Prison
Channel: Stephen Griffith
Date: 2020-08-01

Day 138 of the American Songbag Stay-at-Home Series

Sandburg writes: "A convict tells what life has done to him. . . . During the international imbroglio known as  the Spanish-American War, I heard half of this song from a high private in the rear ranks; we went  to Puerto Rico and the oftener it rained between Guánica and Utuado, and the worse the mud and the higher the water in the pup tents at Adjuntas, the more Private Campbell sang "Sad, sad and lonely." . . . The other half of the song came to me at Denison College, Ohio, twenty-seven  years later.

The Traditional Ballad Index adds the following: "There is no doubt that this song has complex roots.

"Plus, of course, almost any version collected after 1924 may have been influenced by the Vernon Dalhart recording, which was certainly the first million-selling country side (exact numbers are uncertain, but sheet music sales exceeded one million, and at least two million discs were sold; some estimates put the total at 25 million or more!).

"The Dalhart version was copyrighted in 1924 by Dalhart in the name of Guy Massey, a cousin of the singer. At one point, Dalhart claimed Massey wrote the words and he himself the tune. On other occasions, Dalhart claimed the whole song. He also said at one point that it was public domain. Dalhart managed to collect author's royalties, though -- and gave very little to Massey." (RBW)