the stories behind American songs

A-B / C-F / G-L / M-P / Q-Z

songs about...
aging and death
Appalachia
Asian Americans
baseball
black and white
the Civil War
cowboys
environment
hobos
home
immigration
the land
love
mining
native Americans
outlaws
people
poverty
rivers
spirituality
trains
tunes
the West
women
work

aging and death
All Used Up
Gone, Gonna Rise Again
Old Buddy, Goodnight

Appalachia
Black Lung
Black Waters
Blueridge Mountain Refugees
Brookside Strike
Dark as a Dungeon
Hills of Home
The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore
Lawrence Jones
Paradise
Spinning Mills of Home

Asian Americans
Galveston Bay
Kiri's Piano
Manzanar

baseball
Take Me Out to the Ballgame

black and white
Amazing Grace
Backwater Blues
Black, Brown and White
Blind Willie McTell
Bourgeois Blues
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Go Down Old Hannah/No More Cane on the Brazos
Hell Hound on My Trail
Irma Jackson
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
Many Thousand Gone (No More Auction Block for Me)
Motherless Child
Only a Pawn in Their Game
Red, White and Black
Sunrise
We're Stolen and Sold from Africa

the Civil War
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Goin' Across the Mountain
Many Thousand Gone (No More Auction Block for Me)
The Vacant Chair

cowboys
Bob Fudge
Cowboy's Lament
Deep Water, Ice and Snow
Diamond Joe
The Freedom Song
The Gather
The Gift
Goodnight Loving Trail
Little Joe, the Wrangler
Old Buddy, Goodnight
The Old Chisholm Trail
The Old Double Diamond
The Railroad Corral
The Range of the Buffalo

environment
Black Waters
California Cottonfields
Dust Bowl Refugee
Dust Storm Disaster (The Great Dust Storm)
Paradise
Sailing Down My Dirty Stream
Something in the Rain

hobos
The Great American Bum
Old Buddy, Goodnight
Starlight on the Rails

home
Hills of Home
I'm on My Way back to the Old Home
Paradise
Spinning Mills of Home
Sunrise
The Telling Takes Me Home

immigration
Anna Olsen
Bessie and Me
By the Rio Grande
Crossing the Border
Dakota Land
Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill
Los Estados Unidos
Galveston Bay
Immigrant Eyes
Kiri's Piano
Manzanar
Mick Ryan's Lament
Pat Works on the Railway
Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee)

the land
Black Waters
Dry Land Farm
Dust Storm Disaster (The Great Dust Storm)
The Keweenaw Light
Paradise
River of the Big Canoes
Roll On Owyhee
Low Bridge, Everybody Down

love
Pretty Polly
Pretty Saro
Single Girl
Wagoner's Lad

mining
Days of 49
Black Lung
Black Waters
Blueridge Mountain Refugees
Brookside Strike
Dark as a Dungeon
The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore
The Miner’s Song
North Country Blues
Old Jerome
Paradise
7 Stacks of the Neversweat

native Americans
Ballad of Ira Hayes
Crow Fair
The Freedom Song
Henri LeBlanc
Mick Ryan's Lament
No, Not Columbus
Power in the Wind
Rebecca's Lament
Red, White and Black
White Woman's Clothes

outlaws
Jesse James
Tom Dooley

people
Ballad of Hollis Brown
Ballad of Ira Hayes
Bob Fudge
Blind Willie McTell
The Gift
Jesse James
Lawrence Jones
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll

poverty
All Used Up
Backwater Blues
Ballad of Hollis Brown
California Cottonfields
Dry Land Farm
Hunrgy Eyes
Planter's Bar

rivers
Big Water
Backwater Blues
Don't Ask What a River is For
The Grand Coulee Dam
Jackhammer John
River of the Big Canoes
Sailing Down My Dirty Stream
Sailing Down My Golden River

spirituality
Amazing Grace
The Church in the Wildwood
Gone, Gonna Rise Again
Simple Gifts

trains
Always a Train in My Dreams
The City of New Orleans
The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore

tunes
Garry Owen
Soldier’s Joy

the West
Bessie and Me
Bob Fudge
By the Rio Grande
Cold Missouri Waters
Cowboy's Lament
Dakota Land
Days of 49
Deep Water, Ice and Snow
Diamond Joe
Don't Ask What a River is For
Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill
Dry Land Farm
Dust Bowl Refugee
Dust Storm Disaster (The Great Dust Storm)
Los Estados Unidos
Garry Owen
The Gather
The Gift
Goodnight Loving Trail
The Grand Coulee Dam
Jackhammer John
Lost Herd
Ludlow Massacre
Mick Ryan's Lament
The Miner’s Song
Old Buddy, Goodnight
The Old Chisholm Trail
The Old Double Diamond
Old Jerome
Pastures of Plenty
Pat Works on the Railway
The Pecos Stream
Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee)
Power in the Wind
The Railroad Corral
The Range of the Buffalo
Roll On Owyhee
7 Stacks of the Neversweat
Something in the Rain
The Telling Takes Me Home
They're Tearing the Labor Camps Down
White Woman's Clothes
A Woman’s Life

women
Anna Olsen
Bessie and Me
Bread and Roses
Hunrgy Eyes
Irma Jackson
Kiri's Piano
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
Pretty Polly
Pretty Saro
Rebecca's Lament
Single Girl
White Woman's Clothes
A Woman’s Life

work
All Used Up
Aragon Mill
Black Lung
Black Waters
Blueridge Mountain Refugees
Bob Fudge
Boxes of Bobbins
Bread and Roses
Brookside Strike
Buddy, Won't You Roll Down the Line
California Cottonfields
Dakota Land
Dark as a Dungeon
Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill
Dry Land Farm
The Gather
Goodnight Loving Trail
Jackhammer John
John Henry
The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore
Lawrence Jones
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
Low Bridge, Everybody Down
Ludlow Massacre
The Miner’s Song
North Country Blues
Pastures of Plenty
The Pecos Stream
Paradise
Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee)
The Preacher and the Slave
River of the Big Canoes
Something in the Rain
Spinning Mills of Home
Step by Step
They're Tearing the Labor Camps Down
Which Side Are You On?
Winnsboro Cottonmill Blues
Youngstown

alphabetical order

All Used Up
Always a Train in My Dreams
Amazing Grace
Anna Olsen
Aragon Mill
Backwater Blues
Ballad of Hollis Brown
Ballad of Ira Hayes
Bessie and Me
Big Water
Black, Brown and White
Black Lung
Black Waters
Blind Willie McTell
Blueridge Mountain Refugees
Blue Wing
Bob Fudge
Bourgeois Blues
Boxes of Bobbins
Bread and Roses
Brookside Strike / Lawrence Jones
Buddy, Won't You Roll Down the Line
By the Rio Grande

California Cottonfields
The Church in the Wildwood
The City of New Orleans
Cold Missouri Waters
Cowboy's Lament
Crossing the Border
Crow Fair
Dakota Land
Dark as a Dungeon
Days of 49
Deep Water, Ice and Snow
Diamond Joe
Don't Ask What a River is For
Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill
Dry Land Farm
Dust Bowl Refugee
Dust Storm Disaster (The Great Dust Storm)
Los Estados Unidos
Follow the Drinking Gourd
The Freedom Song

Galveston Bay
Garry Owen
The Gather
The Gift
Go Down Old Hannah/No More Cane on the Brazos
Goin' Across the Mountain
Goodnight Loving Trail
Gone, Gonna Rise Again
The Grand Coulee Dam
The Great American Bum
Hell Hound on My Trail
Henri LeBlanc
Hills of Home
Hunrgy Eyes
Immigrant Eyes
I'm on My Way back to the Old Home
Irma Jackson
Jackhammer John
Jesse James
John Henry
The Keweenaw Light
Kiri's Piano
The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore
Lawrence Jones / Brookside Strike
Little Joe, the Wrangler
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
Lost Herd
Low Bridge, Everybody Down
Ludlow Massacre

Many Thousand Gone (No More Auction Block for Me)
Manzanar
Mick Ryan's Lament
The Miner’s Song
Motherless Child
No, Not Columbus
North Country Blues
Old Buddy, Goodnight
The Old Chisholm Trail
The Old Double Diamond
Old Jerome
Only a Pawn in Their Game
Pastures of Plenty
Pat Works on the Railway
The Pecos Stream
Paradise
Planter's Bar
Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee)
Power in the Wind
The Preacher and the Slave
Pretty Polly
Pretty Saro

The Railroad Corral
The Range of the Buffalo
Rebecca's Lament
Red, White and Black
River of the Big Canoes
Rolling Down to Old Maui
Roll On Owyhee
Sailing Down My Dirty Stream
Sailing Down My Golden River
7 Stacks of the Neversweat
Simple Gifts
Single Girl
Soldier’s Joy
Something in the Rain
Spinning Mills of Home
Starlight on the Rails
Step by Step
Sunrise
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
The Telling Takes Me Home
They're Tearing the Labor Camps Down
Tom Dooley
The Vacant Chair
Wagoner's Lad
We're Stolen and Sold from Africa
Which Side Are You On?
White Woman's Clothes
Winnsboro Cottonmill Blues
A Woman’s Life
Youngstown


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