My selection for today is the eighth song I’ve written about by the American country-folk singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith (1953-2021; please also see “So Long Ago” which I posted in September 2021, soon after her death, for a link that will take you to a series of earlier, interlinked posts on her music).
I always enjoy hearing songs of Griffith’s that I hadn’t heard before. With something like 18 studio albums, two live collections, and eight compilations, it’s no wonder I keep encountering new-to-me pieces. In today’s, she covers a composition by American country and folk singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker (1942-2020), “Morning Song for Sally.”
“As the morning light stretched in across my bed
I thought of you
Remembering your laughing eyes and all we said
I love you too
As all my thoughts of you pass ‘fore my face a thousand times
The way they race my heart I cannot say it all in lines
How the short time together lasts so long
Makes me strong
As two weeks came and went then you and I were gone
Living on
For it seems our love was destined to be caught in other nets
But the love we held so brief I’d chance again without regret
Yes, standing by the road has been my song before
Much too long
But now somehow I’m forced to see me there once more
And that’s the song
For my waking thoughts of you are but extensions of the dream
Without you here beside me
I’ll never know all that they mean”
“Morning Song for Sally,” by Jerry Jeff Walker.
Lyrics retrieved from AZLyrics.com.
Like “So Long Ago,” “Morning Song for Sally” is a poignant ballad about love that’s unrequited or doesn’t last, though there’s a strength in the words that indicate the singer will abide nonetheless and risk love again.
When I first heard the song on a random play several months ago, the soft musical intro and her gentle Texas drawl came through and told me who it was immediately. The second thought I had, as I always do when hearing something by Griffith, was the sad remembrance that she won’t be making any more new music.
“Morning Song for Sally” comes from Other Voices, Other Rooms (1993), her tenth studio album, the album through which my sweety introduced me to Griffith’s music, some years after the record’s release.
Now you know a little about why this is my Song of the Day for Today. Thanks for joining me here.
Please enjoy the audio from the Nanci Griffith YouTube topic channel:
With my best wishes,
Steve
Song of the Day for Today 
The first time I heard Nanci Griffith was with John Prine on the song, Speed of the Sound of Loneliness, though I didn’t know who it was at the time. It was only after she had passed and one of the stories I read about her spoke of this duet with John Prine, that I started looking for and listening to her music, however, I had not heard this song before but have now added it to my playlist.
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I tell much the same story in my post on “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness” (there’s a link to it in the album name in this post) — I had thought it was another singer accompanying her. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Stephen.
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So lovely.So feminine. Beautiful
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I don’t think I have ever heard a Nanci Griffith song I wasn’t enamoured with.
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I’ve never heard anything by Nanci Griffith but I really enjoyed this song and will be checking out more of her music. She has a very sweet voice.
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She was an amazing artist. On some songs she’d do a long spoken intro, like on “Love at the Five and Dime” (https://songoftheday.ca/2021/06/23/love-at-the-five-and-dime/)…. I love those. Do check back through the links to find the previous pieces of hers I’ve posted, and enjoy your own discovery as well! 😊
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A beautiful song. I didn’t know this one either. She was an amazing artist. I remember all the tributes when she died.
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Thank you for visiting and commenting, Merril. Lots of great memories of sharing Nanci’s music over the years. And yes, there were so many tributes… she was loved immensely throughout the world, and continues to be through her songs.
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You’re welcome, Steve.
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