“So Long, It’s Been Good to Know Yuh” (originally titled “Dusty Old Dust” is a song by American folk musician Woody Guthrie first released in 1935, and part of his album Dust Bowl Ballads The composition is considered one of Guthrie’s best songs, defining his style, and demonstrating his “increasing comfort with writing topical songs about the poor and downtrodden”. The song was based on music used in Carson Robison’s “Ballad of Billy the Kid” of the 1930s, which Guthrie slightly modified, adding new lyrics. It is written in a 3/4 time signature and has four-part harmony. The composition tells about the hard times that Americans experienced during the Great Depression, especially the “harsh weather and drought conditions” experienced by farm workers in the Western United States. Guthrie himself had lived in the town of Pampa, Texas, and had witnessed the devastating Black Sunday dust storm of April 14, 1935. The repetitive chorus has been described as “a witty, black retort, utterly negative and apocalyptic”: “We talked of the end of the world, and then/We’d sing a song an’ then sing it again/We’d sit for an hour an’ not say a word/And then these words would be heard:/So long, it’s been good to know yuh. Guthrie also wrote a version of the song with alternate lyrics about serving in the Second World War.
Songs with Banjo from Harold Hagler
