In the Pines

Tell me where did you sleep last night?

According to the Alan Lomax, Lead Belly learned In the Pines from an interpretation of the 1917 version compiled by Cecil Sharp, and by a 1925 phonograph recording made by a folk collector. Even though Lead Belly's version is an interpretation of an old Appalachian song I was struck by the complete rawness and power of his playing and singing. The forest is often seen as a metaphorical realm of enchantment and terror. In this song, the depth of the woods seems to express forbidden sexuality, death and loneliness. It is a shadowy place, echoing the things we reject and suppress within ourselves.

In the pines, In the pines, Where the sun never shine

I shivered the whole night through. 

The sun, an ever-present symbol of truth and goodness is absent here. The shivering can be seen to speak of jealously driving you mad.
I found it very difficult to paint this week. I repeatedly tried to paint a figure into my mess of tangled trees, but the figure would never come and by scraping it away I destroyed my forest. Life definitely interrupted my art making when painting this, but through the frustration I found a way to connect with this song which I didn't expect.