"Going Down The Road Feeling Bad" (also known as the "Lonesome Road Blues") is a traditional American

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...

, "a white blues of universal appeal and uncertain origin".

Recording history

The song was recorded by many artists through the years. The first known recording is from 1923 by

Henry Whitter William Henry Whitter (April 6, 1892 – November 17, 1941) was an early old-time recording artist in the United States. He first performed as a solo singer, guitarist and harmonica player, and later in partnership with the fiddler G. B. Grayso ...

, an Appalachian singer, as "Lonesome Road Blues". The earliest versions of the lyrics are from the perspective of an inmate in prison with the refrain, "I'm down in that jail on my knees" and refer to eating "corn bread and beans." The song has been recorded by many artists such as

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Skeeter Davis Skeeter Davis (born Mary Frances Penick; December 30, 1931September 19, 2004) was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs including 1962's " The End of the World". She started out as part of the Davis S ...

Elizabeth Cotten Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten ( Nevills; January 5, 1893 – June 29, 1987) was an American folk and blues musician. She was a self-taught left-handed guitarist who played a guitar strung for a right-handed player, but played it upside down. This po ...

, and the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

, and the song is featured in ''

To Bonnie from Delaney ''To Bonnie from Delaney'' is the fourth album by Delaney & Bonnie and Friends. It was their first studio album for the Atco/Atlantic Records, Atlantic label (catalog no. SD 33-341), and their fourth album overall. Coincidentally, Atco/Atlantic's ...

'', "

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, ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize ...

'', and ''

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''. Others who recorded it include Cliff Carlisle (also as "Down In The Jail On My Knees"),

(also as "Blowin' Down This Road" or "I Ain't Gonna Be Treated This Way"),

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

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, Roy Hall,

and the

Delaney and Bonnie Delaney & Bonnie were an American duo of singer-songwriters Delaney Bramlett and Bonnie Bramlett. In 1969 and 1970, they fronted a rock/soul ensemble, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, whose members at different times included Duane Allman, Gregg Al ...

, and

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Lyrics and chords

Lyrics

There are many versions of the song's words. The following are the lyrics sung by Bill Monroe. They are nearly the same as in the 1933's version of Cliff Carlisle with string bass and harmonica. 1. I'm going down this road feeling bad
I'm going down this road feeling bad
I'm going down this road feeling bad, lord, lord
And I ain't a-gonna be treated this a-way
2. I'm down in the jailhouse on my knees
Down in the jailhouse on my knees
Down in the jailhouse on my knees, lord, lord
And I ain't a-gonna be treated this a-way
3. They feed me on corn bread and beans
They feed me on corn bread and beans
They feed me on corn bread and beans, lord, lord
And I ain't a-gonna be treated this a-way
4. Got two dollar shoes on my feet
Got two dollar shoes on my feet
Two dollar shoes they hurt my feet, lord, lord
And I ain't a-gonna be treated this a-way
5. It takes a ten dollar shoe to fit my foot
It takes a ten dollar shoe to fit my foot
It takes a ten dollar shoe to fit my foot, Great God
And I ain't a-gonna be treated this a-way
6. I'm going where the weather fits my clothes
I'm going where the weather fits my clothes
I'm going where the weather fits my clothes, lord lord
And I ain't a-gonna be treated this a-way
The following are the lyrics as performed by The Grateful Dead: Goin' down the road feelin' bad.
Goin' down the road feelin' bad.
Goin' down the road feelin' bad.
I don't want to be treated this away. Goin' where the climate suits my clothes.
Goin' where the climate suits my clothes.
Goin' where the climate suits my clothes.
I don't want to be treated this away. Goin' down the road feelin' bad.
Goin' down the road feelin' bad.
Goin' down the road feelin' bad.
I don't want to be treated this away. Goin' where the water tastes like wine.
Goin' where the water tastes like wine.
This here water tastes like turpentine.
I don't want to be treated this away. Goin' down the road feelin' bad.
Goin' down the road feelin' bad.
Goin' down the road feelin' bad.
I don't want to be treated this away. Goin' where the chilly winds don't blow.
Goin' where the chilly winds don't blow.
Goin' where those chilly winds don't blow.
I don't want to be treated this away.

Notable covers and mentions

Two lines of this song are quoted verbatim in the song

Everybody's Talkin' "Everybody's Talkin (Echoes)" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Fred Neil in 1966 and released two years later. A version of the song performed by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson became a hit in 1969, reachin ...

, written by

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and popularized by

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...

Goin' where the chilly winds don't blow
Going where the weather suits my clothes

Skeeter Davis version

American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

artist,

, notably covered the track under the title "Goin' Down the Road (Feelin' Bad)". At the time of its recording, Davis had reached her commercial peak recording

country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...

crossover singles, most significantly with 1963's " The End of the World". Davis took a more traditional approach to recording for her 1966 album ''My Heart's in the Country'', which included "Goin' Down the Road (Feelin' Bad)". The track was cut at the RCA Victor Studios located in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

in June 1966. The session was produced by

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music s ...

. Davis herself was credited on the single's release for arranging the song's recording. "Goin' Down the Road (Feelin' Bad)" was released as a single by RCA Victor in September 1966. The song peaked at number 36 on the American ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart in late 1966. It was her first top 40 entry on the chart as a solo artist since mid 1965. The song was included on Davis's 1966 studio album called ''My Heart's in the Country''. ;Track listing (7" vinyl single) * "Goin' Down the Road (Feelin' Bad)" – 2:02 * "I Can't Stand the Sight of You" – 2:23 ;Chart performance

References

External links

* https://www.lyrics.land/goin'-where-the-weather-suits-my-clothes-lyrics

Sources

* Waltz, Robert B; David G. Engle.
Going Down This Road Feeling Bad
. ''The Traditional Ballad Index: An Annotated Bibliography of the Folk Songs of the English-Speaking World''. Hosted b
California State University, Fresno, Folklore
2007. *
Bluegrass Lyrics
for the song's words

for the guitar chords {{Skeeter Davis 1964 singles Bluegrass songs Appalachian folk songs Songs about roads Songs about prison Public domain music RCA Victor singles Skeeter Davis songs Song recordings produced by Chet Atkins