Siren Song of Sorrow: A Lullaby Born of Loss
The year 2000 was a watershed moment for American roots music, all thanks to a film soundtrack that nobody expected to be a smash hit. The album for the Coen Brothers’ film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, became a cultural phenomenon, eventually peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earning the prestigious Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2002. It was a stunning achievement, and nestled among its collection of old-time country, bluegrass, and gospel was a haunting, ethereal track that captivated audiences: “Didn’t Leave Nobody But The Baby.” This song, a trio performance by three of the most revered voices in American music—Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch—is a stark, chilling lullaby that tells a deeply sorrowful story.
The film’s producer, T-Bone Burnett, sought to create an authentic soundscape for the Depression-era Mississippi setting, and he recruited a who’s who of traditional music artists to record before the film even began shooting. The song’s placement in the movie is perhaps its most memorable—it’s sung by the three “sirens” who lure the film’s protagonists, mirroring the Sirens of Homer’s The Odyssey, upon which the movie is loosely based. The song’s simple, repeating melody and its layered, otherworldly harmonies create an irresistible, hypnotic pull. It is a deceptively beautiful melody that carries a dark, unsettling meaning.
The roots of “Didn’t Leave Nobody But The Baby” are in traditional American folk and field hollers, specifically from the slavery era. The lyrics, with their seemingly innocent and repetitive verses, hide a profound sadness and sense of abandonment. The song is a lullaby, sung by a father to his baby. The story told is one of a broken family—”Your momma’s gone away and your daddy’s gonna stay.” Some interpretations of the lyrics are far darker, suggesting the mother has died or been sold away, while others see a father contemplating a desperate act in the face of abject poverty and despair. The line, “Come and lay your bones on the alabaster stones,” has often been interpreted as a reference to a final resting place, a stark and mournful conclusion to a life of hardship.
The beauty of this particular recording lies in the blending of these three legendary voices. The way they weave in and out of each other, creating a sound that feels both ancient and deeply personal, is what gives the track its enduring power. Alison Krauss’s clear, soaring soprano, Emmylou Harris’s rich, soulful harmonies, and Gillian Welch’s earthy, resonant alto come together to create a sound that is both comforting and unsettling, much like the lullaby itself. The song’s timeless quality and emotional depth made it a standout on an album full of them, a true testament to the power of traditional music to convey the most profound human emotions. It’s a song that speaks to the heart of loss and resilience, a stark and beautiful echo from a time long past.