PG-43: Music
9. The Ghost of Mr. Bill
(PG-43)
Bill Monroe, the "Father" of Bluegrass Music, was from Rosine, KY, a tiny community in Ohio County. The Monroe Foundation began efforts to renovate and preserve the old Monroe family homeplace and presented the fruits of their efforts on a hot August afternoon in 2001. Any born and bred Kentucky boy who had read Richard D. Smith's book, Can't You Hear Me Calling, and then witnessed the unveiling of the old homeplace, would probably have been inspired to write a song about that surreal experience as well. It's our Kentucky Bluegrass heritage hearing the Ghost of Mr. Bill.
LYRICS
The very first time I set foot in Rosine
Sweet sounds of music kissed my ear
No Bluegrass Boys were anywhere to be seen
Who's playing that mandolin I hear
Do I hear music on Jerusalem Ridge
High lonesome singing from the hill
Could it be my Kentucky Bluegrass heritage
Hearing the ghost of Mr. Bill
I made my way up through the woods above town
Tracking the sounds of Jenny Lynn
A running red fox was all that I found
Who's sawing that fiddle like Uncle Pen
Do I hear music on Jerusalem Ridge
High lonesome singing from the hill
Could it be my Kentucky Bluegrass heritage
Hearing the ghost of Mr. Bill
Then through the forest the old home place appeared
And I could hear the banjo strum
Now the mystery was suddenly clear
If we re-build it they will come
Do I hear music on Jerusalem Ridge
High lonesome singing from the hill
Could it be my Kentucky Bluegrass heritage
Hearing the ghost of Mr. Bill
Copyright © Sept 2001 Financial Guidance, Inc. 331 West Dixie Ave Elizabethtown, KY
Words and music: T. Michael Jones; Lead vocals and acoustic guitar: T. Michael Jones; Baritone vocals and upright bass: Kenny Jones; Tenor vocals: Chad Jones; Mandolin and Fiddle: Hoot Hester; 5-string banjo: Billy Edlin; Engineer: Bob Angello; Production: T.Michael Jones & Bob Angello.