The late Nanci Griffith was quite possibly the greatest songwriter of her generation. She released so many critical acclaimed albums throughout her long career.
At the time of its release in 1989, Storms was not one of those albums. It was a huge departure for her stylistically - from country-folk to a more pop-folk sound, including this song, which ended up being one of the biggest personally recorded hits she had in her career (Bette Midler had a much bigger hit with one of her songs, and frankly, so did Kathy Mattea). Critics did not like her change in style, which didn't stick, but also, these were still great songs that told great stories.
And this song tells a fantastic story, and it does so beautifully.
And the lyrics are so poignant, even today, more than thirty years on. Few songs give me actual chills - but this one does.
"This will always be my, uh, my personal best favorite" - Nanci Griffith
"If we poison our children with hatredThen, the hard life is all that they'll know" - Nanci Griffith
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