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The Story of "Man of Constant Sorrow"

clawhammer banjo story of a song Nov 08, 2026

"Man of Constant Sorrow" is more than 110 years old, and nobody knows for sure who wrote it. It began with a blind fiddler in Kentucky, passed through the Stanley Brothers and Bob Dylan, and became a hit all over again in 2000, thanks to one of my favorite movies by the Coen brothers. Here's the story.

Where Did "Man of Constant Sorrow" Come From?

The earliest version we know of comes from Dick Burnett, a fiddler from Monticello, Kentucky. In 1913 he printed it as "Farewell Song" in a little songbook of six songs.¹ Burnett had lost his sight in 1907, and the song's second verse was about his blindness.

Did he write it? Even Burnett wasn't sure. Asked about it late in life, he said, "I think I got the ballad from somebody – I dunno. It may be my song."¹

The first record came in 1928, when Emry Arthur cut "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow." That's the title that stuck. And the banjo player on that record? The great Dock Boggs.¹

How the Stanley Brothers Made It a Bluegrass Standard

Carter and Ralph Stanley learned the song from their father, Lee, who sang it unaccompanied, the old Primitive Baptist way. On November 3, 1950, the Stanley Brothers recorded it for Columbia in Nashville, with Ralph singing it alone from start to finish.²

That recording turned an old mountain song into a bluegrass standard. In 2020 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.² Ralph said he was "proud to be the one that brought that song back."¹

Here's that 1950 recording:

Bob Dylan and the Folk Revival

In the 1960s, folk singers picked it up. Joan Baez and Judy Collins sang it as a woman's song, "Maid" or "Girl of Constant Sorrow." Bob Dylan put it on his very first album in 1962, and Rod Stewart and Waylon Jennings recorded it too.¹

Almost everyone changed the lyrics a little. Dylan swapped Kentucky for Colorado. Singers have been moving the song to their own home state ever since.¹

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Then came 2000 and the Coen brothers' movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? In the film, George Clooney's character and his fellow escaped convicts record the song as "The Soggy Bottom Boys" and accidentally become radio stars.

Clooney didn't actually sing it. The voice is Dan Tyminski of Alison Krauss and Union Station. As Tyminski tells it, Clooney's suggestion was simple: "I'll act, you sing."³

The soundtrack sold more than 8 million copies and won the Grammy for Album of the Year. The song won a Grammy of its own and was named Single of the Year at the 2001 CMA Awards.³⁴ A mountain song nearly 90 years old was suddenly everywhere.

And here's the version from the movie:

A Few More Fun Facts

Who owns it? Carter Stanley copyrighted the song in 1951, because neither Burnett nor Arthur ever had.¹ The film's producer, T Bone Burnett, said there are about 50 copyrights for it at the Library of Congress.³
A banjo player's song from day one. Dock Boggs played on the very first recording, and Ralph Stanley was one of the great banjo players of all time.
Dan Tyminski's other hit. Years later he sang Avicii's "Hey Brother," which has passed a billion streams on Spotify.⁵

Playing "Man of Constant Sorrow" on Banjo

Here's the good news: for all its history, it's a simple song to play. It uses just three chords, the 1, the 4 and the 5 (G, C and D in the key of G). It's one of the 220 songs in our count of bluegrass songs that use only three chords.

We teach it in our Clawhammer Beginner Songs course. If you're still deciding which style is for you, start with Will You Learn Bluegrass or Clawhammer Banjo? Ralph Stanley played clawhammer too, on a resonator banjo, which we talk about in The Open-Back Banjo vs. Resonator Debate.

Start with a free song: the free Banjo Mountain app has a first-song lesson for both styles, "Ground Hog" for clawhammer and "Tom Dooley" for bluegrass, plus a practice timer, tuner and metronome.

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Quick Answers

Who wrote "Man of Constant Sorrow"?

No one knows for sure. The earliest known version was published in 1913 by Dick Burnett, a blind Kentucky fiddler, and even he wasn't certain it was his.

Who sang "Man of Constant Sorrow" in O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Dan Tyminski of Alison Krauss and Union Station. George Clooney lip-synced it on screen.

Is "Man of Constant Sorrow" hard to play on banjo?

No. It uses only three chords, the 1, the 4 and the 5, which makes it a good beginner song.

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Every great song starts with a first song. Download the free Banjo Mountain app for free first-song lessons in both styles, a practice timer that keeps your streak going, and a tuner and metronome.