Freight Train Elizabeth Cotton

By Elizabeth Cotton who wrote it

[@HazelTheHare]

This video is from 1985. She was born in 1893. Making her 92 years old at the time of recording. Absolutely incredible.

[@Dayman667]

92 and she runs circles around me on guitar.

[@MrBryanconner]

The GOAT. God Bless her no doubt.

[@zapa1pnt]

@@Dayman667 Yeah. Now flip your, right handed, guitar over and play it left handed. 😁🤣🤣

[@familydinner1]

Hope she’s doing well!

[@lanadelreyfanforever]

Woahh thanks for the info

[@Taco2610]

She was 12 when she wrote this song & here she is 80 years later, Amazing Lady

[@mrjon75]

Most great art is created by the young, and if they're lucky they can continue to recreate it as is done here.

[@capestreasuresPtown]

Sweet bajebus, really!?

[@eclark9965]

@@mrjon75 this is great art?\

[@rahawa774]

And she wrote it too?! Ah.. this is so lovely 🥰

[@turin2]

Imagine she stole it off someone even earlier than her.... Great song tbf - shes a legend

[@pintjmartens]

There are literally birds singing in the backgroud to this unbelievably emotional song. I've shed tears, I've pulled out my guitar just to try to recreate that perfectly placed bend, and I called my grandma immediately to tell her I love her while I still can.

[@gorgiG]

its a nice bend when mastered for sure

[@jadecalamityjadis4263]

i'm glad you called your gramma

[@db6006]

She’s playing a right handed guitar upside down! Not strung for a lefty, playing chords in a totally original way. Amazing!

[@thetwiceapostle6175]

It might be that the video is flipped, but yes, I was wondering that too

[@IvoryLoaf]

@@thetwiceapostle6175 nope! She learned to play upside down and backwards! Back in elementary we actually learned about her :)

[@williamhoward77wh]

So did Hendrix

[@db6006]

@@williamhoward77wh Hendrix strung his upside down. He didn’t play it strung for a right hander.

[@vrajananda]

@@IvoryLoaf You share the same guitar right hand?

[@shaunsmith2185]

The finger dexterity at that age is incredible. She is an inspiration.

[@skylark1848]

After 60 old people get a surge of high energy. Particularly after menopause, women especially. That's why they need the right nutrients in their diet. ie calcium & magnesium through sesame seeds and methi in . And a high fibre diet. We have not been honouring our human body and its higher potential.

[@jerryabrowne]

@@skylark1848: Not to mention playing it upside-down.

[@lewiefrazier1041]

She plays every day . Keeps her fingers loose

[@jerryabrowne]

@@lewiefrazier1041: Every day? She died in 1987.

[@joe6744]

i just said to myself, i hooe i can still hold my guitar at her age, let alone play it…i agree she is an inspiration..

[@ilikefoodx20]

i always get goosebumps when she does that bend. R.I.P

[@tepidtooth8539]

Congratulations to Elizabeth being acknowledged by and inducted into the Rock Hall!

[@susanyoung1600]

I've read the comments below and I'm in tears, too. I think it's because yet another part of Americana has passed into history. When I was a kid (I'm almost 70) I loved listening to old people tell their stories. The country is in such turmoil and this has a grounding effect on me. Roots. Bittersweet roots. It's very sad what we're loosing. I wish I could have met her. God bless black America.

[@ManicMindTrick]

We are all but etchings drawn in the sand disappearing with the next wave. We have only the tiniest bit of our history captured in its crudest form. All the things we take for granted, what we eat, what we wear, how we live, almost all music and all our culture, how we loved, how we strived and struggled, all will be forgotten when the unforgiving wave of time comes rolling by. Some day we will be those people in black and white pictures that are long dead and forgotten. Those people were just like us, just as alive, just as sure their reality and world would be remembered because they lived it. Only tiny fragments from the past like this song will truly take us back and make us experience how it really was all those years ago. Music is a blessing like that.

[@mtnman6557]

@@ManicMindTrick Interesting viewpoint; kinda' parallels Hendrix's Castles Made Of Sand doesn't it?

[@cliftongaither6642]

well said. thank you😊

[@ehmorris3]

Makes me wonder how many geniuses we'll never know about...

[@toussantlbisso]

Are you familiar with Sunny War ? She does this style picking ! And she's not 30 I don't think.

[@kimberlyisherwood4564]

♥♥♥

[@spaghettiwesternLUVA]

@@toussantlbisso thank you =] gunna watch next... hope you find a song you enjoy by "civil wars" folk ish style and "Johnny Moon" from heart the band with barricuda and crazy on you

[@malibudolphin3109]

How many of the 10s millions murdered in the womb just in USA, could of brought JOY into this sad world if they had been allowed The Right to Life which is a constitutional Right for all the innocence of the land Their heart was formed and beating by day 18, without commenting a crime they were given the death penalty, literally ripped apart...yet murderers & rapist receive shelter, medical, food, lawyers, etc, on rare occasion of death penalty - goodbyes, meal of choose, medical exam to make sure their fit to die 😤 What a wonderful world it Could be If we loved the innocence We have robbed ourselves of much talent & peace by fearing & rejecting the next generation

[@elizabethlinsay9193]

Thousands, at least.

[@intercat4907]

She sang this for me in 1977. The smile this puts on my face makes me feel young again.

[@belle2154]

Intercat lucky duck❤️

[@aaronmuller6050]

Wow...that's amazing

[@sorecererlloco4744]

Sure she did

[@Plaincitizenjane]

@ Bryan Cruz - you bet she did! I saw her sing AND play this at the Extempore' Coffee house late 70s so, she was still touring.

[@erinkelley1943]

Is it strange I was #222 to like this comment and my Birthday is 11-22-77? I have a thing for numbers and I would have loved to have witnessed a performance.

[@tasscat]

This blew me away! hang on, she's 92...she wrote this classic song at 12...and her playing is amazing, such nimble fingers, truly great woman, who nobody has heard of.

[@azillliasmith2734]

This lady is world famous revered and loved as a great talent ❤.......who you have never heard of you mean 😊.....

[@moorooster223]

true but many people have heard of her she's one of the most famous blues musicians of all time

[@OurEnemyScalion]

@@moorooster223she’s famous amongst people who are in-the-know on blues and folk, and depending on where you are in the world and/or your generation you may find yourself pretty damn alone in all this

[@moorooster223]

@@OurEnemyScalion fair point yeah. I grew up in the south and my family liked her. and I spend most of my time in life on the internet. I guess if someone was from somewhere else and didn't have online communities they might not know anyone who knows of her or other famous artists.

[@derekwhitney1016]

Just proves that the blues never leaves your soul. Such clean and even finger work at that age is a true talent. It would have been something to see her play when she was in her younger years.

[@TonyDonnelly-ajd15]

I believe there is videos of libba cotton playing back in her younger days on KZbin.

[@SeabassFishbrains]

She was my guitar teacher's guitar teacher. My guitar teacher always insisted on teaching this song to all of her students because none of the people covering this song played it the same way Libba did, but my teacher learned it directly from Libba, so she made a point of passing it on to all of her students along with stories from Libba's life.

[@MrsGrumbles_]

And that's how a legend lives on.

[@agirlfriendfreeboy3245]

Post a tutorial

[@thy_apostle]

Yes! I agree with @LookCrazyRideFreight post a tutorial please

[@gilbertobispo8366]

Please post the tab or a tutorial, thanks

[@matthewhughes-holland6297]

Why don't you post it then?

[@mkworkman]

Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten (January 5, 1893 - June 29, 1987) was an American blues and folk musician, singer, and songwriter. A self-taught left-handed guitarist, Cotten developed her own original style. Her approach involved using a right-handed guitar (usually in standard tuning), not re-strung for left-handed playing, essentially, holding a right-handed guitar upside down. This position required her to play the bass lines with her fingers and the melody with her thumb. Her signature alternating bass style has become known as "Cotten picking."

[@brucewalks]

and what else is cool is that she was the maid for the seeger family and heard mike and peggy singing this and or listening to her record and she shocked them when she said that was her song. mike was part of friends of old time music and brought her to nyc for concert, and probably to colleges too. i saw her in 1960 or 61 or so. she was a national treasure and her spirit lives on with us. that was the first finger picking i did, reading the notes in a sing out magazine, way back when

[@Gr8Layks]

Tannen Holt He contributed more with his comment than you did with yours, you genius.

[@janicekuehrmann9184]

that was my first fingerpicking song I learned too...I was about 10, my Mom was a guitar teacher.....

[@115bros7]

Gotta love Wikipedia. Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten (née Nevills) (January 5, 1893 - June 29, 1987)[1] was an American blues and folk musician, singer, and songwriter. A self-taught left-handed guitarist, Cotten developed her own original style. She played a guitar strung for a right-handed player, but played it upside down, as she was left-handed.[2] This position required her to play the bass lines with her fingers and the melody with her thumb. Her signature alternating bass style has become known as "Cotten picking".

[@n00bie96]

_Cotton picking_ OML

[@dontpaniciceland]

Everyone here should look up "Cotton Pickin'" by Bill Staines, my father, which he wrote as a tribute to this fine lady, and it uses the same chord structure. I played on that recording, too. Bill died last weekend. I miss you, Dad. Thank you so much for sharing your joy of music with the rest of us.

[@aniquinstark4347]

Your dad had a great voice and style. RIP

[@brainstorm4207]

God Bless you and your family

[@asherlayton8420]

God bless you and your pop 🙏

[@agiannetto]

Thank you for sharing. This nostalgic memory made my heart smile a bit with the thought of sadness of lost knowledge, talent and tradition.

[@koontzman123]

Cool, just went and listened. Great song... and he also plays left strung right.

[@judyperilstein9752]

We had a folk club at my college in the early 70’s and had many musicians come, one of them Libba Cotten...we felt as if folk royalty was in our midst and our scruffy selves treated her with the most awe and kindness and respect. She was sweet and fragile, and we all went out of our way to make sure she well cared for...my roommate and I lent her our room! That was my claim to fame for years! We all knew how to play Freight Train back on the day! Rest In Peace, dear Libba🎶❤️

[@jperry060]

It's true many knew to play this song back in the day. It is not that hard to make it work--the song is good even with beginners, but this version is extraordinary, Thank you Judy for the memory. I hope you are picking on today.

[@marcosbryant865]

So perfect, so simple, so beautiful and sad at the same time have always loved her style of music This is sensational What do you admire most about her?

[@judyperilstein9752]

I admired her love of performing and sharing her own style of her own music with audiences who loved her back. She knew her music was appreciated and being shared. Her “Cotten Picken” finger style was easily taught from one person to another. She played left handed upside down guitar and was self taught. She embodied a pure joy of music making.

[@marcosbryant865]

@@judyperilstein9752 that's so beautiful for you to say She's really good at what she does I admire her a lot, at her age she still manages to keep up So what other musicians do you find interesting?

[@geostillo78]

​@@marcosbryant865 you sound like a fucking AI chatbot on a car dealerships website.

[@mario7frankielee]

this is why youtube is great imagine try to find a vid by elisabeth 30 years ago

[@OntchOntch]

mario7frankielee genius

[@intervalkid]

That's true. We are now aware of many great musicians of the past that we weren't, as well as many classical selections that are available, not to mention many unsigned artists that are excellent, as well as prodigies such as Yoyo and Lisa X and strange things as well.

[@einarabelc5]

You have to write to the TV station and wait 10 years.

[@tamething1]

True, mario, but KZbin is censoring so much lately that we're going to be right back to square one.

[@ericnijkamp7926]

Used to be great !

[@arinjoys]

Once again we're reminded about why we're playing or listening to music in the first place.....Souls communicating with one another. I feel blessed just to have heard this.

[@robelicit]

+Arinjoy Sarkar WELL said ^_^

[@micksoiseth2652]

+Arinjoy Sarkar Right on! Well said.

[@maplesyrup8369]

Yeah... it's rare but some performers have this ability to merge with their performance making it etheral somehow

[@JC-tv5zx]

What an artist...how she plays upside down...unbelievable🤘👌👍🇨🇭

[@bmwbaker]

Amen

[@bobbieolsen7264]

Frail, broken beauty, more precious than fine gold, American treasure to be treasured, if you don’t know, words won’t help!

[@VideoSaySo]

I love this because with headphones you can close your eyes and it's like you're sitting there with her. An exceptional recording of a national treasure!

[@steadyeddie7]

184 people jealous of a frail little old lady with a heart of gold.

[@elephantsmemory3142]

I guess i am 185 now

[@stellaq3306]

268 now. Some people don’t understand how to look beyond & appreciate the perfect flaws & life experiences behind something like this. They’ve grown up on SFX & Autotune, it’s a shame. There’s a whole world of ‘feel’ they may never come to know.

[@OopsSorryBruh]

People also dislike for other reasons such as to discourage KZbin from recommending things like this anymore

[@tenfour10-400]

I’ll bet most of them voted for that orange turd in the white house.

[@ModernGolfer]

@@tenfour10-400 - Nah, they voted for the Benghazi bimbo with the scumbag husband. 😜

[@itsgonnbeok7249]

So difficult for tears to not well up when listening to this incredible woman

[@onyekachioji7598]

I can't help it, it's the pure innocence of the song, her singing and soft strumming of the guitar. Beautiful

[@prashantchhetri7813]

i'm crying my eyes out as i type this. those lyrics and the guitar play strummed emotions like no other songs had ever done

[@stellaq3306]

I was feeling a bit silly for tearing up but not so much now. It’s an innocence so rare… worth it’s weight in gold nowadays. The life that inspired the songs like these… & I’m a musician! I should be used to this 😊✌️

[@dcan911]

Me too, this made me weep, maybe the most beautiful piece of music I've ever heard.

[@benlogan430]

Thought I was the only one that gets the teary eyes when I hear the stuff that’s real! Doesn’t matter what style when they play and sing from the soul my eyes know it’s real! The real deal straight from the soul!

[@mrwrister]

The smile and slow headshake right after the slight flub on the bass note at 2:24. Love it

[@redchthonic]

wrister like wanker? She is 92

[@steelcantuna]

This reminds me of my dear ol' mom who was still singing & playing the piano at age 96 tears cold. She too, would make up her own songs, Gospel that is.

[@FromtheSoultotheFretboard]

I wonder if when she agreed to record this, if she ever thought over a million people would eventually get to listen and watch her play

[@twistwrzd]

Judging by the lyrics of the song and her age at the time, I highly doubt she cared about some stupid views on youtube.

[@zenobardot]

I think by this point in her life, she wouldn't have been surprised. Her rediscovery in the late 1950s led to folk festivals and tours that allowed her to peform before tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of people, and also led to recordings that reached hundreds of thousands to that, especially if you include appearances on folk anthologies. She wasn't popular on the scale of Aretha, but this one song is right up there with those of Stephen Foster and Hank Williams in terms of reach.

[@garage2887]

Wzrd I think she’d be ecstatic

[@davidaston5773]

I love the song and the performance. Who I feel sorry for is the 1,507,622 who haven't heard or seen it. And the 229 who did and decided to down thumb it. Guess they missed their freight train along with decent taste in music? XD

[@FromtheSoultotheFretboard]

Edit: When I made that comment it didn't have anything to do with KZbin views, it was a comment on the sheer power of the media. One little old recording at her house on a sunny afternoon not meant for anyone in particular now has been seen by and inspired over a million people, Simply amazing!!

[@tittytittypootang2895]

so old but fingers still work like a teenager

[@wikiwikiwee1]

Titty Titty Poo Tang ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@randallluke]

Shes so HOT 🔥

[@phyfts]

@@randallluke lmao

[@jadawilliams5642]

@@randallluke don't call the old lady hot gross

[@andrewm2399]

Stupid comment She probably suffers from arthritis.

[@jjmah7]

This made me cry, although I’m not sure exactly why. Just uniquely beautiful and somehow sad at the same time. As simple as I can put it, she’s just got an honest, vulnerable, and soul moving voice.

[@xzysyndrome]

Sounds like you knew exactly why after all.

[@shannyforlife]

Same! I have tears in my eyes and rolling down my cheeks. This is so beautiful.

[@jasonalbarran7244]

Same here!! I just came to see if anyone felt the same way

[@eclark9965]

I thought it sounded pretty shitty

[@jjmah7]

@@eclark9965 exactly. that’s why I cried bro

[@rodrigofonseca6241]

I've watched this video a zillion times and it always moves me. Amazing artist mrs. Cotton was and a lovely lady. Those kind of artists who came from the depths of the common working people do not exist anymore.

[@danielgorman8725]

Music made by a human being with soul.

[@keithwigley1256]

you said it... right to the heart of the real heart of music ? see ..freight train cover Albert Croak on youtube .. does not match Elizabeths? but had a go .. see kathys song cover Albert Croak on youtube ?

[@ZeroMass]

@Average Joe you're listening to the wrong music............

[@ComeOnYouBoyzInBlue]

In short supply these days

[@huskerdude1227]

The way she sings the line "when I am dead and in my grave..." gives me goosebumps every time. RIP Mrs Cotten, you may be gone, but your songs will live on forever.

[@vinsonjames]

One of my all time favorite tunes! No one makes real music anymore. :,( God bless this woman.

[@jadecalamityjadis4263]

lots of people make real music, you just have to seek it

[@junew9694]

I think that her guitar is not restrung for left hand and she is playing the chords upside down and that is so cool. I'm so in love with her voice.

[@stevendunn7928]

She sure made it work! ❤

[@jonathanmegson5270]

Playing a great song she wrote when she was just 12 and still killing it at god knows how old, this is the greatest thing on youtube...

[@jambandgeetarman4292]

Just when I think this couldn't get better, I hear the birds who are compelled to sing along with her. Perfect.

[@malena25a]

Oh yes, she is so full of peace... May peace be with you too

[@chardspiritof73]

Manon B aaah you heard them too

[@ericcarrington1791]

What a beautiful comment

[@hugofilipeantunes]

Human beings can be incredible beings, and I feel that when I read comments like these..

[@nikao7751]

I play for my cockatoo and parakeets all the time and they love to sing along and even learn the progession of what I'm playing and the cockatoo loves to dance. It's really cool

[@groovygamers1]

I cry everytime I hear this song. The song makes me so happy and nostalgic but it hurts my heart so much making me sad and frustrated to know that most people won't know about this beautiful woman and her amazing songs.

[@GaryHartaz]

Well Wes Anderson is putting her on the map in his latest movie, Asteroid City. I would have never known about this song and her until I just watched the trailer.

[@gilvogt4440]

Born in 1893....Libba would be 128 years old in 2021....She passed in 1987 ...God bless this woman's soul for all eternity.....

[@jbri1]

I'd be 500 if i was born in 1523 👌🏻

[@terryallen9546]

KZbin... We definately need a "Love" button for times like this.

[@pauldominic2150]

❤️

[@luanaraujo1123]

EXACTLY

[@wesleyc.4937]

Terry Allen: Unfortunately, the haters will want one of their own... best to stay right down the middle.

[@blanchae]

I believe she wrote this when she was 11 - powerful words for an 11 year old: "Please don't tell what train I'm on. They won't know what route I've gone"

[@poofingers3054]

the comment i read which brought me here said she was apparently five or six, i don’t know enough about her to tell you which one of you’ are right, just thought it’d be an interesting tidbit of information : )

[@lafoonxiii5311]

@@poofingers3054 I've only read that she thinks she wrote it in her teens, so some time between 1906 and 1912

[@desperadodeluxe2292]

Totally got that vibe. Just had this vision of her younger self when listening to this.

[@nevertoocoldforicecream3381]

she got her first guitar at twelve according to cotton herself she wrote it when she was 13-14 but she didn't remember the exact age

[@diamonteii7941]

She was three!! Just kidding. Still amazing for a preteen to figure out unless she learned from an adult but who is the question. Definitely not from a video. What a doll. 👏 🎸

[@georgehorner1578]

The blues , I could not get through this miserable world with out the blues , my sweet blues.

[@benbarclay5546]

I saw her do this at the Winnipeg Folk Festival about 3 years before this video was made. The whole festival kind of just stopped in their tracks and realised we were blessed to be with her. The Roches were just debuting their new album. Stan Rogers was teaching us site crew how to sing. Music was moving forward. But she was the boss of that festival.

[@danielrioortiz9407]

The birds chirping in the background 🥰

[@tjburr1968]

They are in tune with her notes

[@Lucky_5090]

♡love it♡ with all my soul

[@moehammondmedia]

Good catch. They are singing background

[@oldschoolm8]

She invented a style of playing that guitarists have to really work on....it’s difficult! I actually really love the frailness of her vocals here, it’s really endearing and....human. Cherish your old folks.

[@skittlesstarburst4532]

She didn’t invent any style… finger picking has been around for centuries.. not the first blues player to play upside down..

[@fordhouse8b]

@@skittlesstarburst4532 He might be referring to how she taught herself to play a right-handed guitar left-handed, so essentially with the guitar turned upside down.

[@oldschoolm8]

@@skittlesstarburst4532 it’s called Cotten picking. Alright, people have been playing alternating bass finger picking since guitars have been around, but she was a pioneer in the style.

[@adambadruddinsyah3178]

She and Mississippi John Hurt were probably pioneers.

[@reginaldsmithers3468]

"She didn’t invent any style… finger picking has been around for centuries.. not the first blues player to play upside down.." There's always got to be some person who feels the need to defecate on something someone else thinks, feels, writes, says or does. I wish my Mother was still alive.

[@Moonboyisflying]

What a queen. Beautiful song. And doing this at 92 years old is just phenomenal. Shall take the beauty and hope she expressses into my day ❤

[@genghistron00]

Perfect. It's the oddest thing when you play guitar outside all the birds and critters come up to you. That's fact, even if your bad as I am, lol. It's still a wonderful joyous feeling I wish everyone got to experience. They say in heaven everyone sings, i like to believe that, gives me some hope and a light at the end of my tunnel.

[@K--S]

🫂

[@iasimov5960]

When I was a kid I had many living relatives born in the 19th century. They told amazing stories but I was too much of a fool to realize they were amazing. By the time I was 17 I had smartened up enough to record them. I now have hours of recorded conversations of relatives long dead.

[@jellyjub1690]

you should release it on youtube

[@mr.livoti9578]

you should consider archiving them at archive.org or something...

[@thermometerman1824]

release them on KZbin and archive.org!

[@joebaumgart1146]

I would be interested in hearing them.

[@jcmick8430]

priceless

[@bucknuts6762]

even today her song is played by 1000's of guitarist and fiddlers am i'm one of them, Elizabeth Cotton is a treasure to America, rest in Peace Elizabeth

[@johnbryant6610]

I immediately teared up seeing this. The look of contentment on her face is priceless! For such seemingly small shoulders she has a lot of us standing on them!🙏🏾💙🙏🏾😊

[@linpollitt8950]

My dad used to play this song. He was a guitarist who loved the blues and I grew up listening to Josh White, Big Bill Broonzy, Leadbelly and similar artists. I don't know if he ever heard this lady play but he would have loved her. I'm so glad I found this video, it brought back some wonderful memories. She was amazing.

[@suno_grimm1264]

I lived a town away from libba if you drived passed her house at the right time you could here her playing her guitar or banjo. Some of us kids would go up and say "hey libba how are ya doing ma'am" and she'd always remind us to just call her libba we all just loved gathering around her when she played her music it would always bring a tear to our eye.

[@NNV337]

I feel so glad i scrolled to find this in 2019...a perfect time to remember her on her birthday January 5

[@karlynnelangerak4549]

Me too!

[@gladysrodriguez5498]

Leeann Dsouza WOW. I KNEW HER LATE A FEW DAYS AGO....DIOS!

[@rogerlapel8966]

Ditto.

[@SuperBenette]

Thanks for mentioning her birthday, I always look what kind of artists are born in certain months, sagitarius, gutsy women, good artists, loved it Elizabeth, hope you can hear me.

[@AnyMotoUSA]

I watch this video not just because I like the song, but cus she looks just like my grandma. Miss her.

[@janedavis780]

So poignant to think of her writing this song in her early teens. Beautiful!

[@marcosbryant865]

So perfect, so simple, so beautiful and sad at the same time have always loved her style of music This is sensational What do you admire most about her?

[@ms381]

That string bend (you know the one) makes the song for me! Amazing

[@tedbajer142]

That and the sweet chord in that one spot, and I loved the little smile on her face when she aced it one more time.

[@devilofyournightmaree462]

Same dude That bend is everything for me about this song

[@moon_joust7368]

Aha 😊 fellow enthusiast 👌

[@moelester775]

ms381 fuck yeah

[@tonydeltablues]

Yep! :-)

[@dotChrollo]

Good Lord I love the bends she throws in on this version

[@Offy-official-real]

They're perfect

[@gophersk]

This version is the only version.. she wrote it.

[@andrewellis7656]

In awe - she wrote this! My heart - so fine. This is critical to our humanity. So perfect. Who knew.

[@Repetoire]

I'm glad you love it so. As do I. Come see her statue in Carrboro I will meet u there.

[@jimarcher9574]

My Dad hopped a train in Arkansas about 1927, age 12, and headed to Washington State to find his older Brother. Found him, stayed and as they say the rest is history.

[@erichomsy]

Is it possible to hear this and not immediately become overwhelmed with emotion?

[@aisforapple2494]

An unequivocal "No".

[@VijayaSun1]

Brings a tear or two to my eyes.

[@stevebrown3559]

@@VijayaSun1 Me too...

[@jeffsanders663]

I discovered her, and this song, about 6 months ago and it does my soul SO much good, I could cry just for happiness and joy!

[@silviac221]

I've just heard her for the first time in my life today and it's clear that she was a treasure. I' ll now go and find videos from when she was younger and I'm sure she sounded better, but who cares? She was one of those people who earn their right to be listened to in awe after she has lost part of her voice, just because it's her.

[@doitnowvideosyeah5841]

Got to see her play at an Unitarian church in late 70's. Listen to her version from the late 1950's to hear her younger voice. She was 11 when she wrote this!

[@rogerlapel8966]

Thank you for the info. Very enjoyable video.

[@j.crizzle8942]

DAMMIT y’all.... you don’t know how much I needed to find a piece of Real America again. Thanks for the Tears of Joy. Rest in Power, Great American 🙏🏼

[@suzannezoubeck5216]

So glad I found this. She's a national treasure & classic American artist. 😎❤☮🌎

[@richardmarino5658]

Great song - great performance at 92 years of age.

[@deadstar44]

Any acoustic guitarists will realize how unique and special her guitar playing was once they realize that she's actually fingerpicking the bass notes with her fingers and the melody with her thumb since she plays on an inverted right-handed guitar. (That's mind-boggling!). The common fingerpicking is thumb playing bass notes and fingers playing melody.

[@Apis4]

Its like Jimmy Hendrix and Tommy Emmanuel merged behind a guitar, but she was born decades before either.

[@PoeticAmmunition]

Wow thank you for pointing that out, I was already amazed by this and now I'm just blown away. That's incredible.

[@2uconner]

yessss I know !!!!!!

[@reno145]

It is only mind boggling if we reference back to our traditional playing. If we learned to play guitar that way, it would be second nature.

[@drtone]

@@reno145 Yep, @deadstar44 its arbitrary that the bass string is on top, if anything, the bass should be on bottom. Try flipping your guitar over and playing lefty, or play a lefty guitar righty, which will be easier, there are pluses and minuses to both ways. Furthermore, fingerpicking is not as affected by some of the challenges in grip and string orientation. She's great, and its a blessing she played that way.

[@s3nsec0rruptr80]

This, along with doc Watsons cuckoo bird is what got me into fill music. 20+ years later and tears and chills every time

[@barryerkelens1255]

Her voice is not as strong as it once was, of course, but has taken on a new kind of beauty and honesty that only comes with time.

[@davidkozlowski9550]

I feel like a rescue dog that is finally found a loving home

[@dennissolomon1923]

My wife and I saw her perform this in the mid 80’s at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Just as the song ended there was a brilliant flash of lightning and explosive thunder. Surely the gods were applauding this legend.

[@DanacaLove]

I sincerely believe she can hear old number 9 come rolling by and she is resting in eternal peace. What an incredibly talented soul.

[@stevebowness9435]

This is Magnificent Iconic footage, 92 years old and still being able to play😲 I'm in bloody awe.

[@micksoiseth2652]

Note that she plays left handed with a right handed guitar upside down, not re-strung to accommodate a left handed person as is usually done. So she perfected a finger picking style playing bass notes with her pointer finger. Because that is so unique I doubt anybody could teach her that so she must have totally learned it on her own. Real talent, a classic beautiful song for all times even today. God bless her.

[@ericcarrington1791]

Just like Jimi Hendrix

[@tibssilverberry9392]

That's a large assumption to make given the large crowd of self taught blues players, never the less, truely a great feat learning that, and playing like that

[@surimont1]

Mick Soiseth love your comment

[@bobbyowen8716]

Hendrix restrung his. The guitar was upside down but the strings weren't.

[@val13c59]

Eric Carrington NO, not like jimi hendrix

[@mastod0n1]

It took me until 1 minute in to realize that she was playing a guitar stringed for a right handed player. I was confused watching her fingers at first but now it makes sense. Also that bend that she does every couple phrases, perfect.

[@jordanparker8359]

She was a self taught musician who played a right handed guitar upside down! The strings were strung for a right handed guitarist not to mention her age when this was recorded an absolutely amazing inspiration

[@patriciaribaric3409]

There isn't a bouquet of roses large enough to lay at her feet!!!

[@stephenr80]

That is easily most beautiful comment in a while thank you

[@donnarupert4926]

Yes in deed!!! God bless your soul Mama💕🙋🏽‍♀️💕

[@samnam715]

Oh man you kinky

[@ktkitty1903]

Beautiful comment!

[@Daracdor]

Patricia that was quite the right comment to read after viewing this lady play …. wonderful .

[@adlwilliams]

How the hell did 300 people even downvote this? More heart in her chest and talent in her fingertips than most musicians today combined

[@polkadot240]

She was a two fingered player..didnt stop her from playing beautiful music..female guitarists were considered inferior..even until year 2000, i was with male guitarists and they would not share their skills with me.maybe it was a guy thing or I was just in bad company.

[@binodgrg070]

@@MidWestWaters345 you are the reason people downvoted this beautiful art

[@louieo.blevinsmusic4197]

@@polkadot240 so is John Moreland. Should check out 3:59 by John Moreland if you hear another soul. I highly suggest you do not skip this recommendation.

[@louieo.blevinsmusic4197]

@@binodgrg070 uhhhh. That makes zero sense. If anything it would be the opposite.

[@binodgrg070]

@@louieo.blevinsmusic4197 linking everything to race is the reason to the issue

[@markmacintyre3422]

Saw Elizabeth play this tune at Morris County College(NJ) in probably 1973. Still remember the show and her amazing performance…..

[@GameLang]

I love to hear that she played the guitar upside down just like Dick Dale… life is too short to worry about doing things “correctly”

[@manuelgchapajr4472]

PURE AMERICAN BLUES!!! Don’t get any better!!! GOD HAS ALL OF GREATEST BLUES PLAYERS!!! RIP!!!

[@reallivebluescat]

´tis not blues, its folk, folkes!

[@halfajohn3233]

and god is a concept invented by people scared of dying and taken over by other people to use that fear to control them, SO NO NEED TO YELL :)

[@boogieboxmusic4331]

It is folk with a bluesy feel. But hey, who cares when it’s so well played and sung with such heart.. music is the best, as Zappa said...

[@anarchyintheusa4443]

@@boogieboxmusic4331 blues is essentially American folk music isn't it

[@boogieboxmusic4331]

Yes Devon, blues could be called American folk music, but I was just commenting originally on the pure American blues comment, because it’s more folksy than pure blues. Elizabeth cotton is regarded as a folk singer.. she has blues in her soul and it comes out in this performance I think..

[@mwilhelmindetroit]

There's a moment in the last solo where she seems to realize "Hey, I can still do this!" Inspirational.

[@moldefan3544]

Hehe, I saw that smile too. :D I thought it seemed like the joy of playing and making music.

[@darwinkemp4874]

Hmm... funny, as a guitarist my eyes and ears beg to differ: it's because she fumbles those bass notes the two different times. She shakes her head and smiles the first time. The second time she outright looks at her positioning and you can hear her find the right spot for that pinky the rest of the outro. Nice thought though...

[@quirtdrozario856]

God bless her sweet old soul. A huge thank you to her for this beautiful song and that terrific guitar picking.

[@vagabondslot-machine8832]

You just can't teach the soul she puts in that guitar. Ludicrously beautiful

[@garciedarling]

what a gift she gave us all...

[@emmetthouse5600]

She is a Superstar then and now in the year 2020 😃 peoples are still listening R.I.P THX YOU 🎤🎤

[@trafyknits9222]

Two fingers and a truckload of honesty makes this come alive.

[@JunkyardGod89]

Only got introduced to her today through a customer in work (record shop). Listened to a concert recording of this after they left and felt myself tear up during the second verse. Her guitar playing is incredible and so warm too.

[@mountnmonkey]

Folks this is what it's about..Thank you great lady...

[@AmaZaneChannel]

Absolutely beautiful.

[@vegan_veronica_russia3537]

yes

[@oddright6595]

Song or the lady?

[@ronjones4069]

Wonderful

[@nortoncb900]

@@oddright6595 Both.

[@majack1762]

thats not true

[@remedy9648]

So perfectly beautiful. My soul aches and soars simultaneously. What a woman!

[@jreeder6168]

On can easily accept this song written by a youngster by the tracks with the yearn to hop one those trains and go where ever it takes ya. Incredible woman.

[@lyndongloag5774]

I really feel sorry for the people who disliked this ,had me in tears,more soul in her fingure tips than most people can claim in a life time

[@revivalofthefittestonlythe2757]

Yin yang

[@malibudolphin3109]

I feel sorry for the people who must comment on the people who disliked a video 😁

[@VintagebyMitzi]

so true!

[@CocoBark]

She's breaking my heart with this song. Seriously raw beauty.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

So much emotion from another time and place. So far away yet so close thanks to this time-traveling tool called music. Sitting here with tears in my eyes hearing that freight train go by on a warm North Carolina day over a century ago.

[@sandmonjones8004]

A year has gone by since I last heard this video and she is still exciting to watch and hear.

[@ferdinandtabaniag5675]

when I'm listening to this song, I don't know why my tears just keep running away. I'm only 17 and I can relate to this song. the way she sang it melts my heart.

[@emmahardee404]

Same - and she was actually about 12 when she wrote it

[@ragnaroknibba6083]

Ferdinand Tabaniag man some song touch your heart, but the blues embraces the soul itself. Im 18 and the blues is my fav genera all along

[@nemnock1583]

never stop being you ,young man.

[@YakawssSeb]

No need to add age but cool

[@Junciard]

22 here and yeah I have never cried from music but something about this is just so beautiful I play this song and its the only time ive heard her do it

[@lydiawall4018]

She plays left handed and upside down...quite the feat❣️

[@TheBatugan77]

I believe it's now called Cotten picking. Imagine such an honor... To have a picking style named for you!

[@kennethpepper4967]

Could she have been the Jimi Hendrix of her day? LOL

[@claudeirby1561]

she probably taught Jimi Hendrix how to play behind his head.!! Not a lot of lefties in the spotlight.

[@mulliniks51]

She played her brothers guitar initially when he wasn't around . He was left handed

[@shaystern2453]

the former, no..the latter, she had to

[@lewiefrazier1041]

I enjoy watching old folks play and sing. They've been there, seen it, and you can feel that in the music

[@IndependentManyUnited]

I feel like I just met family I didn’t know I had. ♥️

[@spudcustardx1]

no song make me cry like this, this performance make me live a little better, cant top this

[@jotaro8403]

spudcustardx1 I laughed

[@spudcustardx1]

not sure where this hashTag thing came from, but in response I personally laugh with the Bonzo's they make me smile, they make me feel better. Elizabeth Cotton can lift me a foot or two higher I think this performance is special. If someone wants to laugh at my response to a bit of music that's fine by me, Im never going to write or perform a better song than this. Do I mind, just glad I heard it

[@jotaro8403]

spudcustardx1 jeez thats mental af

[@spudcustardx1]

dear HashTag, no matter I'm British therefore I have no concept of what (that's mental af) means. Got a hunch this performance just might outlive both you and me. No matter only time will tell so I have no need to be offensive, sleep well.Spud Custard

[@jotaro8403]

spudcustardx1 im dutch

[@Fatimavanilla]

LYRICS Freight train, freight train, run so fast Freight train, freight train, run so fast Please don't tell what train I'm on They won't know what route I'm going When I'm dead and in my grave No more good times here I crave Place the stones at my head and feet And tell them all I've gone to sleep When I die, oh bury me deep Down at the end of old Chestnut Street So I can hear old Number Nine As she comes rolling by When I die lord, oh bury me deep Down at the end of old Chestnut Street Place the stones at my head and feet And tell them all that I've gone to sleep Freight train, freight train, run so fast Freight train, freight train, run so fast Please don't tell what train I'm on They won't know what route I'm going

[@annonymost9318]

@Yes Sir! What do you think? I know what it means to me. She not ready to die yet...so she is trying to go faster than death.....but, when she does die....let her feel the vibrations of the 9, and then....she is gonna haunt that train run!!!!!! Bury me deep so they dont know what route im on.....to me anyway.....

[@maggiesanchez7024]

@Yes Sir! i think its her embracing death and being content with the life given to her

[@petekadenz9465]

That is fabulous! And frankly, astonishing to be able produce such a lovely rendition of her song at 92! God bless her.

[@luvmetenderly89]

Aww, I just want to lay my head in her lap and listen to her play all day.🥰🥰🥰🥰 Reminds of my grandma 😔😔😔😔

[@pedroguzman5187]

Yooo anyone else feel it directly in the soul??? 😍