Jason Isbell - Dress Blues (live - 2013) ... posted a day late I guess ...

[mr_lebowski]

but the post about the French at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier reminded me of this song, so ... enjoy ... errr ... to the extent that's possible w/such a devastating song ...

and mamas and grandmamas love you
cause that's all they know how to do ...
but you never planned
on the bombs in the sand
or sleeping in your
Dress Blues

[GemDigger]

1. When the first time you hear a song and it makes you

cry and tugs at your heart.. you know it's a powerful song. This song does/is.

[mr_lebowski]

3. Is that your first time? If so ... awesome!

Or are you just remembering the first time you heard it?

It felt sad the first time I heard, then I immediately played it again, and looked up the lyrics, just to make sure I was following correctly, and then I REALLY got choked up.

I still can now, after like 100 times of hearing this song. Hell, I can play it and sing it myself ... and i've even cried just trying to get through playing it.

TBH the very first time I heard it I was like ... okay, the wife of the dead guy has got 'the sleeping in her dress ... blues', cause she'd been ... I dunno, up all night, worried, so many times while he was away.

Then the 2nd time it clicked ... Dress Blues ... Marines formal uniform ... I was like ... derp, of course!

As has happened many times with Jason songs I went ... damn ... that's genius!

[GemDigger]

4. My first time hearing it.

I know what you mean. There are several songs of this nature that just makes me cry with tears of sadness but also gratitude. Ballad of the Green Berets STILL gets me. The year that song came out was the year my father took us to Arlington National Cemetery for Veterans day.

[mr_lebowski]

5. Honored that I was first to expose you to a powerful and brilliantly moving song :)

The other three most-crushing songs for me are "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" by Jeff Buckley, "Prince of Darkness" by Indigo Girls, and "Valentines Day" by Steve Earle.

Each for ... various reasons.

But I honestly think Dress Blues might be the most moving song I've ever heard. The picture it paints ... the little observations ... it's so dead-on for what it's trying to convey ... hell sometimes I've cried listening to it not because of the sadness of the story, but just because how well Jason just nailed the damn thing.

Take care

[Docreed2003]

2. K&R

Great song period and especially for Veterans Day