He Was a Friend of Mine

from Crossroads of Galahad by Austin Moffa

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about

John Lomax documented the progenitor of this song, "Shorty George" in the 30s. From there it mutated, as folk songs tend to do, through interpretations from Rolf Cahn which made its way to Bob Dylan and ultimately to Dave Van Ronk (who attributed his version to Dylan, himself). I didn't change too much about it - I think this one is just about perfect as it is. If there's a song to bring up the ghosts of childhood friends, this is it. I almost feel like every line has a different face to it.

lyrics

He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
Never had no money
Pay for his fines
He was friend a friend of mine

He died on the road
He died on the road
Never had no money
Pay for his board
He was a friend of mine

He never done no wrong
He never done no wrong
He was just a poor boy
A long way from home
He was a friend of mine

I stole away and cried
I stole away and cried
Never had no money
I can't be satisfied
He was a friend of mine

He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
Every time I hear about him now
I just can't keep from crying
He was a friend of mine

credits

from Crossroads of Galahad, released May 3, 2021
Guitar and Vocals - Austin Moffa
Traditional

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about

Austin Moffa Fairfax, Virginia

Austin Moffa is a musician based out of Fairfax, VA. He has previously released 10 industrial/ambient albums under the pseudonym "ROZKOL". Moffa was born and grew up in a small Pennsylvanian town along the Allegheny Mountain Range.

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