bonnie raitt: angel from montgomery

i collect versions of this song the way one might collect stamps or coins. i find it so sweet the way this little john prine song has been picked up and carried by so many artists. i've sat on the back stairs of the fox theater, listening to susan tedeschi belt it out during sound check. i've seen dave matthews sing it softly in an empty bar in richmond. my mother used to hum it at the kitchen sink while she washed dishes, and i certainly cranked it at a deafening decibel when i drove away, broken hearted, from him. and still, after all of these years, i can't seem to fully wrap myself around it. as harper once said about this song, mama, i can't get to the bottom of this. how a song can be so desperate and yet so hopeful at the same time, remains one of my favorite mysteries. but maybe that's the way it's supposed to be with the things we truly love.