Folk Song 'Rain And Snow' By Obray Ramsey

The song ”Rain and Snow” is a studio recorded folk song and bluegrass murder ballad sung by Obray Ramsey. It’s a mix between a narrative and lyrical song as the singer/persona tells a story about his marriage to his wife, how she made him feel, and how this drove him to murder her. The verses in this song are four lines long and each weak syllable is followed by a strong syllable. That makes this a ballad that uses an iambic meter. More specifically, is the first line of each verse has 4 strong syllables, then 3, 4, and 3, making this a ballad meter. It’s a clear example of a strophic song with a limited number of melodies. The song consists only of verses, but repeats the last line of each verse to create a faux chorus. There is only one singer and a secondary accompaniment, making this a homophonic texture. The accompaniment consists of two chordophones (banjo and guitar), playing in duple meter. Although the singer does not tell a happy story, the combination of the
By fingerpicking the banjo instead of playing chords, it gives off a bluegrass vibe.
0.02: The guitar joins in but it plays neither a chord nor a melody, instead it acts as a bass. The guitar creates a riff by alternating between 4 notes. This pattern is repeated throughout the song.
0.20 Verse: The line “Well I married me a wife, she gave me trouble all my life, ran me out in the cold rain and snow” is sung in mezzo piano. While he is singing, the guitar is still playing the same bass-like ostinato, and the banjo is beginning the first repetition of its riff.
0.33 Chorus: The singer repeats the last line of the first verse to create a faux chorus. He effortlessly uses glissando by sliding between the notes. Although the pitch is higher, he keeps the dynamics at a steady mezzo piano and there is not crescendo. To reach the high notes, the singer uses his head voice to sing in