A big black dog
I found her one day down there at the metro
A big black dog
Waitin’ in a cage in line for the death row
A big black dog
* * *
Her name is Bella, Bella
You’re not brown, you’re not yella
Bella, Bella
My big black dog
The Deluxe Edition of Emmylou’s new CD, Hard Bargain, comes with a DVD. It’s worth a watch – she does six of the songs from the album and talks about several of the songs at length. One of those is Big Black Dog, which is about one of her dogs named Bella. In her comments on the DVD, Emmylou tells about Bonaparte’s Retreat, her own rescue operation. Emmylou usually works with a “no kill” shelter, but at some point she decides to venture down to the Nashville Metro shelter to pick out a condemned dog to rescue. Of course, the death row dog is big and black. Emmylou says that when she got the dog home it stared at her from the back yard. Eventually, she says to the big black dog, “Come on in!” and Bella becomes a part of her household and now travels with her (and another dog) when she goes on the road.
This is a different video, but it tells the whole story and provides some background on Emmylou’s dog rescue efforts before she sings Bella’s song:
Emmylou’s been one of my favorites for a long time – her voice is so distinct and beautiful, and she has a wonderful sense of humor. She also has an unselfish attitude – I wonder how many times she’s sung backing vocals for another singer or participated in shows and projects where she was just one of the voices as opposed to the voice? Her work in the rescue effort seems completely consistent with what we already know about her – it’s a thing of beauty, born of unselfishness and embroidered with good humor.
If you go to Emmylou’s website you can learn more about Bonaparte’s Retreat and maybe even find an adoptable dog.
[You can follow Mando Lines on Twitter (@mando_lines). His dog, Butters, is a twitterer too, though neither big nor black. Many say Butters is a much more interesting follow, so check him out: @dachsunddays.]
