“A Robin Built a Nest on Daddy’s Grave” is a sentimental mountain ballad credited to Edna Sykes. A recording by Ralph Stanley helped carry the song along, and in recent years it has been taken up by a wide range of bluegrass bands.
The song is a child’s view of grief. Springtime returns to the mountains, and on the hill where the singer’s father is buried a robin builds its nest; the singer plants a rose that grows and blooms on the grave. New life and loss are held gently together.
The song has become a favorite among contemporary bluegrass acts. The version heard here is by Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys.
