Original Worksongs, Bluegrass & Country songbook
Uncommon Kinship
By Bennett Konesni · Free Seedlings, 2007 · Uncommon Kinship
Lyrics
Where the fields have not yet ended,
And the houses of the city not begun,
I spent an afternoon with an old friend,
Then headed into town to find a new one.
It was there I found a gallant ball
In a one room hall where dancers filled the floor
And a straw-blonde girl with a slight curl
In a graceful twirl she caught me at the door
She said my dear, though I hardly know you,
I feel an uncommon kinship for you
I wish you well upon your travels,
And I look forward to another waltz when you return
How quickly it was over,
How quickly I was on the road again
As counties turned to countries,
The miles grew ‘tween me and my new friend
But thoughts of her I couldn’t shake,
Or the moves she’d make while twirling cross the floor
And all I kept in my dusty coat
Was the wrinkled note she slipped me at the door
She wrote my dear, though I hardly know you,
I feel an uncommon kinship for you
I wish you well upon your travels,
And I look forward to another waltz when you return
Well my travels haven’t ended,
But the road has left me tired to the core
I’ve gone back and forth across this earth,
Its length and girth and yet there’s even more
And now I’m here so far away,
It’s time to stop this wanderin’ to and fro,
Well my bags are packed and I’m goin’ back
To that straw-blonde girl I danced with long ago.
She said my dear, though I hardly know you,
I feel an uncommon kinship for you
I wish you well upon your travels,
And I look forward to another waltz when you return
Notes
Writer: Bennett Konesni
Players: Bennett Konesni, Jeff Lewis, David Lewis
Recorded 2007
The Story
This song comes from a real encounter at a dance when I was in my early twenties. A young woman gave me a note saying she felt an “uncommon kinship” with me, and I carried it with me as I traveled. There’s a special intensity to those years - meeting people, dancing, leaving again, feeling that the world might open at any moment. Travel magnifies the longing, too: you find a connection and then you’re gone. This song holds some of that youthful energy, hope, and ache.