Legendary roots musician Ry Cooder recently released his new album, The Prodigal Son. It is a collection of three Cooder originals mixed with eight renditions of old spirituals. Cooder described the album as “a deft commentary on our ailing moral state.”
One of the many highlights is the poignant reworking of Blind Willie Johnson’s “Everybody Ought to Treat a Stranger Right”. The gospel blues tune was originally recorded in 1930. In the live recording posted below, Cooder added a few lyrics to include current news events in the US, making reference to ICE and deportation. With children being separated from their parents by border officials this certainly adds weight to the sentiments of this timely tune. Treating strangers from other lands inhumanely contributes to a sad loss of humanity as a society.