Hell among the yearlings

Posted by Smokey Stover September 11, 2008 at 06:51In reply to Hell among the yearlings posted by Dave on August 27, 2008 at 08:05:

Does anyone know the meaning and origin of the phrase "hell among the yearlings"?

The phrase is used in the book "All the Kings Men" and the only other use I can find of it is as the title of a Gillian Welch recording.

I haven't read "All the King's Men" (shame, shame) nor heard the Gillian Welch recording. She is a vocalist, and does not actually sing "Hell among the yearlings," which is an Appalachian fiddle tune, but offers s number of songs with that old-timey sound.

The title suggests a rural setting, and since yearlings are young farm animals one can suppose that the music attempts to suggest a ruckus among the younger animals. If you like, you can hear the actual tune (which does not appear on the Welch recording).