I SAW THE LIGHT
“I Saw the Light” is a country gospel song written by Hank Williams. Williams was inspired to write the song while returning from a concert by a remark his mother made while they were arriving in Montgomery, Alabama. He recorded the song during his first session for MGM Records, and released in September 1948. The song is set to the tune of the traditional Scottish folk tune “Bonnie Charlie”, also commonly known as “Will ye no come back again?”. The song became the shows’ closing song for Williams and one of his most popular tunes. Williams’ version did not enjoy major success during its initial release. The song was soon covered by other acts and with time became a country gospel standard. (More from Wikipedia)
Wikipedia highlights another Bob Dylan quote from 1997: “Here’s the thing with me and the religious thing. This is the flat-out truth: I find the religiosity and philosophy in the music. I don’t find it anywhere else. Songs like ‘Let Me Rest on a Peaceful Mountain’ or ‘I Saw the Light’ — that’s my religion. I don’t adhere to rabbis, preachers, evangelists, all of that. I’ve learned more from the songs than I’ve learned from any of this kind of entity. The songs are my lexicon. I believe the songs.”
(August 2014)
