"O Brother, Where Art Thou" Musical Analysis

“Well the high sheriff told his deputy, ‘I want you go out and bring me Lazarus. Bring him dead or alive.’ Lord, Lord.”

The song “Po Lazarus” opens up the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? by panning over to a group of primarily black prisoners breaking stones in unison. The choppy acapella is accompanied only by the sound of hammers hitting rock and the occasion grunt, sigh, or sound of chains clanking together. There is an established dominance in this scene of prisoner verses overseer as the white men holding guns pace back and forth while watching the prisoners work chained to each other. The prisoners continue singing their song, telling the story of a sheriff who asks his deputy to bring him Lazarus but the latter refuses on account of Lazarus being a “dangerous man.” Lazarus, a primary biblical figure from the Gospel of John, fell ill and died until Jesus is said to have resurrected him four days after his death. The “danger” that the deputy talks about in this opening song is not from Lazarus being a direct threat, but rather a symbol of God and His power. Here, in this song, before the plot is even addressed, the Coen Brothers are setting up the conversation that will be highlighted throughout the whole movie- the division between God and the State. Rooted in the discourse of God versus the State, race will also be a prominent topic in discovering how this movie tells the history of the South during the Great Depression.

Prisoners, executioners, and musicians that sell their souls. The character roles in O Brother, Where Art Thou? establish a clear divide between black people and white people as well as between State and “non-State.” Following the baptism of Delmar and Pete, the group meets Tommy Johnson, a black musician on his way to town. Tommy tells the gang that he had a meeting with the devil the night prior, where he sold his soul in exchange for musical talent. This reference comes from an old tale of the musician Robert Johnson, who was claimed to have done the same deal with the devil (Havers). However, the point of interest is not in the similarities of these two stories but rather the one difference: the devil that Tommy met was white. This stark contrast in the detail of the devil’s race plays into this thematic motif where Tommy, a black man, is put into a position where he is selling himself out for a white man. This extends further however into the analysis of the white man as the representation of the State and the black man as it’s antithesis. The Coen Brothers chose to attempt to present these ideas of exaggerated versions of racial roles as well as an overdramatized reference to religion to call out the mythical perception of the “South.”

The discussion about race and racial roles in the American South is an important and ongoing one. There is a divide between these races set up early in the movie in order to clearly define the racial roles between black people and white people. There is a purpose to this, in order to both explain the history of segregation which lived in the South as well as to mirror the argument of God verses the State. Segregation is an era of history that, debatably, still lives on today. By inserting this narrative into a movie highlighting the myths of the perceived idea of the South, the Coen Brothers by association and perhaps even purpose, group the histories of racism, black and white segregation, and even slavery into the same conclusion that it is a myth of the past. The argument they are making here is not that these events never occurred, but rather they no longer exist today in the same extreme sense.

Black-ness is depicted again near the end of the movie, acting as executioners to put Delmar, Everett, and Pete to death at the request of the Sheriff. Here they sing the song “Lonesome Valley,” a slow, harmonic song that talks of a lonesome valley where one must go alone to ask for the Lord’s forgiveness. This song is overlaid with the sound of the three praying while they are at death’s door, with Everett’s prayers clearest of them all. Once again, the State and God are face to face as the Sheriff looks down at them ready to enforce his power and Everett prays to God to show mercy and have pity on them. Everett’s prayers are answered as a great flood burst through the setting and wipes them out. This flood, purposefully ordered by the state in order to modernize the area, pulls from both sides of the God vs. State debate and demands attention as being a potential symbol of both. “Lonesome Valley” is still being sung while the water washes away everything in sight, both symbolizing God’s absolute power over these situations, referencing the story of Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood, and calling into question the power of prayer verses coincidence with the state’s power. With Everett, Pete, Delmar, and Tommy saved and the sheriff seemingly washed away, it seems clear that God is the winner of this battle- until it is proved that here religion, too, is being called a myth.

The American South has been stereotyped, depicted, and generalized throughout history as a place teeming with racism and consisting mostly of an uneducated (or undereducated) white population. Religion plays its own role in the depiction of the South, known widely as a place where religion is the glue holding communities (and sometimes even governments) together and in turn a place where religion is infamous for being the source of backing up counterarguments when accused of prejudices. The Coen Brothers are using these typical southern tropes in a way to call direct attention to them and acknowledge that these attributes are just myths about the American South and by calling them out in such a way, the audience can determine that as well. Religion finds its way into this myth, because believing in religion verses calling it a myth is not uncommon, even today. There is an ongoing debate determining the validity of religion, not just “God,” but whether or not ideals, cultures, and most importantly governments should be centered around one religion. The Coen Brothers are calling out this idea and looking at the extreme differences and contrasts between religion and the government, mostly in terms of which one has the higher power.

It is up to the viewer of O Brother, Where Art Thou? to make their own interpretation of the movie and the messages it is sending. The way that black-ness gets intertwined throughout the movie with religion, as if black people are on the sides of a higher power, is a powerful move made by the movie’s producers. However, the idea of these ideologies as myths is a complicated one to get behind fully. The Coen Brother’s depiction of racism and segregation as something of the past is definitely a more controversial stance, especially when black people are still struggling with equality, mainly due to roadblocks put in front of them by governments, the elite, and consequentially- white people. The intertwining of race and religion versus government is still being dealt with today and it is important when watching O Brother, Where Art Thou? to understand that the line between reality and myth can be fuzzy and it is the job of the viewer to gain some opinion or perspective on how they are contributing to this history.

Works Cited

“O Brother: Where Art Thou?”

Havers, Richard. “The Devil's Music: The Life And Legacy Of Robert Johnson.” UDiscover Music, 15 Aug. 2019, https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/devils-music-myth-robert-johnson/.