NOTE : And ads added to this video have been added by You Tube without my permission.

This song was written by Utah Philips back in 1961.
He remembers being on a ship during his time in the military, and feeling down and looking out at the dark Atlantic. He got drunk and wrote “Rock Salt and Nails”, and sang it one time to his friend Rosalie Sorrels, and never performed it again. again.

“I never sang it since because it’s a hard, angry love song, and I don’t feel that way about it anymore,” Phillips explains. “And besides, the person involved in this song is still very much alive, and it would simply be unfair.”

I was reminded of the song whilst watching a video of Willie Watson playing it.

This isn't my best version - I accidentally wiped that one, and now I'm feeling bitter and mean!