Things I did not know:

"Love Me Tender", which became a big hit for Elvis Presley back in 1956, has roots that go back much further. It's a reworked version of "Aura Lee," a song that dates back to the Civil War era.

The original lyrics went like this:

When the blackbird in the spring,'

On the willow tree,

Sat and rocked, I heard him sing,

Singing Aura Lea.

Aura Lea, Aura Lea,

Maid with golden hair;

Sunshine came along with thee,

And swallows in the air."

You can see why Elvis might have wanted a update. So to get us into the weekend, here's yet another version, a sweet duet between Brandi Carlile and Chris Isaak.

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The burial mounds at the Ocmulgee National Monument, near Macon, were built by Native Americans during the Mississippian period, around 1000 CE. The park, designated a National Historic Park, is part of the rich cultural resources of the Ocmulgee River Corridor. (Courtesy of the National Trust for Historic Preservation)

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