Does anyone here know the story behind the song "He Ain't Heavy"?

Question

he Lyrics go something like this. This is Cher's version:

"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"

The road is long, with many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where, who knows where
But I'm strong, strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy - he's my brother

So on we go, his welfare is my concern
No burden is he to bare, we'll get there
For I know he would not encumber me
He ain't heavy - he's my brother

If I'm laden at all, I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart isn't filled with gladness of love for one another
It's a long long road from which there is no return
While we're on our way to there, why not share
And the load, it doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy - he's my brother
He ain't heavy - he's my brother, he's my brother, he's my brother

(This version doesn't mention copyright or the author. I don't mean to break copyright laws by posting it here. I'm assuming it's public domain.)

In any case, there has to be a story behind the song. Does anyone here know the story behind "He Ain't Heavy"?

Answer 1

That s a song by the Hollies, created in the 60s and composed by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell, when the later was dying of cancer. What I recall, is that both composers created this song being far apart, and meeting just a couple of times for final arrangements.

IT is said that Roe Fulkerson, from Kiwanis Magazine, published the full title of the song long time before, around September 1924 .

www.girlsandboystown.org/ website estates that "Over the years, Father Flanagan had seen numerous examples of boys helping each other in a fashion similar to the one depicted in the publication. He thought the drawing would be a perfect example to illustrate the work done at Girls and Boys Town. Father Flanagan contacted the company in August of 1943 for permission to reproduce the two boys in full color and to change the caption to 'He ain't heavy, Father . . . he's m' brother.'" Consequently, the phrase became the motto of Girls and Boys Town, and the image became the universal, enduring image of the organisation. The story of Father Flanagan was told in the 1938 movie Boys Town starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG 'He ain't heavy, Father, he's m' brother.

Boys Town, near Omaha, Nebraska, is a community for neglected and homeless boys. It was founded in 1917 by Father Edward Joseph Flanagan, who started with five youngsters in an old rented house. Over the years, from humble beginnings, a 1,400-acre community was built that became a village in 1936.

Self-governing and non-sectarian, Boys Town is supported in part by voluntary contributions. The Omaha Boys Town cares for over 500 boys and (since 1984) girls, who live in home settings and have available a range of educational facilities and health and counselling services. Boys Town also operates programmes in other states.

Boys Town, and the film of the same name starring Spencer Tracey, inspired the writing of The Hollies' classic, He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother by Americans Bobby Scott and Bobby Russell.

Tony Hicks says: "Yes, I pulled "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" out of a publishers., simply because it was a good song. I wasn't consciously looking for a different direction for The Hollies. I used to go into music publishers and I'd listen to 20-30 songs and just bring out the ones that appealed to me and play them to Ron Richards. I heard the song and I took it to Ron. There was no great excitement, nobody was saying you've really got a wonderful song there, which is going to be a world-wide smash and it will be played for years to come. They listened and went mm, yes, well it's quite pleasant. The attitude was let's give it a try and we did and it's the most important song we ever recorded"

He Aint Heavy, He's My Brother
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Answer 4

Roe Fulkerson printed a story with this title in Kiwanis magazine in september, 1924. The story says that Fulkerson was driving down the street one day and this boy was carrying his tired little brother on his back. Fulkerson pulls over and asks if they needed a ride that he must be heavy. The older boy replies " He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother". As the legend goes, the boys were homeless because their father was killed in WWI and after years of trying their mother could no longer care for them, so they were trying to get to Boy's Town.

Answer 5

The title came from the motto for Boys Town, a community formed in 1917 by a Catholic priest named Father Edward Flanagan. Located in Omaha, Nebraska, it was a place where troubled or homeless boys could come for help. In 1941, Father Flanagan was looking at a magazine called The Messenger when he came across a drawing of a boy carrying a younger boy on his back, with the caption, "He ain't heavy Mr., he's my brother." Father Flanagan thought the image and phrase captured the spirit of Boys Town, so he got permission and commissioned a statue of the drawing with the inscription, "He ain't heavy Father, he's my brother." The statue and phrase became the logo for Boys Town. In 1979, girls were allowed and the name was eventually changed to Girls And Boys Town. The logo was updated with a drawing of a girl carrying a younger girl added.

Answer 6

In 1884, James Wells, Moderator of the United Free Church of Scotland, in his book The Parables of Jesus tells the story of a little girl carrying a big baby boy. Seeing her struggling, someone asked if she wasn't tired. With surprise she replied, "No, he's not heavy; he's my brother."[3]

In a 1918 publication by Ralph Waldo Trine titled The Higher Powers of Mind and Spirit, he relates the following anecdote: "Do you know that incident in connection with the little Scottish girl? She was trudging along, carrying as best she could a boy younger, but it seemed almost as big as she herself, when one remarked to her how heavy he must be for her to carry, when instantly came the reply: 'He's na heavy. He's mi brither.'"[4]

The first editor of Kiwanis magazine, Roe Fulkerson, published a column in September 1924 carrying the title "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", the first use of the phrase exactly as it is rendered in the song title.

In the 1940s, the words, adapted as "He ain't heavy, Father, he's my brother", were taken as a slogan for Boys Town children's home by founder Father Edward Flanagan.[5]

Answer 7

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Does anyone here know the story behind the song "He Ain't Heavy"?
he Lyrics go something like this. This is Cher's version:

"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"

The road is long, with many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where, who knows where
But I'm strong, strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy - he's my...

Answer 8

It's the logo for BoysTown. Father Flanagan (founder) saw it as a caption for a picture drawn by a young man in the 40's.

Answer 9

In addition to Boys Town and the original cartoon, I have a feeling that the saying or something similar comes up somewhere in the Bible, maybe the old testament. You might want to re-ask the question under religion to find out if there is a bible story behind it.

Answer 10

It was said by one of the song writers that it was inspired by a story from a Vietnam vet who was walking down a road with his troop, heading towards a village that had just been bombed. They passed this boy who was carrying his dead brother away from the destroyed village. One of the men asked the child in Vietnamese isn t his body heavy? The little boy responded, "He s not heavy, he s my brother."