Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2002-11-12
- Album Name: The Very Best Of Ralph Stanley
Song Meaning (Interpretation) of “Rank Stranger” by Ralph Stanley
“Rank Stranger” is a bluegrass song from Ralph Stanley’s 2002 album, Clinch Mountain Sweethearts. The song tells the story of a man whose beloved has died, leaving him alone and feeling like a stranger to all he once knew. The song paints a vivid emotional portrait of heartache, painting a picture of a man who can no longer take comfort in familiar places and people, since all the love in his life has gone, leaving him alienated. The narrator expresses feelings of pain and longing for their lost love, while also expressing acceptance of his new reality. The lyrics and the title of the song point to the narrator’s understanding that his life has irrevocably changed, and he must adjust to, and accept, it.