I believe this is another amazingly on point and nuanced commentary on the insanity that follows emotionally abusive relationships. Telling not just a story with words, but taking you inside it and making you feel like you are there, with their interpretation. There is a huge difference between a singer who simply belts out a song that is on a page in front of them, and someone who can convey an entire experience with their voice. So, not a song about a poor girl, but a song of hope and how you can rise up no matter how far down you started. She's the one sitting in the drivers seat at the end.
She didn't let the naysayers and judgers stop her. She not only stayed alive, she turned her hard beginnings around, became self sufficient, successful and someone with respect for herself. And the powerful spirit of a poor young girl being abandoned to her future with only a red dress and her wits to keep her alive. Takes me to the deep South and the poverty of some who lived thru truly hard times. This song captivates me still, after 50+ years. But it is a completely different song than the other one that sounds slapped together in a few takes without a thought for the meaning. The only reason it was remade was to scoop up a boatload of money from a more modern and accepting audience. Just listening for the 784,654th time.and it's just perfect in every way.
