"Cotton Fields" was a folk revival hit by the Highwaymen, hence the composer credits given as "Arr. and Adapt. by Dave Fisher," a member of that group. In reality the song originated with bluesman Huddie Ledbetter (Lead Belly) and was given additional exposure by Odetta and her partner Larry in their much-emulated arrangement on a 1954 recording for the Fantasy label. "Cotton Fields" was also brought to the session by Bradley. The Highwaymen's United Artists version of the song had barely been released and didn't get onto the charts until the day after Monroe's session on December 1." In an at-tempt to emulate the original he uses a trio on the vocals—an unusual feature in an age when he preferred to sing more and more solos. "Journey's End," like "Live and Let Live," was an older country standard originally recorded by Ernest Tubb in 1954. Composer credits were to Tubb and Virgil "Poppy" Stewart, a Blytheville, Arkansas singer who led the popular Stewart Family gospel group that recorded for 4–Star in the 1940s. Although not a gospel song it had the kind of starkness that appealed to Monroe, and it is quite likely that he chose it to round out the album's vocals.
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