Robert W. Harwood, author of  the book “I Went Down To St. James Infirmary” and creator of the blog by the same title interviews Blair Thomas:

“St. James Infirmary” has a great untold story lurking in between its few short verses. . . . There is an intimate relationship between puppetry and death, and I see this song as a form of mourning or grief at the loss of a loved one.  Continue to article.