Jerry Garcia - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - 12/08/75

[LeftyFingerPop]

1975, when Jerry still had that youthful sweetness to his voice. Crank it, if you are so inclined.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcu0aDy_mtY

Virgil Caine is the name and I served on the Denver train
Stoneman's cavalry came and tore up the tracks again
In the winter of '65 we was hungry, just barely alive
By May 10, Richmond had fell, it was a time I remember,
Oh so well

The night they drove ole Dixie down, all the bells were ringing
The night they drove ole Dixie down, all the people were singing
Na, na na na na na na, na na na na na na, na na na na na na

Back with my wife in Tennessee one day she called for me
Virgil quick come see there goes the "Robert E. Lee"
I don't mind chopping wood and I don't care
If the money's no good
Take what you need and leave the rest
They should never have taken the very best

Like my father before me, I'm a peaceful man
Like my brother before me, I took a rebel stand
Just 18, proud and gray, but a Yankee laid him in his grave
Swear by the blood running through (on) my feet
You can't raise a Caine back up when he's in defeat

[NNadir]

1. It's um, Danville Train. Denver's not in Dixie.

Don't worry though, the whole song is nonsense.

Robert E. Lee didn't go to Tennesee during the war, although units of his army under Longstreet did.

Richmond fell in April not May and so on...

[LeftyFingerPop]

2. Take a happy pill.

I did a cut and paste on the lyrics. Contact the song writer for any historical discrepancies.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

3. "the Robert E Lee was in reference to a boat and May 10th is in

reference to Jefferson Davis:
On May 10, 1865, former Confederate President Jefferson Davis was captured near Irwinville, Georgia. On that same day, President Andrew Johnson announced that armed resistance in the South had come to an end. From the day Richmond had fell (Confederates abandoned the town on April 2 and Federals occupied it on the 3rd) up until May 10, the various organized Confederate forces continued to surrender. By May 10, most if not all had accepted their paroles. On a side note, William Quantrill was fatally wounded on the 10th and died on June 6. So something big did happen on the 10th. Unfortunately, it got confused in the telling, with the author confusing the fall of Richmond with the official end of the war.

more at link:
http://theband.hiof.no/articles/dixie_viney.html

[Inchworm]

5. umm *cough* thanks

I knew you were the 2nd best. Err.. 3rd best.. well, I do love my daughter.

:hug:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

6. not sure...

:wtf: will take it as a compliment :D :hug: :hi:

in reference to "taken the very best" :shrug:

:toast:

[RoyGBiv]

10. Robert E. Lee ...

Just because the controversy fascinates me ...

Robert E. Lee *could* have referred to a steamboat, depending on the version of the song. The Band's original lyric was:

"Virgil, quick, come see! There goes Robert E. Lee"

Joan Baez changed it (whether it was intentional is a question), and either Garcia picked up her version or the lyrics site is wrong. Since it refers to "Denver" I'm placing no bets.

As it noted in that website, "Levon Helm:

'Robbie and I worked on "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" up in Woodstock. I remember taking him to the library so he could research the history and geography of the era and make General Robert E. Lee come out with all due respect.<20>

'In fact Lee never actually visited Tennessee after the war, but moved to Lexington, Virginia as president of Washington College, so it could be argued that Mr and Mrs Kane had a better chance of seeing the riverboat. But Levon's autobiography quoted above makes it sure that he meant the general, not the boat.'"

OnEdit: Meant to add this part. This issue of people thinking they saw people or at least passing down a story about it is of interest to me for non-musical reasons. It happened a lot.

"Bones

'the fact that Robert E Lee was never in Tennessee after the war doesn't mean that people didn't think they saw him. People in the South after the war constantly thought they saw Lincoln and General Lee, even though they couldn't have, and it would be passed down to generations even though it was historically incorrect.'

"Pat Brennan added this comment.

'Lee never went to Tennessee after the war. The closest he got was probably Charlotte, NC. However, many people-…especially ex-Confederates…claimed to see him all over the country, just as many ex-slaves claimed to see Lincoln after the war. That sort of public hysteria is common; you know, Elvis in Kalamazoo. Since Levon claimed to point Robbie to some books at a library when the song was forming, perhaps he clued Robbie into the phantom sightings. Or, perhaps, Robbie just thought it would be a cool image, whether it had historical weight or not.'"

[Inchworm]

4. Woooooooooooooooot

perfect for my wanderin mind drunk wanting more self.

Thanks.

Hunt some "band" pics.. I'm putting Twilight " up on teh internets.

:D

[Zomby Woof]

7. Beautiful song

Robbie Robertson wrote it because he felt there were forgotten people whose story needed to be told like everyone else's. That is true liberal populism.

Joan Baez did a great job with it too. Although the best version is from The Band's "Rock of Ages" live album. :-)

[MnFats]

8. he was just 18, proud and BRAVE

'gray' doesn't even rhyme !

[LeftyFingerPop]

9. Blame the internet...

Jesus Christ. You caught an error in some internet song lyrics. Yayyyyy!!!!!!!

[MnFats]

11. sorry. i was having a bad day. The money's no good. n/t

[Parche]

12. grateful dead sux

:grr: :grr: :grr: :hi:

i despise them

[Midlodemocrat]

13. More South Bashing. Have you NO shame, philboy?

:rofl: