submissions
| The Band – The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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Stoneman conducted cavalry raids throughout the mountains of Virginia., North Carolina, and Tennessee late in the war, in the "winter of 65", as the song says. This area included the Richmond and Danville Railroad, which is what the song is referring to. |
submissions
| The Band – The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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Yeah, what marcevan said. By May 10th Richmond had indeed fallen. For the most part this song is very accurate, referencing Jefferson Davis' escape to Danville Va., and Stoneman's cavalry raids throughout the mountains of Va., Tenn., and N.C. |
submissions
| The Band – The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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I believe "they should never have taken the very best" is a general reference to all of the young men killed in the war. While this song is historically accurate, you can't take all of it literally. |
submissions
| The Band – The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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I thought I'd throw my two cents in. This song has fascinated me for years, both as a historian and musician. Here's a little historical background...
Union Gen. George Stoneman led extensive cavalry raids throughout the mountains of Virginia, east Tennessee and North Carolina during the first few months of 1865, the "winter of '65". Some of these raids may have in the vicinity of Danville, Va. Near the end of the war, Confederate president Jefferson Davis fled to Danville on the Richmond and Danville Railroad, and was eventually captured in Georgia.
As for Robert E. Lee...I think you might have to use a little poetic license here. Maybe it's referring to "The Robert E. Lee", referring to a steamboat or train...maybe it's referring to a Robert E. Lee "sighting" (although he was never in Tennessee during the war) Who knows...sometimes songwriters and storytellers stretch the facts. It's all part of the storytelling tradition.
I think the line "you can't raise a Caine back up" is a great play on words, in multiple ways. Raising Cain, as in raising hell...raising cane, as in crops...raising Caine, referring to his dead brother.
It's really a brilliant song, both from a historical perspective and a writer's perspective. |
submissions
| The Clash – Inoculated City Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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There were two versions of this song, as someone mentions above. The early releases featured the audio from a 2000 Flushes (toilet cleaner) commercial. At some point the Clash were threatened with legal action, so later releases did away with the commercial. I had Rock The Casbah on 45 rpm...if I recall rightly, this song was the "B" side |
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