submissions
| Bob Dylan – Blind Willie McTell Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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The St James Hotel is in London and Dylan was staying there when he wrote this song. It's about the link between the place and a Blind Willie Mctell song called Dying Crapshooters Blues. The hotel is on the site of an old hospital; in the 18th century someone wrote a song about a man dying there of syphillus. As the song travelled across England and ireland it became a song about a dying sailor or soldier. When it reached the USA it became a song about a destitute woman - Lament of A Bad Girl - and as the song went westwards it became a song about a dying cowboy. In the southeast, it was taken up by Blind Willie McTell. Dylan knew a lot about folk music and knew this song's history, and his stay at St James was his inspiration to write the song. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Blind Willie McTell Lyrics
| 12 years ago
|
|
St James is a hotel in London that Bob Dylan was staying in. It's on the site of an old hospital. There was a song first collected in the 18th century about a man dying of syphillus there, That song travelled around England and became a song about a dying sailor and a soldier. It travelled across to the USA and became a song about a destitute woman - Lament of a Bad Girl. It went westwards and became a song about cowboys. It went to the southeast and was taken up by Blind Willie McTell who made intot the Dying Crapshooter's Blues. Dylan knew the history of this song and it was this that he was capturing in the lyrics while he stayed on the site where the song first started |
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