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North Country Blues Lyrics
Come gather 'round friends
And I'll tell you a tale
Of when the red iron pits ran plenty.
But the cardboard-filled windows
And old men on the benches
Tell you now that the whole town is empty.
In the north end of town,
My own children are grown
But I was raised on the other.
In the wee hours of youth,
My mother took sick
And I was brought up by my brother.
The iron ore poured
As the years passed the door,
The drag-lines an' the shovels they was a-humming.
'Til one day my brother
Failed to come home
The same as my father before him.
Well a long winter's wait,
From the window I watched.
My friends they couldn't have been kinder.
And my schooling was cut
As I quit in the spring
To marry John Thomas, a miner.
Oh the years passed again
And the givin' was good,
With the lunch bucket filled every season.
What with three babies born,
The work was cut down
To a half a day's shift with no reason.
Then the shaft was soon shut
And more work was cut
And the fire in the air, it felt frozen.
'Til a man come to speak
And he said in one week
That number eleven was closin'.
They complained in the East,
They are paying too high.
They say that your ore ain't worth digging.
That it's much cheaper down
In the South American towns
Where the miners work almost for nothing.
So the mining gates locked
And the red iron rotted
And the room smelled heavy from drinking.
Where the sad, silent song
Made the hour twice as long
As I waited for the sun to go sinking.
I lived by the window
As he talked to himself,
This silence of tongues it was building.
Then one morning's wake,
The bed it was bare,
And I's left alone with three children.
The summer is gone,
The ground's turning cold,
The stores one by one they're a-foldin'.
My children will go
As soon as they grow.
Well, there ain't nothing here now to hold them.
I read that it was his FIRST song written from the perspective of a women. You can't figure that out from the song. Also I don't think anyone needs advice on how to enjoy Dylan. A little supplemental reading never hurt anyone. Especially when the artist in question generally writes relatively dense lyrics. Finally, what the fuck are you doing here if you don't think we should be reading about Dylan's songs.
It's not that hard to realize it's written from the perspective of a woman. Just look at the verse when he sings "I quit in the Spring to marry John Thomas, a miner..." And of course Dylan himself can't marry a guy. This song is so well-written and has a loving blue melody which always captures me.
It's not that hard to realize it's written from the perspective of a woman. Just look at the verse when he sings "I quit in the Spring to marry John Thomas, a miner..." And of course Dylan himself can't marry a guy. This song is so well-written and has a loving blue melody which always captures me.
In the long tradition of mining songs. And, almost, an anti-globalisation song ahead of it's time - a North American mine shutting cause it cannot compete with the prices of competitors in South America where labour costs are cheaper, and which those they supply are happy to buy from. And the story for much of the US, UK and other mining industries. And speaking of the need for international workers solidarity - to prevent the exploitation of those workers in South America, and the jobs of those North America from being lost as unscrupulous and exploitative practices in South America could allow their production costs to be undercut.
A song that, like most mining songs, that if you're from a mining background at all, sends a chill.
You 'read' that? You could have just listened to the song. I admit that it's easy to miss that it's from the perspective of a woman, especially with Dylan's style of singing (but the line ' To marry John Thomas, a miner' is a clue)... My point is, you don't need to read about it. Listen and enjoy. It's a ballad, the story is laid out plain, without oblique references and metaphores. It's strength lays in it's haunting melody and simple yet beautifully poetic voice that is so evocative of the characters it portrays.
"So the mining gates locked And the red iron rotted And the room smelled heavy from drinking" - sends a shiver down my spine every time.
I read that this was Dylan first song written entirely from the perspective of a women. It about living the mining life and the effect of it closing on this women and her family.
This song is so sad the way Dylan sings it, One of my favorates of his.
I think it's incredeble how a song written so long ago has relevents today. "My children will go As soon as they grow. Well, there ain't nothing here now to hold them" I know exactly what he means because i feel i have to leave where i live to find work. I would also say i'm a fan of songs written from the other sexes ppoint of view.