In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Virgil Caine is the name
And I served on the Danville train
'Til Stoneman's cavalry came
And they tore up the tracks again
In the winter of '65, we were hungry, just barely alive
By May the tenth, Richmond had fell
It's a time I remember, oh so well
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na"
Back with my wife in Tennessee
When one day she called to me
"Say Virgil, quick, come see
There goes the Robert E. Lee"
Now I don't mind choppin' wood
And I don't care if my money's no good
You take what you need and you leave the rest
But they should never have taken the very best
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na"
Like my father before me
I will work the land
And like my brother above me
Who took a rebel stand
He was just eighteen, proud and brave
But a Yankee laid him in his grave
And I swear by the mud below my feet
You can't raise a Caine back up when he's in defeat
The night they drove old Dixie down
When all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na"
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And you could hear 'em all singing
They went, "Na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na"
And I served on the Danville train
'Til Stoneman's cavalry came
And they tore up the tracks again
In the winter of '65, we were hungry, just barely alive
By May the tenth, Richmond had fell
It's a time I remember, oh so well
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na"
Back with my wife in Tennessee
When one day she called to me
"Say Virgil, quick, come see
There goes the Robert E. Lee"
Now I don't mind choppin' wood
And I don't care if my money's no good
You take what you need and you leave the rest
But they should never have taken the very best
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na"
Like my father before me
I will work the land
And like my brother above me
Who took a rebel stand
He was just eighteen, proud and brave
But a Yankee laid him in his grave
And I swear by the mud below my feet
You can't raise a Caine back up when he's in defeat
The night they drove old Dixie down
When all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na"
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And you could hear 'em all singing
They went, "Na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na"
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down Lyrics as written by Robbie Robertson
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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