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 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 the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
They went, "Na, la-la-la, na-na
La-la, na-na, la-la-la-la-la"
Back with my wife in Tennessee
When one day she called to me
"Virgil, quick, come see
There goes Robert E. Lee"
Now I don't mind choppin' wood
And I don't care if the 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 the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, la-la-la, na-na
La-la, na-na, la-la-la-la-la"
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
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
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, la-la-la, na-na
La-la, na-na, la-la-la-la-la"
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
They went, "Na, la-la-la, na-na
La-la, na-na, la-la-la-la-la"
And I served on the Danville train
'Til Stoneman's cavalry came
And 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 the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
They went, "Na, la-la-la, na-na
La-la, na-na, la-la-la-la-la"
Back with my wife in Tennessee
When one day she called to me
"Virgil, quick, come see
There goes Robert E. Lee"
Now I don't mind choppin' wood
And I don't care if the 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 the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, la-la-la, na-na
La-la, na-na, la-la-la-la-la"
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
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
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, la-la-la, na-na
La-la, na-na, la-la-la-la-la"
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
They went, "Na, la-la-la, na-na
La-la, na-na, la-la-la-la-la"
Lyrics submitted by H-bomb, edited by vinegar800, RobertGary1
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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the way Levon explained it to me, it was based on a story told to him by his granddad when he was a boy. it is about being a southerner fighting for the confederacy, knowing that they are losing, and still taking pride in their beliefs, (no, not all confederates were pro-slavery). and its na,na,na NOT la,la,la. it is southerners mourning the fall of the confederacy, not rejoicing the war is over.
and btw, robertson was born and raised in canada, and he didn't learn to write music until after the last waltz. so how could he have written this song about being a southerner in the civil war.... just my two cents.
I don't know how you can interpret this song as anything other than a southerner singing it. "...I drove on the Danville Train". The Danville Train was the main supply line to Richmond. "In the winter of '65 we were hungry, just barely alive; by May the 10th when Richmond had fell ..." <br /> Clearly they are some down and out Confederates in the final days of the war.<br /> <br /> Robertson had to have known how to write music before The Last Waltz. He gets the writing credit for almost all their songs on their prior albums. <br /> <br /> I read where Robertson had this melody in his mind for years, finally hit upon this story, did a little research where he no doubt learned about Stoneman, etc, then wrote the song. Not sure if Levon contributed to the lyrics or just proofread as someone has suggested.
The reason Robertson is listed as the sole writer for this and many other Band songs is that he was the only one with the sense and foresight to copyright the songs himself. He put money before music, screwing over those with the real talent. That is why The Band broke up in '76. My claim is validated by the fact that Robertson was not invited join the group when they reunited in '83.
Robbie Robertson, a very pretentious person whom I do not like, DID in fact write this song. Even Levon said as much in his autobiography. Levon told Robbie about this story and Robbie wrote this song about it. He actually composed it on piano.<br /> <br /> I'm not sure where you got your info regarding Robertson not learning to write music until after The Last Waltz - he wrote most of The Band's songs right from the first album onward. The controversy between Robbie and the rest of The Band (especially Levon) is that the other bandmates feel they should have at least received co-writing credits on many of their songs. Robbie is listed as the sole writer on many songs that the others say they contributed significantly.
First off a clarification: Yes, Robertson is a vicious prick. Yes he is Canadian. Contrary to popular opinion we are not all nice, just like all Americans arent fat and dumb. <br /> <br /> Yes he did fuck over his band-mates and they did resent him for it. Levon had to play and record music pretty much right up until his death to pay his medical bills. Ironic because if HE were Canadian, it would all have been covered. <br /> <br /> Robertson did write a great deal of the music for The Band. I dont know where the idea came from that he didnt know how to write music until around the time of this recording. That just isnt true. Off all the former Band members, he had the most successful solo career by far. <br /> <br /> What many other song writers do is include the other members of the band with song writing credit when they tweak a song or make suggestions. Robertson did not. Some bands today, like U2 for example, just credit the whole band on every song.<br /> <br /> A Canadian can write the music about the Civil War. When you think about it, most people that write songs about specific wars werent in them.