Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Song of the Day: 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' by Joan Baez


Heard this on the way back from Phoenix yesterday -- had forgotten that it was the best song ever.

Posted by Kenneth M. Walsh at 5:15 AM

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3 comments:

stonrdude said...

Jeeze that was 1969, that was just yesterday.

2:48 PM
LarryEJ said...

Very mixed feelings about the song. I really like it in terms of the music and even the lyrics until you really listen to it. But when you do you realize it is supporting those who fought to maintain slavery.

5:52 PM
Kenneth M. Walsh said...

@LarryEJ: The lyrics sound like a celebration of the end of slavery:

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, na, la, na, na, la"

And even if you don't read them that way, songs are written from the perspective of people who aren't always good all the time. Are you pro-murder if you like Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska"? Of course not. But it's still a compelling song.

6:03 PM

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