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Live 01 Sep 1971 version
Virgil Caine is the name
And I served on the Danville train
'Til stoneman's cavalry came
And tore up the tracks again
Was In the winter of sixty-five
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, "La, la-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la."
Back with my wife in Tennessee
When one day she called to me
"Virgil, quick, come see
There goes the Robert E. Lee!"
Now, I don't mind chopping wood
And I don't care if my money's no good
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 the people were singing!
They went, "La, la-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la."
Like my father before me
I will work the land
Like my brother before me
I took a rebel stand
Just 18, so proud and brave
When a Yankee laid him in his grave
I swear by the mud below my feet
You can't raise a Cain 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 the people were singing!
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing!
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, "La, la-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la.
La, la-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la.
La, la-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la."
THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN is a song originally released by The Band in 1969. See the original The Band version for more details.
The above lyrics are for a live 01 Sep 1971 performance of THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN at Garfield Park in Long Branch, NJ, with The Bruce Springsteen Band. The song was played in a slow full-band arrangement.
This was a triple-bill outdoor show orchestrated by Tinker West's Blah Productions. The show was headlined by The Bruce Springsteen Band (Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, David Sancious, Garry Tallent, and Vini Lopez). The support acts were originally Sweet Chariot and Tumbleweed, but it appears that the latter was replaced at the last minute by The Joe Hagstrom Squeak Band. A 66-minute fair-quality audience recording from this show is in circulation among collectors. However, this performance apparently lasted nearly two hours, so there's quite a bit missing and discernible edits can be heard in between songs on the audio source.
THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN is known to have been performed at least once in Bruce Springsteen's early years (pre-October 1972), on 01 Sep 1971 in Long Branch, NJ. Very little is known about shows from this early period, and therefore, the song must have been played on some more dates. The song was played in a slow full-band arrangement.
Thanks Chris at born2run.de for the lyrics help. Much of the above information about the 01 Sep 1971 show is taken from Brucebase.
If you have any additional information or any corrections to the above lyrics, please contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN on this website:
THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN [Live 01 Sep 1971 version]