"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a song written by Robbie Robertson and first recorded by The Band in 1969. It is interesting to note that this song about the American Civil War was written by Robertson who is a half-Mohawk Indian, half-Jewish Canadian. Jaime Robert Robertson (born July 5, 1943 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a songwriter, guitarist and singer, best known for his membership in The Band. ... For other uses, see Band. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... This article is becoming very long. ... The Mohawk (Kanienkeh or Kanienkehaka meaning People of the Flint) are an indigenous people of North America who live around Lake Ontario and the St. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ...

Meaning of song

The lyrics tell of Virgil Cain watching as the Union Army General George Stoneman destroys the railroad where he makes a living, and then witnessing the fall of Richmond, Virginia. Virgil relates and mourns the loss of his brother, "He was just eighteen, proud and brave / But a Yankee laid him in his grave." The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... Portrait of George Stoneman during the Civil War George Stoneman (August 22, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a career U.S. Army officer, a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the Governor of California between 1883 and 1887. ... Nickname: The River City Motto: Sic Itur Ad Astra (Thus do we reach the stars) Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia Coordinates: Country United States State Virginia County Independent City Mayor L. Douglas Wilder (D) Area    - City 62. ... The term Yankee currently refers to people from or in New England; by extension it is applied to any resident of the Northeast (New England, Mid-Atlantic, and upper Great Lakes states), to any Northerner during and after the American Civil War, or to other citizens of the United States. ...

The song's central lament—"You take what you need and you leave the rest / But they should never have taken the very best"—is an apparent commentary on the utter destruction of the Southern homes, cities and infrastructure that was the result of a war that lasted over four years and in which there were approximately 600,000 fatalities.

Robertson claimed that he had the music to the song in his head but had no idea what it was to be about. "At some point [the concept] blurted out to me. Then I went and I did some research and I wrote the lyrics to the song." Robertson continued, "When I first went down South, I remember that a quite common expression would be, 'Well don't worry, the South's gonna rise again.' At one point when I heard it I thought it was kind of a funny statement and then I heard it another time and I was really touched by it. I thought, 'God, because I keep hearing this, there's pain here, there is a sadness here.' In Americana land, it's a kind of a beautiful sadness."^{[citation needed]}

Contribution of Levon Helm

Adding further resonance is the vocal delivery of the song by Arkansas-bred Levon Helm, who also provides the loping, ragged beat that suits the song's defeated yet proud theme. Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Area  Ranked 29th  - Total 53,179 sq mi (137,002 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 261 miles (420 km)  - % water 2. ... Levon Helm performing in The Last Waltz. ...

Robertson noted Helm's contribution to the song by describing that in the original version of his song he had a verse about Abraham Lincoln. Helm, having been brought up in the South, advised Robertson that this would not be appropriate. Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809—April 15, 1865) was the 16th President of the United States (March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865). ...

Context within the album and The Band's history

According to the liner notes to the 2000 reissue of "The Band" by Rob Bowman, the album, "The Band", has been viewed as a concept album, with the songs focusing on peoples, places and traditions associated with an older version of Americana. For other uses, see Band. ...

Though never a major hit, "Dixie" was the centerpiece of The Band's self-titled second album, and, along with "The Weight" from Music From Big Pink, remains the song most identified with the group. The Weight is the title of a 1968 song by The Band. ... Music From Big Pink is the 1968 debut album by folk-rock band The Band. ...

The song "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is part of the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.^[1] The Rock and Roll Hall of Fames 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll is based on the permanent exhibit of the same name. ...

Covers of song

The song spawned a handful of cover versions, notably Joan Baez's top-10 version from 1971, as well as one by Richie Havens. Johnny Cash covered the song on his 1974 album John R. Cash. In addition, it was a live staple of Jerry Garcia's various solo configurations. Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941) is an American folk singer and songwriter known for her highly individual vocal style. ... Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... Johnny Cash (born J. R. Cash, February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was a multi Grammy Award-winning influential American country and rock and roll singer and songwriter. ... In 1969, Johnny Cash was the best-selling recording artist in the United States. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Of particular interest is the lyrics change made by Baez. She changed the words "there goes Robert E. Lee" to "there goes the Robert E. Lee," apparently changing the reference from the general to a steamboat.

In 1972, a cover of the song named "Am Tag, als Conny Kramer starb" (which translates as "On the Day Conny Kramer Died"), was a number one hit in West Germany for singer Juliane Werding. For this version, the lyrics have not been translated, but rather changed completely to an anti-drug anthem about a young man dying because of his drug addiction -- an extremely hot topic in that year, when heroin was making the first big inroads in Germany. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Heroin ((INN) Diacetylmorphine , (BAN) diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid. ...

This song has also been covered by The Black Crowes. Live versions can be found on a few of their 2005 & 2006 Instant Live recordings, and on their video "Freak and Roll into the Fog". The Black Crowes are a blues-oriented hard rock jam band that have sold over 15 million albums and were hailed by Melody Maker as The Most Rock n Roll Rock n Roll Band in the World. The band has toured with acts such as Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Jimmy Page... Instant Live is a service by Clear Channel which provides for the distribution of high quality live recordings of concerts and music events. ...

Jackie Greene performed the song as an encore several times on tour in 2006, later posting it online for fans.[1] Jackie Greene Mid-solo in Sacramento, 2005 Jackie Greene (born on November 27, 1980 in Monterey, California) is a singer-songwriter and blues musician. ...

The Allman Brothers Band have also performed the song recently, including at Bonnaroo in 2005. The Allman Brothers Band is a band from Macon, Georgia, labeled by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the principal architects of Southern rock. ... ...

The Twilight Singers have performed excerpts from the song on the last leg of their 2006 tour. The Twilight Singers is an American rock band. ...

Michael Vermillion, a Seattle area musician, and former member of the band Vendetta Red, recorded a version, and often performs the song at his live shows. Vendetta Red was a rock band from Seattle, Washington. ...