Levon's vocals put the hard life of those times right out there. There were no radios, no phones, no TV, no computers, no cars, nothing. Compared to today it was a horrible situation.
Dixie: basically, the states that made up the Confederacy during the Civil War The song is about the last days of the Civil War from a poor Confederate soldier's perspective. The saddest parts of the song are his grief for his lost brother and the line "they should have never taken the very best" which I think means how the best young men of the Confederacy were sent to war and their doom. --- As others have noted, the band was mostly Canadian. So, they aren't celebrating this history, they are putting themselves into this wretched (who just happened to be Southern) soldier's shoes -- it's an incredible show of empathy across generations, across thousands of miles, and in acknowledging the humanity of even those who fought to 'save' the South against the "War of Northern Aggression"
I'm pretty sure the singer's a farmer in the South, not a Confederate soldier. He's talking about when Stonewall Jackson's cavalry came through foraging for supplies and using Confederate money to pay for what they took.. While The Band began in Canada, Levon Helm was from Arkansas and grew up as the son of a sharecropper picking cotton in the fields along side Black sharecroppers. Robbie Robertson met him in the South and fell in love with the music he heard and that was a big influence on his own work.
@@WMalven Thanks for the reply and the info, BUT :-) I think you misunderstood part of the lyrics: - - - I served on the Danville train 'Til Stoneman's cavalry came and tore up the tracks again - - - So, he apparently was a soldier who served on the Danville train. Stoneman was the name of a Union general.
@@fewwiggle Well, well, you learn something new every day. Thanks for the correction and info. Just proves you can't assume anything. I had no idea that he was referring to a Union general, I had always assumed he was just using a nickname for Stonewall..
Any Southerner that eats black-eyed peas on new years for good luck steams from the winter of 1865 because when General Sherman went through Georgia and and stole all the crops. His men hated black-eyed peas and just left them. That's what we survived on in the winter of 1865.
This is one of the things I love about music. You listened to the song knowing nothing of the history and the comment section kindly gave you a mini history lesson. Love your honest reactions! ✌️
Stage Fright, King Harvest just about anything they put out is worth a listen! Robbie, Levon, Richard Garth and Rick, 4 Canadians and a Southerner. one of the greatest collective group of musicians brought together by the late great Ronnie Hawkins! RIP Hawk
The Richmond and Danville Railroad, which connected the Confederate capital at Richmond with Southside Virginia, was an instrumental supply route for the Confederacy during the American Civil War (1861-1865)..
Year of 1865 as the civil war was waning. Almost done in the south. Robbie read a article of the war and wrote this song to capture the spirit of the letters and historical facts from that era. Robbie Robertson is a fantastic writer of lyrics and songs. He is a Canadian + Native Mohawk heritage.
The song is about the Civil War. The "Night They drove Old Dixie Down" is about "Sherman's March To The Sea" in 1865 that finally basically ended a long 4 year War where the Union had failed to soundly defeat the Confederacy even though they outnumbered them 2.5 to 1. So, The Union decided to March through part of the South murdering, butchering & burning down everything in sight which included mostly innocent civilian Southerners who were not soldiers & had nothing to do with the War.
General Robert E. Lee was the Commander Of The Confederate Army and simultaneously the leader of The Army Of Northern Virginia. He managed to defeat the armies of The Union in several battles, but eventually The Confederate's troops were overwhelmed by The Union's generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman. The drummer / singer Levon Helm was the single so called Dixie in the group so he took Robbie Robertson, who wrote this song, to study a bit of the history and ensured that Lee would be treated respectfully. William T. Sherman was a supporter of the so called scorched earth tactics, meaning destroying everything, buildings, crops, infrastructure that the enemy could use. Naturally it devastated the entire society and the bitterness would stay decades on.
For the unwashed masses that know little about the Civil War, General Sherman was not involved with the battles of Petersburg, Richmond and Appomattox from 1864-1865. Grant was there of course, as was General Stoneman, whose calvary Levon Helm is singing about in the video above.
I read the comments, so, I know you understand the song. I can't imagine what it would have been fighting that war. My Great Grandad fought in The Civil War. It should have been my great, great grandad, however, my mother's father didn't have his children until he was in his '70s. Can you believe that? I think it's crazy and not even fair because likely you won't live to raise them and he didn't. This band and this song in particular takes me to another place in time. It's sad and beautiful at the same time.
The only stable bank in the South was in New Orleans. They issued ten dollar notes embossed with the word "dix" (French for ten) and these became known as "dixies" and that term was used to describe the area and eventually the whole South. That's one version. A word about R E Lee. He was man of impeccable honor and integrity. He inherited slaves as part of his wife's ( Mary Custis, the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington) dowry although he didn't want them - "I'm a soldier, not a farmer." He considered slavery "a great moral evil" and freed his slaves as long as they had a place to go. He also repeatedly urged Confederate president Jefferson Davis to emancipate them. Now they remove statues of Lee because "racism"
@@jaye4485 Glad you think it's "nice". FYI I don't do nice, only truth. So, your historical evidence to the contrary is..what? Slavery was a tertiary issue in the Civil War period. Most people in the North, and the South too for that matter, were indifferent. They didn't like it but didn't think it was worth going to war over. The only ones really invested in slavery were the planters. For them it was simply a way of controlling labor costs. They had all the political power in the South and they stupidly allowed themselves to be drawn into a disastrous and unnecessary war so they could retain their "property". The little people on both sides did the fighting and dying. The purpose of the war was not to "free the slaves" although that happened along the way. The purpose was to aggregate power at the federal level. That happened too. So the slaves were given freedom to wander the back roads and try to survive. Then white supremacy was re-imposed by the KKK, the militant faction of the Democrat party. It was crushed by U S Grant but revived by the dems in the early part of the 20th century. The 1924 Democrat convention became known as The Klan Bake as many of the delegates wore white robes. Now it has reached it's high point with make believe "president" Stoopid, a brain dead racist corruptotcrat. You must be happy as a clam
As a listener with a wide ocean in between the scenarios an me, I understand the song is about defeat, difficulties and pain caused by war, I don't feel its Southern propaganda. War is pain and los despite the sides.
The Band is one of my top 10 groups ever. You have to hear The Last Waltz Record "The Weight" with the Staple Singers. This is just fucking good and I swear you will love it! best regards from hamburg (germany)
The Richmond and Danville Railroad, which connected the Confederate capital city Richmond with south-side of the State of Virginia. This was an instrumental supply route for the southern Confederacy during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The railroad began construction in 1848 and maintained 140 miles in Virginia, holding one of the largest rolling stocks. The line moved southwest from Richmond to the city of Danville, Virginia, near the North Carolina border. While this railroad’s tracks did not exceed the state’s boundaries, it did provide connections to various sections of Virginia, particularly Southwest Virginia, through the Richmond and Petersburg and South Side railroads. Though the Richmond and Danville suffered immense damage during the Civil War, the Confederacy continuously used the railroad until Confederate general Robert E. Lee‘s surrender at Appomattox in April 1865.
Nobody bothered thinking about what the war did to the south at the time. Hey, screw those people because of slavery. But most of them didn't own slaves. They just suffered and that's all there was.
Definitely not Southern Rock. This is Folk Rock. The line "They should never have taken the very best" is as some have stated, an expression of grief for young men like his fallen brother in the Civil War, but also a criticism of the ongoing Vietnam War draft in the 1960's. Great folk songs work on many levels, lyrically
Union soldiers took EVERYTHING from civilians. Slaves had their own food stored and they took that too. They took EVERYTHING then burned it down as they were leaving.
The Band were 4 Canadians and one, Levon Helm, the drummer and singer on this track was from Arkansas. Robbie Robertson wrote th song as well as most of the song for The Band. He was born in Toronto, his mother was Mohawk and Cayuga and his father, who was killed before Robbie was born was Jewish. Robbie grew up with an abusive stepfather, music became his escape.
The Band & Emmylou Harris “Evangeline” from The Last Waltz. ☮️💜. The drummer, Levon Helm was from Arkansas and the rest were from Canada. They were once Bob Dylan’s band
I don’t think it’s any accident that the southern soldiers name in this song is Virgil Cain. I think that’s from scripture. Cain is the brother who slew Abel in the fields. The civil war was known as a war of brother against brother. Genius lyrics.
You got it. Virgil Cain was a guy who got caught up in the Civil War. His younger bro was killed. And the chopping wood was cuz the armies would scrounge off the the local people and they took his firewood which he was ok with, but man, not the very best. A song about one guy and his hardships in the war.
It's about the defeat of the Confederacy. Dixie is the nickname for the Southern United States, during the US Civil War it came to represent the Confederate States of America. The reference to torn-up railroad tracks is just that. The Union forces would destroy Confederate railroad tracks so they could not move supplies to what troops they had left. Many Confederate soldiers deserted in 1865 due to the fact they had no food. When the Civil War church bells were rung. Former slaves were singing in the streets.
Great song from a great group. RIP Levon Helm Next should be "It Makes no Difference", a very sad song. Lol it's a song about the fall of the south during the Civil War.
I like what you said at the beginning about listening to the studio version first then the live. I agree with your thinking. I usually like to read the comments but some of the replies to comments were rude & insulting. I don't understand why a point can't be made without being ugly about it. I guess I won't do that again. I'll probably get something mean replied to me now. LOL. I won't repeat what the song is about. You got a lot of folks telling you already. It's a great song. The Band is awesome. Please listen to......... UP ON CRIPPLE CREEK ......... that should be your next one.
Old Dixie is the name of the train, The lyrics of the song discuss the destruction of the Richmond and Danville Railroad that carried supplies for the Confederate Army at Petersburg,
Thank you for reacting to The Band. They have always been my favorite band, followed by AC DC. Can you react to their cover of Long Black Veil? It is a beautiful song. I love your channel. Keep up the great work. 😁
A very sad sad song about the worst war Americans ever endured. More Americans were killed in our own Civil War between 1861-1865 then all of Americas other wars combined.
As others have pointed out, this is about the end of the American Civil War from the perspective of a poor Confederate soldier. Another great history song by The Band is Acadian Driftwood. I think The Band are well worth the deep dive treatment.
At some point, Leon Helm, the main singer here, refused to perform this. I think it's because some in the audience sung the chorus, "and all the N... were singin' "
R.I.P to Richard Manuel,(🇨🇦) the bands pianist who tragically commited suicide in 1986. So in memory of Richard could you react to The shape I'm in,from" the last Waltz," it still my favorite from him, 🇨🇦💖🇺🇸 (Its the video you mentioned.)
Actually, The Band was 4 Canadians and 1 American (Levon Helm from Arkansas). This song was written by Robbie Robertson (guitar player) who is half Mohawk Indian and half Jewish-Canadian.
Thanks for appreciating a piece of art about a piece of history. That's real. History whether good or bad is necessary for growth. The band had talent, but they kind of rode in on Bob Dylan's nuts. I like the one's you did, but give Ophelia a listen.
If you like The Band, check out Robbie Robertson's solo album. Somewhere Down the Crazy River is, well, pretty special. 😏 UT always strikes me that this was written by a Canadian. Robbie Robertson is genius.
This song pertains to the U.S. Civil War, "the winter of '65", was 1865, after the end of the war, which ended in April of 1865. When his wife says "There goes Robert E. Lee", she was referring to the lead General of the Confederate States of America, the folks who were rebelling against the U.S. Government over Slavery and some other State's Rights issues. A very bad time for the USA, and a very important part of our history. Dixie was The South, and there is a song called "Dixie", which was their Anthem, and has some uncomfortable lyrics. Next from The Band, just do the whole film "The Last Waltz", it is one of the best concert films ever made, directed by Martin Scorsese ("Taxi Driver", "Mean Streets", "Goodfellas") and EVERY song is a classic.
Nope, sorry, but the Winter is always the first season of the year, from January to March. So, the Winter of '65 that Levon is singing about were the months January thru March of 1865, just before the end of the Civil War.
The song, as others have said, is from the point of view of a southern soldier at the end of the US Civil War. The Danville Train was a main supply route for the Confederates. The song was written back when you could write and sing about the confederacy without getting enmeshed in politics. This is good, but the live version on The Last Waltz is much better. "Up on Cripple Creek" is another great Band song.
The era in which this song was written and recorded was the most divided the country had been since the civil war, until today. This song was and is political in nature. Its explicit intent is to humanize and sympathize with a soldier who fought for the south. Personally, I have about the same amount of sympathy for the character in this song as I do for a regular German soldier in WW2. That is, very little. Only a little, because he didn't have much choice in joining, or any say at all in the goals he fought for, but he still fought in the name of evil.
Very good explanations below. I've had a new twist put into my own interpretation, so thank ya'll. The part about chopping wood, never should have taken the very best? I didn't think of that as meaning the youth who would die .. . I thought it referred to the troops marching through who would commandeer houses, take firewood, food from the smokehouse, chickens, milk cows, things needed for the soldiers' survival . . . but who sometimes would also take grandmother's silver sugar bowl, wife's ruby locket, fancy linens and lace, heirlooms, the family Bible -- stealing the GOOD stuff. Then set fire to the barn so you'd have no fodder for the livestock. Just meanness (or the spoils of war, depending on your interpretation). This went on with BOTH sides, North and South. It's a great song, written by Joan Baez, who sang it more Folk style.
Civil War. Robbie Robertson is a genius. He's now musical director for Frankie Valli! ( Four Seasons), and he's performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London this weekend.
Hey, you should check out Just another whistle stop from the 1974 the band concert in the Wembley Stadium, or the Song smoke signal. Another good Song is Rockin chair.
While many people probably dislike this song for it’s subject matter, it is one of the bands best songs and in my opinion one of the more beautiful songs ever composed (not for it’s subject matter but for its musical beauty). The song was written from a southern perspective but it was inspired from a movie a member of the band was working on. It was never meant to be a statement piece but rather a story. If people don’t want to listen to this song because of the subject matter I don’t have a problem with that, but it’s hard to deny that it’s an absolutely amazing listen especially when you listen to the sounds in the song. Dixie - reference to the confederate states 65’ - 1865 I don’t mind choppin wood - reference to a simple life They should never have taken the very best - a criticism on Robert e lee taking the best soldiers to fight the United States (reminds me of gone with the wind) Also I would classify this as folk (lots of story telling) I’m glad you appreciated the music. I’m sure many people clicked on this video to see if you reacted to the subject matter and I’m curious how you’d feel if you totally understood while listening through the first time. Either way, great song and a great video, thanks for the reaction!
The subject matter is right on! what is wrong with it? Afraid of the truth about how southern whites were affected by the war? 450,000 died in the civil war.
Dobie Gray does an amazing live cover of this song. It's from a Volunteer Jam concert performance that Charlie Daniels use to host. You'll really enjoy it!
Everyone...please please please watch The Right Stuff (1983). It is about the beginning of the space race between the US and the Soviet Union. Look for a small but stellar role of US Air Force officer Ridley, who always has a stick of Beeman's chewing gum ready at hand for his buddy, Chuck Yeager (played by Sam Shepard). The smaller role of Ridley was played by Levon Helm, the drummer in The Band and lead singer of the awesome song in the video above.
I know this is old and you probably won't read thus but I do hope you got to listen to the live version on The Last Waltz ~ For some reason The Last Waltz was just magical.
The band are Canadian. The lead singer here was originally from the US but he became Canadian. They were Bob Dylans band. Yes, this song is about the US Civil War
The land south of the Mason Dixon line was called Dixie, as in the song Dixie In Dixie Land where I was born, Early on one frosty mornin, Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land. Then I wish I was in Dixie, hooray! hooray! In Dixie Land I’ll take my stand to live and die in Dixie, Away, away, away down South in Dixie,
Southern states named Dixie after the ten dollar bill or dix in French from a very trustworthy New Orleans bank. This predates government issued notes.
You have to remember that this is lived from a working man/soldier perspective. It’s about Vergil McCain(most likely not a slave owner or even supporter, why trust them) someone who understood states rights and having their own money It’s a serious ballad and should be considered legitimate. Not just a song
THE BAND, "THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN" . Your correct this about the Civil War. Basically Dixie was the defeated South. The sound the Band portrays is the southern rock vibe, though this tune is hardly rock, lol. Plus I'm pretty sure this group are from Canada.
Don't want to repeat what everyone else is saying so just wanted to add that this song was [also sung by] *Joan Baez* . Her version is pretty different--more melodic. *Diamonds and Rust* is also a good one of *Baez'* . Written about her ex, Bob Dylan after he called her out of the blue. She really had Dylan's back when he was first starting out, having him open for her, etc. [She was another who sang at the March on Washington in 1963] Re the lyric "they should never have taken the very best" I also understood this as having to do with the starvation happening when union troops coming through "requisitioned" provisions for the troops, "taking the best" and leaving poor farmers (not plantation holders) with pretty much nothing. It's a standard war thing--I'm not painting union soldiers as somehow evil.
