The Band — The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
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Length: 3:28
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Virgil Caine is the name
And I served on the Danville train
'Till Stoneman's cavalry came
And tore up the tracks again
In the winter of '65
We were hungry, just barely alive
By May the 10th, 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, na, la, na, na, na"
Back with my wife in Tennessee
When one day she called to me
Said "Virgil, quick, come see,
There goes the Robert E. Lee!"
Now, I don't mind chopping 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, na, la, na, na, na"
Like my father before me
I will work the land
And like my brother above me
Who took a rebel stand
He was just 18, 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, na, la, na, na, na"
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, na"
And I served on the Danville train
'Till Stoneman's cavalry came
And tore up the tracks again
In the winter of '65
We were hungry, just barely alive
By May the 10th, 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, na, la, na, na, na"
Back with my wife in Tennessee
When one day she called to me
Said "Virgil, quick, come see,
There goes the Robert E. Lee!"
Now, I don't mind chopping 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, na, la, na, na, na"
Like my father before me
I will work the land
And like my brother above me
Who took a rebel stand
He was just 18, 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, na, la, na, na, na"
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, na"
Comments (9)add comment
GREAT TUNE! I bought this album right after it came out. I was 14yrs old. They used to play it a lot at that time on WNEW FM 102.7 NYC. ThanxRP! 
easmann wrote:
Well written comment. And the song is beautifully and poignantly crafted and executed. It's true, many folk, especially the poor, suffered greatly in the South.
We're beginning to see just how deeply woven into the fabric of this nation those events were, and are. Oh the wounds we've inflicted on ourselves and inflict to this day. Many blind except to their own pain, or its avoidance.
However, no matter how much empathy I might muster for any who suffered, I must ultimately stand with those human souls stolen, sold, bought, burdened, besieged and besmirched these long years. And I do. And I cannot be silent any more.
So much energy spent on pretending we didn’t really commit that unimaginable horror (slavery), or that it was somehow justified, or that it’s all over and everything’s fine now.
That's primarily why the damage continues and why we cannot yet heal.
As is usually the case, the ones who made the decision to secede were not the ones who paid the heaviest price for it. "Rich man's war, poor man's fight."
Well written comment. And the song is beautifully and poignantly crafted and executed. It's true, many folk, especially the poor, suffered greatly in the South.
We're beginning to see just how deeply woven into the fabric of this nation those events were, and are. Oh the wounds we've inflicted on ourselves and inflict to this day. Many blind except to their own pain, or its avoidance.
However, no matter how much empathy I might muster for any who suffered, I must ultimately stand with those human souls stolen, sold, bought, burdened, besieged and besmirched these long years. And I do. And I cannot be silent any more.
So much energy spent on pretending we didn’t really commit that unimaginable horror (slavery), or that it was somehow justified, or that it’s all over and everything’s fine now.
That's primarily why the damage continues and why we cannot yet heal.
As is usually the case, the ones who made the decision to secede were not the ones who paid the heaviest price for it. "Rich man's war, poor man's fight."
gurinderpunn1773 wrote:
It laments it.
As someone not overly familiar with the nuances of the US civil war, I'm not sure if this song glorifies or condems it?
It laments it.
As someone not overly familiar with the nuances of the US civil war, I'm not sure if this song glorifies or condems it?
Listening to this song from Richmond, VA. This week our governor ordered the removal of the statue of General Robert E. Lee from Monument Avenue. Truly a moment for the history books.
Strong song
Big 10 always
A classic. Same year as moon landing.
mdnlsn wrote:
Well written comment. And the song is beautifully and poignantly crafted and executed. It's true, many folk, especially the poor, suffered greatly in the South.
We're beginning to see just how deeply woven into the fabric of this nation those events were, and are. Oh the wounds we've inflicted on ourselves and inflict to this day. Many blind except to their own pain, or its avoidance.
However, no matter how much empathy I might muster for any who suffered, I must ultimately stand with those human souls stolen, sold, bought, burdened, besieged and besmirched these long years. And I do. And I cannot be silent any more.
So much energy spent on pretending we didn’t really commit that unimaginable horror (slavery), or that it was somehow justified, or that it’s all over and everything’s fine now.
That's primarily why the damage continues and why we cannot yet heal.
Such a great insight into the Southern psyche after the Civil War. Still, it romanticizes. I wonder if anyone has ever thought about the sequel, "The Day the Jim Crow Laws Arose"?
Well written comment. And the song is beautifully and poignantly crafted and executed. It's true, many folk, especially the poor, suffered greatly in the South.
We're beginning to see just how deeply woven into the fabric of this nation those events were, and are. Oh the wounds we've inflicted on ourselves and inflict to this day. Many blind except to their own pain, or its avoidance.
However, no matter how much empathy I might muster for any who suffered, I must ultimately stand with those human souls stolen, sold, bought, burdened, besieged and besmirched these long years. And I do. And I cannot be silent any more.
So much energy spent on pretending we didn’t really commit that unimaginable horror (slavery), or that it was somehow justified, or that it’s all over and everything’s fine now.
That's primarily why the damage continues and why we cannot yet heal.
Such a great insight into the Southern psyche after the Civil War. Still, it romanticizes. I wonder if anyone has ever thought about the sequel, "The Day the Jim Crow Laws Arose"?