The members of The Band first worked together as The Hawks, the backing band of rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins from 1959 until 1963. Shortly afterwards, Bob Dylan came to Toronto and recruited the quintet for his history-making 1965/1966 world tour. The Band also worked with Dylan on the initial Blonde on Blonde sessions which, bar two tracks, were ultimately abandoned in favour of versions recorded with Nashville session musicians.
After a motorcycle accident in mid-1966, Dylan retreated from the public eye to his country house near Woodstock, New York. He was joined by the Band for some informal jam sessions starting in the autumn of 1967, nearly all of which were recorded. After being heavily bootleged, Columbia Records finally released The Basement Tapes in 1975, a selection of the better tracks recorded during the sessions along with new recordings by The Band.
Bob Dylan and The Band were reunited in 1974, recording Planet Waves for Asylum Records, Dylan's first album recorded for a record label other than Columbia. Although the album was released under Dylan's name alone, The Band joined Dylan for his first tour in eight years in support of Planet Waves, with some of the material recorded and released on the 1975 concert record Before the Flood.
Columbia Records finally released The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete in November 2014, featuring every surving recording from the original sessions in Woodstock.
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain
Bob Dylan and The Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes
She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes
Oh she'll be coming round the mountain
Coming round the mountain, coming round the mountain when she comes
Sing ay ay yip yip ay
Oh sing aya ay yip
Ay ay yip
Ay ay yip yip yip ay
Oh she'll be driving six white horses when she comes
Oh she'll be driving six white horses when she comes
Oh she'll be driving six white horses
Driving six white horses, driving six white horses when she comes
Sing ay ay yip yip ay
Sing ay ay yip yip ay
Oh sing aya ay yip
Ay ay yip
Ay ay yip yip yip ay
Oh, we'll all go out to meet her when she comes
Oh, we'll all go out to meet her when she comes
Oh, we'll all go out to meet her
We'll all go out to meet her
We'll all go out to meet her
When she comes
Sing ay ay yip yip ay
Sing ay ay yip yip ay
Oh sing aya ay yip
Ay ay yip
Ay ay yip yip yip ay
Oh she'll be wearing red pajamas when she comes
Oh she'll be wearing red pajamas when she comes
Oh she'll be wearing red pajamas
Wearing red pajamas wearing red pajamas when she comes
Sing ay ay yip yip ay
Sing ay ay yip yip ay
Oh sing aya ay yip
Ay ay yip
Ay ay yip yip yip ay
Yee haw
The lyrics in Bob Dylan and The Band's song She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain are cheerful and upbeat, evoking a sense of anticipation and excitement as the subject of the song approaches. The song references different elements that will signal her arrival: "driving six white horses," "wearing red pajamas," and finally "coming round the mountain." The repetition of the chorus, "Sing ay ay yip yip ay," creates a sense of unity and celebration among those who are waiting.
The song can be interpreted as a celebration of someone who holds a prominent place in the community and is highly anticipated by those who know her. The use of the phrase "when she comes" in each verse emphasizes the eagerness of the community to greet this person, and the repetition of the chorus reinforces the sense of joy and excitement. The image of the six white horses adds to the sense of grandeur surrounding the subject of the song, while the mention of red pajamas suggests a lightheartedness and playfulness that contrasts with the seriousness of the horses.
Overall, She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain is a cheerful and celebratory song that captures the sense of anticipation and excitement that comes with the arrival of someone who is highly respected and admired by the community.
Line by Line Meaning
Yee haw
Exclamation of excitement
She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes
Anticipating for someone's arrival
Oh she'll be coming round the mountain
Reinforcing the anticipation of the arrival
Coming round the mountain, coming round the mountain when she comes
Underscoring the point that she will, in fact, be coming around the mountain
Sing ay ay yip yip ay
A musical interlude to accompany the lyrics
Oh she'll be driving six white horses when she comes
Describing how she will be arriving
Driving six white horses, driving six white horses when she comes
Emphasizing the transportation method once again
Oh, we'll all go out to meet her when she comes
Preparing to greet the person who is arriving
We'll all go out to meet her
Stressing the collective effort to greet her arrival
When she comes
Clarifying the timing of the planned greeting
Oh she'll be wearing red pajamas when she comes
Specifying the clothing that the person will be wearing
Wearing red pajamas wearing red pajamas when she comes
Repeating and reinforcing the clothing description
Yee haw
Exclamation of excitement, possibly due to the anticipation of the arrival
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
neilyoungchannel
Hi, this is Neil. Link to the NYA info-card for this song with press, documents, manuscripts, photos, videos. Look around NYA for fun and listening! ALL my music in high resolution at https://neilyoungarchives.com/info-card?track=t2011_1012_02
rocky52a
Neil Young is the only artist that could take a folk song we sang in kindergarten & make it a serious Rock n Roll tune.
jimmy newark
What a great tune .Neil Young has been on my radar since 69 .This track with the Horse is the best i,ve ever heard them do .It seems so natural that this rendition of an old song is taken to another level [10 levels] Their sound is bewildering
al joseph
This entire album is killer. This is without a doubt one of the greatest rock albums in history by virtue of taking the simplest songs we heard as kids and making them rock.. This music keeps me smiling. Damn is it ever phenomenal..You are a freaking genius.. These songs have been around forever and it took all these years to create something this spectacular. Thank you.,
jimmy newark
What a great tune .Neil Young crushes it and re builds it to another level
Ronnie
Neil has turned this into a dark masterpiece, a haunted song from the ages. Only Neil. Genius.
Lawrence Wolfe
Or, the future. Long may she reign.
Dharma Beach Bum
This is fantastic. I swear. Neil and Crazy Horse could rock the phone book and I'd be spellbound. Un-freaking-real.
kbhelpermonkey
Best version of this song ever. And creepy video is perfect. Greatness!
Storminnorman
What's '''creepy'' about it?