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.
Still In Town
Bob Dylan and The Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the Yanks go marching in
I wanna be there boy and spread some joy
When they take old Berlin
There'll be a hot time in the town of Berlin
When the Brooklyn boys begin
To take the joint apart and tear it down
They're gonna start a row and show them how
We paint the town back in Kokomo
They're gonna take a hike through Hitler's Reich
And change the "Heil" to "Whatcha-know-Joe"
There'll be a hot time in the town of Berlin
When the Yanks go marching in
How you gonna keep 'em happy down on the farm
After they take Berlin (poor Adolf)
When they go marching in (sweep Hitler)
When they take old Berlin (?)
What-what-what'd you believe? (?)
After they take Berlin
We go "Heil", "Heil" right in the Führer's face
The song "Still In Town" by Bob Dylan and The Band is a patriotic and satirical song that talks about the joy and excitement that the American troops will bring to the Germans when they take over Berlin. The song describes the "hot time" that will be experienced in Berlin when the "Yanks go marching in". The lyrics highlight the anticipation of the American troops to go to Berlin and restore peace and order by destroying Hitler's regime. The song talks about the troops' determination to tear down and take the joint apart to bring change to Hitler's Reich.
The lyrics are satirical and show the mocking attitude of the American troops towards Hitler and his regime. The lines "They're gonna take a hike through Hitler's Reich, And change the "Heil" to "Whatcha-know-Joe"" show how the American troops intend to dismantle and destroy everything that Hitler and his regime stood for. They plan to change the Nazi salute of "Heil" to "Whatcha-know-Joe" to show that they will not put up with the Nazi regime's doctrines.
The song portrays the troops as heroes who will restore peace, freedom and joy to the German people who had suffered from Hitler's oppression for far too long. The song's chorus "When the Yanks go marching in, How you gonna keep 'em happy down on the farm after they take Berlin (poor Adolf)" is a reminder that the American troops were coming to liberate the Germans, and there is no going back for them. The song, therefore, captures the mood of hope and optimism that the American troops brought with them when they went to Berlin.
Line by Line Meaning
There'll be a hot time in the town of Berlin
A pleasure-filled, exciting time awaits in Berlin
When the Yanks go marching in
With great pomp and pride, the American soldiers will march into Berlin
I wanna be there boy and spread some joy
I want to be a part of this moment of joyful celebration
When they take old Berlin
When the American soldiers capture Berlin
When the Brooklyn boys begin
The soldiers from Brooklyn will join the celebrations
To take the joint apart and tear it down
The soldiers will destroy Berlin in the process of capturing it
They're gonna start a row and show them how
The soldiers will create a scene to demonstrate their victory
We paint the town back in Kokomo
It is understood that soldiers from Kokomo are excellent partiers
They're gonna take a hike through Hitler's Reich
The soldiers will explore the former German dictator's domain
And change the 'Heil' to 'Whatcha-know-Joe'
They will replace the obligatory Nazi greeting of 'Heil' with a casual American greeting, 'Whatcha-know-Joe'
How you gonna keep 'em happy down on the farm
How will we ever top this great celebration back home on the farm?
What-what-what'd you believe?
Can you believe what we achieved?
We go 'Heil', 'Heil' right in the Führer's face
We'll yell 'Heil, Heil' straight to the defeated dictator's face.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Johnny Devries, Joe Bushkin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gerru_san
Lyrics:
"There must be some way out of here"
Said the joker to the thief
"There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief
Businessmen, they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line
Know what any of it is worth"
"No reason to get excited"
The thief, he kindly spoke
"There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now
The hour is getting late"
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants too
Outside, in the distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
The wind began to howl
@anthonybramante2921
Dylan's version is for the morning, and Hendrix's version is for the evening
@elkeesandoval2877
neil youngs version for lunch
@reynewdawn
Yes the vibes it is
@ajaypalsinghbhatti8901
Me thinking it's the other way around
@albertgrant1017
So true !
@claudesaintpierre7352
Bryan Ferry's 10 pm; Neil Young's 12 pm; etc
@Velleosu
"It's Jimi's song, I just wrote it" - Bob Dylan
edit: both songs are good in their own ways!
@farkoduomah5120
thing is,this is a lyrical masterpeice,and jimi's guitar didn't really let the lyrics shine,check the forest rangers cover mate,a real midnight treat.
@nickmeale1957
@@farkoduomah5120 I will do that, thanks youtuber
@liamryan7239
But this one is better tho