Bob Dylan and The Band was a long-lived collaboration with few official rel… Read Full Bio ↴Bob Dylan and The Band was a long-lived collaboration with few official releases, their recordings together often released under Dylan's name alone.

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.

Yazoo Street Scandal
Bob Dylan and The Band Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Stranded out in the night
Eliza took me down
To see the widow give
Rain to the town
It's against the law
To be a tonic man,
But the widow knows
She's got the upper hand

So I went on in
Feelin' kinda wheezy
You know she soothed my mind, boys
She rocked me kinda slow and easy
All day and all night

Pick a card before you go
It's a long trip to Mexico

Eliza wait by the door
I can't stay here anymore, no, no

Then she took a pill
She washed her feet in the mud
She said look out son
You know, I just ordered a flood
For forty days and forty nights

Then I dropped my shoes
Eliza called my name
She said it looked to her

Like it's gonna rain
Then the cotton king
Came in chokin'
And the widow laughed and said
I ain't jokin'
Take once for all
She said now don't ya tease me
I just fell in love, boy
So rock me kinda slow and kinda easy
All day and all night

Sweet William said
With a drunken head
if I had a boat
I'd help why'all float
Eliza stood there watching
William in a trance
As the widow did the St Vitus dance
But just then an old man
With a boat named breezy
Said you can ride with Clyde, boys

If you rock it kinda slow and easy
All day and all night

Overall Meaning

The song “Yazoo Street Scandal” by Bob Dylan and The Band tells a strange story that is open to interpretation. It starts with the singer stranded out in the night when Eliza takes him down to see the widow give rain to the town. It is against the law to be a tonic man, but the widow knows she has the upper hand. The singer goes in, feels wheezy, and the widow rocks him slow and easy to soothe his mind. He picks a card before he goes on a long trip to Mexico, and Eliza waits at the door because he can't stay anymore. Then, she takes a pill, washes her feet in the mud, and orders a flood for forty days and forty nights. Meanwhile, the widow falls in love with the singer, and the Cotton King comes in chokin'.

Then, the scene changes to Sweet William with a drunken head, wanting to help them float with a boat. Eliza stood there watching him in a trance as the widow did the St. Vitus dance. But, an old man named Breezy with a boat came and offered them a ride with Clyde under the condition of rocking it slow and easy all day and all night. The song has several biblical allusions to forty days and forty nights and the great flood, which might suggest that the widow is trying to drown everyone in the town. Also, the song's recurring theme is going to Mexico, which likely suggests a desire to escape and start anew because of the many troubles they face in Yazoo Street.

Line by Line Meaning

Stranded out in the night
I found myself alone in the darkness

Eliza took me down
Eliza brought me to the widow's house

To see the widow give rain to the town
To witness the widow providing her services to the town

It's against the law to be a tonic man, but the widow knows she's got the upper hand
It's illegal to sell tonics, but the widow knows she has the advantage over the authorities

So I went on in, feeling kinda wheezy
I entered the house, feeling a little unwell

You know she soothed my mind, boys, she rocked me kinda slow and easy
She provided me with relaxation and comfort through her methods

All day and all night
For an extended period of time

Pick a card before you go, it's a long trip to Mexico
Choose a direction before you leave, as it will be a lengthy journey to escape

Eliza wait by the door, I can't stay here anymore, no, no
Eliza, wait for me at the door, I cannot remain here any longer

Then she took a pill, she washed her feet in the mud
Then she ingested some medicine and cleaned her feet in the dirt

She said look out son, you know, I just ordered a flood, for forty days and forty nights
She warned me of an imminent natural disaster, which would last for over a month

Then I dropped my shoes, Eliza called my name, she said it looked to her like it's gonna rain
I accidentally let go of my shoes; Eliza noticed and suggested that a rainstorm was approaching

Then the cotton king came in chokin', and the widow laughed and said I ain't jokin'
Then the wealthy cotton businessman arrived, coughing; the widow found it amusing and insisted she wasn't lying

Take once for all, she said now don't ya tease me, I just fell in love, boy, so rock me kinda slow and kinda easy
Try out my service once, don't play games with me, I just developed feelings for you, so treat me tenderly

Sweet William said with a drunken head, if I had a boat, I'd help y'all float
Intoxicated Sweet William offered to assist us in traveling by boat

Eliza stood there watching William in a trance, as the widow did the St Vitus dance
Eliza observed William's entranced state as the widow performed an unusual dance

But just then an old man with a boat named breezy said you can ride with Clyde, boys, if you rock it kinda slow and easy, all day and all night
But at that moment, a man named Clyde, who owned a boat named Breezy, offered us transport and recommended we take it easy

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jaime Royal Robertson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Stranded out in the night
Eliza took me down
To see the widow give
Rain to the town
It's against the law
To be a tonic man,
But the widow knows
She's got the upper hand
So I went on in
Feelin' kinda wheezy
You know she soothed my mind, boys
She rocked me kinda slow and easy
All day and all night

Pick a card before you go
It's a long trip to Mexico

Eliza wait by the door
I can't stay here anymore, no, no

Then she took a pill
She washed her feet in the mud
She said look out son
You know, I just ordered a flood
For forty days and forty nights

Then I dropped my shoes
Eliza called my name
She said it looked to her

Like it's gonna rain
Then the cotton king
Came in chokin'
And the widow laughed and said
I ain't jokin'
Take once for all
She said now don't ya tease me
I just fell in love, boy
So rock me kinda slow and kinda easy
All day and all night

Sweet William said
With a drunken head
if I had a boat
I'd help why'all float
Eliza stood there watching
William in a trance
As the widow did the St Vitus dance
But just then an old man
With a boat named breezy
Said you can ride with Clyde, boys
If you rock it kinda slow and easy
All day and all night