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.

Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread
Bob Dylan and The Band Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well, the comic book and me, just us, we caught the bus
The poor little chauffeur, though, she was back in bed
On the very next day with a nose full of pus
Yea, heavy and a bottle of bread
Yea, heavy and a bottle of bread
Yea, heavy and a bottle of bread

It's a one-track town, just brown and a breeze too

Pack up the meat, sweet, we're headin' out
For Wichita in a pile of fruit
Get the loot, don't be slow, we're gonna catch a trout
Get the loot, don't be slow, we're gonna catch a trout
Get the loot, don't be slow, we're gonna catch a trout

Now, pull that drummer out from behind that bottle
Bring me my pipe, we're gonna shake it
Slap that drummer with a pie that smells
Take me down to California, baby
Take me down to California, baby
Take me down to California, baby
Take me down to California, baby

Yes, the comic book and me, just us, we caught the bus
The poor little chauffeur, though, she was back in bed
On the very next day with a nose full of pus
Yea, heavy and a bottle of bread
Yea, heavy and a bottle of bread

Yea, heavy and a bottle of bread
Yea, heavy and a bottle of bread

Overall Meaning

In "Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread," Bob Dylan and The Band take the listener on a whimsical journey full of surreal imagery that is open to interpretation. The opening lines feature the singer and their comic book catching a bus while the chauffeur is left sick in bed. The repeated lines "Yea, heavy and a bottle of bread" create a catchy chorus, but their meaning is harder to decipher. Some believe "heavy" refers to the weight of the bread or the dollar bill in their pocket, while others think it's a reference to the weight of the world's problems. The song continues with the singer and their companions traveling to Wichita to catch a trout and then to California, where they want to be taken. The final lines echo the opening, with the singer and their comic book catching the bus again, leaving the chauffeur still sick in bed.

The lyrics of "Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread" are layered and multifaceted, and it's clear that there are many interpretations to be had. Some fans have even speculated that the song is a commentary on America's capitalist society, with the repeated mention of "get the loot" and the focus on catching a fish. Others see it as a surreal and playful homage to the Beat movement of the 1950s.

Line by Line Meaning

Well, the comic book and me, just us, we caught the bus
There's only one thing that can keep me entertained enough, and that's a comic book. Me and the comic were the sole passengers on the bus, no one else to give me company or ruin my fun.

The poor little chauffeur, though, she was back in bed
The driver, who I guess wasn't too healthy, was unable to take me on my way.

On the very next day with a nose full of pus
The following day, her condition had worsened to the point where she had to take the day off, stomach-churning with an infection.

Yea, heavy and a bottle of bread
Damn, that was a pretty heavy scene. Thankfully, I have a bottle of bread with me.

It's a one-track town, just brown and a breeze too
This place is as dull as the single track it’s resting on, it's all brown everywhere, and there's a cool breeze blowing past us.

Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of BreadBob Dylan and The Band Lyrics

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Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread
Bob Dylan and The Band Lyrics