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.
crash on the levee
Bob Dylan and The Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Water's gonna overflow
Swamp's gonna rise
No boat's gonna row
Now, you can train on down
To Williams Point
You can bust your feet
You can rock this joint
You're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow
Now, don't you try an' move me
You're just gonna lose
There's a crash on the levee
And mama, you've been refused
Well, it's sugar for sugar
And salt for salt
If you go down in the flood
It's gonna be your own fault
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
Yes, you're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow
Well, that high tide's risin'
Mama, don't you let me down
Pack up your suitcase
Mama, don't you make a sound
Now, it's king for king
Queen for queen
It's gonna be the meanest flood
That anybody's seen
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
Yes, you're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow
The lyrics to Bob Dylan & The Band's Crash on the Levee describe a situation of impending disaster. The water is rising, and the swamp is overflowing, and no boats are available to help navigate the treacherous terrain. Even if you can make it to Williams Point, it'll be a perilous journey that may leave you rockin' and busted. The singer warns Mama not to move him, as she'll just lose, and she's already been refused in light of the crash on the levee. The imagery of sugar for sugar and salt for salt communicates a sense of equivalence, but as the singer warns that if she goes down in the flood, it'll be her own fault, it becomes clear that this equivalence comes with a cost.
The chorus repeats the central theme of the song, which is the imminent loss of a best friend. Mama will have to find herself another best friend, somehow. The final verse is perhaps the most dire. The high tide is rising, and Mama must pack her suitcase but leave without making a sound. The flood will be the meanest anyone has ever seen, and Mama will have to find a new best friend if she manages to survive. The song speaks to themes of loyalty, tragedy, and loss, highlighting the importance of relationships in the face of disaster.
Line by Line Meaning
Crash on the levee, mama
Something bad is going to happen near the levee, mama
Water's gonna overflow
The water level is going to rise above the levee
Swamp's gonna rise
The swamp is also going to get flooded
No boat's gonna row
It's not possible to use boats in this situation
Now, you can train on down
Although there's a disaster nearby, you can still take the train to Williams Point
To Williams Point
You can travel to this place
You can bust your feet
You can make efforts to get there fast, even if it hurts your feet
You can rock this joint
You can enjoy yourself in this place
But oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
Hey mama, aren't you going to feel lonely without your friend by your side?
You're gonna have to find yourself
It's necessary for you to go out and search for
Another best friend, somehow
A new friend who can replace your previous best friend
Now, don't you try an' move me
Don't try to move me from here
You're just gonna lose
If you try to move me, you won't succeed
There's a crash on the levee
There's a disaster happening near the levee
And mama, you've been refused
Mom, I won't move from here even if you request me to do so
Well, it's sugar for sugar
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
And salt for salt
Punishment for wrongdoing
If you go down in the flood
If you get caught in the flood
It's gonna be your own fault
It's your own responsibility to stay safe
Well, that high tide's risin'
The water level is rapidly increasing
Mama, don't you let me down
Don't disappoint me, mama
Pack up your suitcase
Pack your belongings quickly and leave this place
Mama, don't you make a sound
Leave here silently
Now, it's king for king
We must support each other in this difficult situation
Queen for queen
We must stand by each other
It's gonna be the meanest flood
This will be the most dangerous flood ever seen
That anybody's seen
The worst one ever observed
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
Hey mama, aren't you going to feel lonely without your friend by your side?
Yes, you're gonna have to find yourself
You must go out and look for
Another best friend, somehow
A new friend who can replace your previous best friend
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@housevo330
Crash on the levee, mama
Water's gonna overflow
Swamp's gonna rise
No boat's gonna row
Now, you can train on down
To Williams Point
You can bust your feet
You can rock this joint
But oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
You're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow
Now, don't you try an' move me
You're just gonna lose
There's a crash on the levee
And mama, you've been refused
Well, it's sugar for sugar
And salt for salt
If you go down in the flood
It's gonna be your own fault
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
Yes, you're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow
Well, that high tide's risin'
Mama, don't you let me down
Pack up your suitcase
Mama, don't you make a sound
Now, it's king for king
Queen for queen
It's gonna be the meanest flood
That anybody's seen
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
Yes, you're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow
@garyhoffmeister598
One of my favourite albums of all time
@sallysimpson5096
I'm so stoked that Dylan's catalog in now available on youtube.
@terencestephenmoss2159
Never truer words spoken 👏 🙌 ❤
@SM16
I 💜U 🎶🎶🕶🎶
@jurgenweber236
The Derek Trucks Band has a phantastic cover of this Dylan-Basement-Song
@TheRaggedroad
Got this on STEALIN' and GWW bootleg LP's in "69...best sounding most natural music then and now.
@TheAnderson1979
Love U Dylan, from Brazil ❤
@promerops
Blood Sweat and Tears did a very different, but excellent version of this song.
@housevo330
Crash on the levee, mama
Water's gonna overflow
Swamp's gonna rise
No boat's gonna row
Now, you can train on down
To Williams Point
You can bust your feet
You can rock this joint
But oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
You're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow
Now, don't you try an' move me
You're just gonna lose
There's a crash on the levee
And mama, you've been refused
Well, it's sugar for sugar
And salt for salt
If you go down in the flood
It's gonna be your own fault
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
Yes, you're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow
Well, that high tide's risin'
Mama, don't you let me down
Pack up your suitcase
Mama, don't you make a sound
Now, it's king for king
Queen for queen
It's gonna be the meanest flood
That anybody's seen
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
Yes, you're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow
@wrmhall4735
Not Bob singing...