He was best known as a pioneer of the acoustic blues revival, but his work ranged from old English ballads to Bertolt Brecht, rock, New Orleans jazz, and swing. He was a pioneer of instrumental ragtime guitar, as well as an early supporter of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, among many others. Van Ronk was very influential on the music scene in New York City in the 1960s.
His professional musical career started when he moved from Brooklyn to Queens in 1951 and started doing pick-up work in traditional jazz outfits.
Van Ronk died of colorectal cancer (colon cancer) in 2002.
In the Pines
Dave Van Ronk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me where did you sleep last night?
In the pines, in the pines where the sun never shines
I shivered the whole night through
My daddy was a railroad man
Killed a mile and a half from here
His head was found in a drivers wheel
In the pines, in the pines where the sun never shines
Well shivered the whole night through
You've caused me to weep, you've caused me to moan
You've caused me to lose my home
The last words that you'll hear me say
Was I want you to sing me a song
In the pines, in the pines where the sun never shines
Well shiver the whole night through
Little girl, little girl, where'd you sleep last night
Not even your mother knows
In the pines, in the pines where the sun never shines
Shivered where the cold winds blow
The lyrics to Dave Van Ronk's "In the Pines" tell a haunting story of a man questioning a little girl about where she spent the night. He asks her repeatedly "don't lie to me" and wants to know if she slept in the pines where "the sun never shines" and where he shivered the whole night through. The man's father was a railroad man who was killed nearby and his body has never been found, only his head. The eerie mood created here is enough to make your skin crawl.
The little girl's answers never become completely clear, leaving the listener with a sense of unease and uncertainty. Even the girl's mother doesn't know where she slept. The man is left to sing a song in the pines where he will shiver the whole night through. The emotional depth of the lyrics is palpable and leaves one wondering what exactly happened throughout the night.
Line by Line Meaning
Little girl, little girl, don't lie to me
The singer is addressing a young woman, asking her to be truthful
Tell me where did you sleep last night?
The singer is specifically asking the young woman about where she slept the previous night
In the pines, in the pines where the sun never shines
The young woman tells the singer that she slept in a dark and shaded area
I shivered the whole night through
The singer expresses how he felt cold and uncomfortable during the entire night
My daddy was a railroad man
The singer is giving background information about himself, specifically about his father's profession
Killed a mile and a half from here
The singer reveals that his father died nearby
His head was found in a drivers wheel
The singer describes the gruesome way that his father's head was discovered
His body hasn't never been found
The singer informs the listener that his father's body has never been recovered
You've caused me to weep, you've caused me to moan
The singer implies that the young woman has caused him emotional pain
You've caused me to lose my home
The singer suggests that the young woman is responsible for him becoming homeless
The last words that you'll hear me say
The singer is warning the young woman that this will be his final message to her
Was I want you to sing me a song
The singer requests that the young woman sing to him before they part ways
Not even your mother knows
The singer implies that the young woman has been secretive about her whereabouts
Shivered where the cold winds blow
The young woman reiterates that she was exposed to the cold during the night in the shaded pines
Contributed by Jayce C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Larry Allen Brown
My older brother turned me on to Dave when I was 11 years old. It was the beginning of the folk boom and we had several Dave Van Ronk records in the house. And an acoustic guitar. I was blown away and set out to learn Cocaine Blues, Candy Man and Come Back Baby, Van Ronk was the greatest influence on me and I've been playing and teaching ever since. That was 60 years ago. He started my guitar education. I wish I could have met him.
David Klein
Van Ronk's version of Cocaine Blues defined the blues for me ever since I heard him sing that "Cocaine's for horses, not for men
/They tell me it'll kill me but they don't say when". There it is: deadpan humor, resignation, and tragedy in two short sentences. I remember suggesting those lines (perhaps pun intended) as a public service message.
A H
I've heard a lot of versions of this song, and this is the one I keep coming back to. His voice just has so much feeling. No disrespect to the Carter Family or Kurt Cobain
BoxierAcorn844
Or Leadbelly
davidzacuto
Thanks for uploading this! One of the best renditions of this tune, in my opinion.
peter williams
real music with feeling you dont hear today from the heart a true (real) musician with vocals that will last for ever thanks for a moment we all can share (pmw)
Wesley Haushalter
peter williams
Chris Floyd
There are still musicians who pour their heart into their art. Just gotta know where to listen
Kittenclaws Guitar Videos
i love the quiet pauses in the song, it makes you listen more
anton martens
so much feeling in his voice, realy nice to hear, tanx for posting