In the late '60s and early '70s, Baez came into her songwriting own, penning many songs (most notably "Diamonds & Rust," a nostalgic piece about her ill-fated romance with Bob Dylan, and "Sweet Sir Galahad," a song about sister Mimi Fariña's ( of Richard & Mimi Fariña fame) second marriage, and continued to meld her songcraft with topical issues. She was outspoken in her disapproval of the Vietnam war and later the CIA-backed coups in many Latin American countries.
She was also instrumental in the Civil Rights movement, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King on many occassions and being jailed for her beliefs. In 1963, her performance of "We Shall Overcome" at the Lincoln Memorial just prior to Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream..." speech helped confirm the song as the Civil Rights anthem.
In December 1972, she traveled to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and was caught in that country's "Christmas Campaign," in which the U.S. bombed the city more times than any other during the entire war. While pregnant with her only son, Gabriel, she performed a handful of songs in the middle of the night on day one of the 1969 Woodstock festival. She is considered the "Queen of Folk" for being at the forefront of the 1960s folk revival and inspiring generations of female folksingers that followed. Over fifty years after she first began singing publicly in 1958, Joan Baez continues to tour, demonstrate in favor of human rights and nonviolence, and release albums for a world of devoted fans.
1959
Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Til so much cavalry came and tore up the tracks again
In the winter of '65, we were hungry, just barely alive
I took the train to Richmond that fell
It was a time I remember, oh, so well
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringin'
And all the people were singin'
They went, "Na, na, na, na, na, na"
Back with my wife in Tennessee
And one day she said to me
"Virgil, quick! Come see!
There goes Robert E. Lee"
Now I don't mind, I'm chopping wood
And I don't care if the money's no good
Just take what you need and leave the rest
But they should never have taken the very best
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringin'
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singin'
They went, "Na, na, na, na, na, na"
Like my father before me, I'm a working man
And like my brother before me, I took a rebel stand
Oh, he was just eighteen, proud and brave
But a yankee laid him in his grave
I swear by the blood below my feet
You can't raise a Cane back up when he's in defeat
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringin'
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singin'
They went, "Na, na, na, na, na, na"
The song "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" by Joan Baez tells a story through the eyes of a Confederate soldier named Virgil Caine during the Civil War era. The first verse discusses Virgil's job as a train driver until the Union army came and destroyed the train tracks. The second verse describes the winter of 1865 when the Confederate army was struggling to survive, and Virgil traveled to Richmond, Virginia, a city that was eventually captured by Union forces. The chorus of the song echoes the night that the Confederates lost the war, indicating that the song is about the final days of the Civil War.
The third verse of the song is set back in Tennessee, after the war has ended. Virgil now lives with his wife and is a lumberjack, chopping wood and not caring if the money is good. He expresses his sadness about the loss of Robert E. Lee and how the Union army took away the best part of the Southern way of life. The final verse is about Southern pride and how the men in Virgil's family have always taken a stand for their beliefs. Virgil's brother died fighting for the Confederate army and Virgil remains loyal to their cause even though the war is over.
Overall, the song explores themes of loss, pride, and nostalgia for a way of life that has ended. Through Virgil's story, Baez creates a powerful image of the Confederate soldier's struggle against the Union army.
Line by Line Meaning
Virgil Caine is my name and I drove on the Danville train
I am Virgil Caine, and I used to work on the Danville train
'Til so much cavalry came and tore up the tracks again
Until the cavalry came and destroyed the tracks
In the winter of '65, we were hungry, just barely alive
During the winter of 1865, we were struggling to survive because of hunger and poverty
I took the train to Richmond that fell
I took the train to Richmond when it was captured by the Union army
It was a time I remember, oh, so well
I remember that time very clearly
The night they drove old Dixie down
The night the Confederate army was defeated
And all the bells were ringin'
And all the church bells were ringing in celebration of the Union victory
The night they drove old Dixie down
The night the Confederate army was defeated
And all the people were singin'
And all the people were singing in celebration of the Union victory
They went, 'Na, na, na, na, na, na'
They chanted 'Na, na, na, na, na, na'
Back with my wife in Tennessee
I returned to Tennessee to be with my wife
And one day she said to me
One day, my wife said to me
"Virgil, quick! Come see!
"Virgil, come quickly and see!
There goes Robert E. Lee"
Robert E. Lee is passing by
Now I don't mind, I'm chopping wood
Now I don't mind doing manual labor like chopping wood
And I don't care if the money's no good
I don't care if I'm not getting paid much money for my work
Just take what you need and leave the rest
Just take what you need and leave the rest for someone else
But they should never have taken the very best
But they should never have taken the most important things from us
Like my father before me, I'm a working man
I come from a family of working-class people
And like my brother before me, I took a rebel stand
And like my brother before me, I took a stance in support of the Confederate cause
Oh, he was just eighteen, proud and brave
My brother was only 18, but he was proud and brave
But a yankee laid him in his grave
But a Union soldier killed him and he is now buried
I swear by the blood below my feet
I am deeply committed to the Confederate cause
You can't raise a Cane back up when he's in defeat
You can't expect someone to quickly recover from a major defeat like the Confederacy experienced
The night they drove old Dixie down
The night the Confederate army was defeated
And all the bells were ringin'
And all the church bells were ringing in celebration of the Union victory
The night they drove old Dixie down
The night the Confederate army was defeated
And all the people were singin'
And all the people were singing in celebration of the Union victory
They went, 'Na, na, na, na, na, na'
They chanted 'Na, na, na, na, na, na'
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robbie Robertson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GeorgeVreelandHill
Back when songs told real stories and the singers had real talent.
@lorib360
Look into Aesop Rock. Recommend 'Agressive Steven' or 'Ruby 81' to hear incredible (true) storytelling. Best I've ever heard.
@richardplume3212
Ha my grandsons name is hendrix so i hope the beat goes on ha krank it up 4 a fossile like me
@aarondigby5054
IKR, just breakout and start singing a true ballardeer
@jimstewart1584
Folks from the South cry when they listen to this masterpiece.
@ericdailey8587
Not sure this song would get any airplay today because of all the politically correct woke nonsense. Great song.
@mungodegrijalva822
To me it's an anti-war song, performed by the Great Joan Baez. It doesn't stimulate sympathy for the South, but rather a sense that they had it coming given the destruction they rained on the North, to enslaved black people & wanting to fight for evil beliefs (slavery & dissolution of the Union). Great song with a cautionary message of being on the wrong side of history, like the South is today by supporting a creepy, orange clown as their white savior.
@irishdivajeffries6668
Me too and I’m from IL!
@milesbrown8016
Very bad war it was
@seanodwyer4322
@@milesbrown8016 the south was - over confident, as were the Nazi's and now Israel military.''