The Band was an influential Canadian-American rock and roll group of the 19… Read Full Bio ↴The Band was an influential Canadian-American rock and roll group of the 1960s and '70s, formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Band included Robbie Robertson (1943 - 2023) (guitar, piano, drums, harmonica); Richard Manuel (1943-1986) (piano, harmonica, drums, saxophone, organ, slide guitar); Garth Hudson (organ, piano, clavinet, accordion, synthesizer, saxophone); Rick Danko (1943-1999) (bass guitar, violin, trombone, guitar), and Levon Helm (1940-2012) (drums, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar, harmonica).

The members of The Band first worked together as The Hawks, the backing band of rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins from 1959 until 1963. Afterwards, Bob Dylan recruited the quintet for his history-making 1965/1966 world tour and they joined him on the informal recordings that became the acclaimed Basement Tapes.

Dubbed "The Band" by their peers, the group left the comfort of their communal home in Saugerties, NY to begin recording as a group unto themselves. The Band recorded two of the most important albums of the late 1960s: their 1968 debut Music from Big Pink (featuring the hit single "The Weight") and 1969's The Band. These critically praised albums helped conceive country rock as something more than a genre, but rather as a celebration of "Americana." As such, throughout their career they would repopularize traditional American musical forms during the psychedelic era. The Band dissolved in 1976; Martin Scorcese's landmark concert film "The Last Waltz" documented their final performance. They reformed in 1983 without founding guitarist and main songwriter Robbie Robertson.

Although always more popular with music journalists and fellow musicians than the general public, The Band has remained an admired and influential group. They have been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Their music fused many elements: primarily old country music and early rock and roll, though the rhythm section often had a bouncy, funky punch reminiscent of Stax or Motown, and Robertson cites Curtis Mayfield and the Staple Singers as major influences. At its best, however, The Band's music was an organic synthesis of many musical genres which became more than the sum of its parts. The group's songwriting was also remarkable as, unlike much earlier rock and roll, and following upon the example set previously by The Byrds, very few of their early compositions were based on conventional blues and doo-wop chord changes.

The Band comprised Robbie Robertson (guitar); Richard Manuel (piano, harmonica, drums, saxophone); Garth Hudson (organ, piano, clavinet, accordion, synthesizer, saxophone); Rick Danko (bass guitar, violin, trombone); and Levon Helm (drums, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar) Excepting Robertson, all were multi-instrumentalists; each person's primary instrument is listed first. There was little instrument-switching when they played live, but when recording, the musicians could offer all manner of subtle aural colors and textures to enhance songs. Hudson in particular was able to coax an impressive range of timbres from his Lowrey electronic organ; on the choruses of "Tears of Rage", for example, it sounds startlingly like a mellotron. Helm's drumming was rarely flashy, but he was often praised for his subtlety and funkiness. Critic Jon Carroll famously declared that Helm was "the only drummer who can make you cry," while prolific session drummer Jim Keltner admits to appropriating several of Helm's techniques.

Singers Manuel, Danko, and Helm each brought a distinctive voice to The Band: Helm's gritty, southern voice had more than a hint of country, Danko sang in a soaring, unfettered tenor, and Manuel alternated between fragile falsetto and a wounded baritone. The singers regularly blended in unorthodox, but uncommonly effective harmonies. Though the singing was more or less evenly shared between the three men, both Danko and Helm have stated that they saw Manuel as the Band's "lead" singer.

Robertson was the unit's chief songwriter (though he sang lead vocals on only three or four songs in The Band's career). This role, and Robertson's resulting claim to the copyright of most of the compositions, would become a point of much antipathy between the group's members, especially between Robertson and Helm.

Producer John Simon is cited as a "sixth member" of The Band for producing and playing on Music from Big Pink, co-producing and playing on The Band, and playing on other songs up through The Band's 1993 reunion album Jericho.

On 10 December 1999 is when Rick Danko died in his sleep at age 56. He had been a long-time drug user. In 1997 he had been found guilty of trying to smuggle heroin into Japan. He told the presiding judge that he had begun using the drug (together with prescription morphine) to fight life-long pain resulting from a 1968 auto accident. No drugs were found in his system at the time of his death. Following the death of Rick Danko, The Band broke up for good.

Levon Helm died on 19 April 2012 from complications of throat cancer.

Ain't Got No Home
The Band Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I ain't got no home
No place to roam
I ain't got a home
No place to roam
I'm a lonely boy
I ain't got a home

I ain't got no sister

I ain't got a brother
I ain't got a father
Not even a mother
I'm a lonely boy
I ain't got a home

Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo

Well, I got a voice
And I love to sing
I can sing like a bird
And I can sing like a frog
I'm a lonely boy
I ain't got a home

I ain't got a girl
I ain't got a son
I ain't got no kin
I ain't got no one
I'm a lonely frog
I ain't got a home

Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo

Madam, take me in
And let me be your friend
Won't you take me in
Let me be your friend
I'm a lonely boy
I ain't got a home

Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo

Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Band's song "Ain't Got No Home" describe the feelings of displacement and loneliness of the singer. He speaks about not having a home, a family, or even a place to roam. He seems to be completely alone in the world, without any connection to anyone or anything. In the second verse, he mentions that he has a voice and can sing like a frog or a bird, but he still feels lonely. Finally, in the last verse, he asks a madam to take him in and be his friend, highlighting that he is desperate for human connection.

The song's lyrics touch on the theme of loneliness and displacement, which was prevalent among African Americans during the 20th century, who were often forced to leave their homes and families to find work in other parts of the country. The singer's yearning for a home and a family is a reflection of the struggle that many African Americans faced during this time, and this theme is present in many of The Band's songs.

Overall, "Ain't Got No Home" is a somber and melancholic song that highlights the impact of displacement and loneliness on an individual's life.

Line by Line Meaning

I ain't got no home
I am homeless and do not have a place to live

No place to roam
I do not have any freedom to move around anywhere

I'm a lonely boy
I am alone and do not have any close relationships

I ain't got no sister
I do not have any sisters

I ain't got a brother
I do not have any brothers

I ain't got a father
I do not have a father figure in my life

Not even a mother
I do not have a mother figure in my life

Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo
This line is a repeated refrain that does not carry specific meaning

Well, I got a voice
Despite my difficult circumstances, I have the ability to sing

And I love to sing
I enjoy singing and it brings me joy