Duffey proposed some rules that the others agreed to including playing only one night a week at local clubs, doing occasional concerts and festivals on weekends, making records, and keeping their day jobs. Duffey repaired musical instruments, Eldridge was a mathematician, Starling a physician, Auldridge a graphic artist, and Gray a cartographer with National Geographic. The Scene's first home was the Red Fox Inn in Bethesda, Maryland, where they spent six years before starting weekly performances at The Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, Virginia.
Bluegrass reached a second peak in popularity in the early 1970s, and the progressive bluegrass style played by The Seldom Scene was particularly popular. Duffey's stratospheric tenor anchored the group, but the vocal blend of Duffey/Starling/Auldridge set a new standard that attracted new audiences to what had been a niche music. Their weekly shows included bluegrass versions of country music, rock, and even classical pop. The band's popularity soon forced them to play more than once a week--but they continued to maintain their image as being seldom seen, and on several of their early album covers were photographed with the stage lights on only their feet, or with their backs to the camera.
Though the Scene remained a non-touring band, they were prolific recorders, producing seven albums in their first five years of existence, including two live albums (among the first live bluegrass albums). But the band's philosophy of not touring and maintaining their day jobs eventually caused some changes in membership.
In 1977, John Starling left the group to focus on his medical career, and was replaced by singer and songwriter Phil Rosenthal, whose song "Muddy Water" had been recorded by the Scene on two earlier albums. Around the same time, the group switched record labels from Rebel Records to Sugar Hill; however, while Starling had been officially the band's frontman, these changes made little significant difference to the band's overall sound.
The band recorded several more albums in the 1980s and firmly established themselves as one of the most influential bluegrass bands. In 1986, Rosenthal and Tom Gray both left the band to focus on other pursuits, and were replaced by Lou Reid and T. Michael Coleman, respectively. Coleman proved to be very controversial, as many purists objected to his use of an electric bass in what is an acoustic genre, but the albums produced by the band after Coleman's arrival maintained the traditional appeal of any of the Scene's earlier albums.
Reid left the band in 1993, and Duffey convinced former member John Starling to return to the band for the next year. During that year the Scene recorded the album "Like We Used To Be," but Starling did not wish to stay with the band long term. He was replaced in 1994 by lead singer Moondi Klein.
Throughout these changes, John Duffey remained the group's spiritual center and greatest influence, and his initial ideas about keeping a light touring schedule and staying close to home continued to prevail. Though there had been disagreements about this philosophy before, it wasn't until after Starling left for the second time that it cost the band a majority of its members at once. During 1995 and 1996, Klein and Coleman, along with original member Mike Auldridge, left the group to form a new band called Chesapeake. This new band became a full-time project for its members, and for a time the Scene stopped recording.
Duffey and Ben Eldridge, the two remaining original members, recruited resophonic guitar player Fred Travers, bassist Ronnie Simpkins, and guitarist and singer Dudley Connell to join the band, and the reconstituted group recorded an album in 1996 and resumed live appearances.
For 25 years The Seldom Scene remained extremely popular in bluegrass circles even with the near-constant personnel changes. But the band was dealt what seemed a crushing blow in late 1996, when founder and leader John Duffey suffered a fatal heart attack. The band again stopped recording and made no live appearances for some years. Duffey had been widely regarded as one of the most powerful and entertaining stage performers in bluegrass, and there was no one who could replace him.
Nonetheless, the band was simply too popular to disappear for good. Banjoist Ben Eldridge, the sole remaining original member and a significant force in banjo music in his own right, assumed leadership of the band. Former guitarist Lou Reid rejoined the band on mandolin. Initially the new Scene concentrated on live performances, but in 2000 the group recorded a new album, "Scene it All." The Seldom Scene continues to tour, and remains on the Sugar Hill label for future recordings.
The band currently consists of Dudley Connell (guitar/lead vocals), Ben Eldridge (banjo), Lou Reid (mandolin/tenor vocals), Fred Travers (dobro/lead vocals), and Ronnie Simpkins (bass/baritone vocals).
John Starling died in May 2019.
Discography
Act I (Rebel, 1972)
Act II (Rebel, 1973)
Act III (Rebel, 1973)
Old Train (Rebel, 1973)
Live At The Cellar Door (Rebel, 1975)
The New Seldom Scene Album (Rebel, 1976)
Baptizing (Rebel, 1978)
Act IV (Sugar Hill, 1979)
After Midnight (Sugar Hill, 1981)
At The Scene (Sugar Hill, 1983)
Blue Ridge with Jonathan Edwards (Sugar Hill, 1985)
15th Anniversary Celebration (Sugar Hill, 1986)
A Change Of Scenery (Sugar Hill, 1988)
Scenic Roots (Sugar Hill, 1990)
Scene 20: 20th Anniversary Concert (Sugar Hill, 1992)
Like We Used To Be (Sugar Hill, 1994)
Dream Scene (Sugar Hill, 1996)
Scene It All (Sugar Hill, 2000)
External links
Official site
It's All Over Now Baby Blue
The Seldom Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun
Crying like a fire in the sun
Look out the saints are comin' through
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense
The empty handed painter from your streets
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets
This sky, too, is folding under you
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home
Your empty handed armies, are all going home
Your lover who just walked out the door
Has taken all his blankets from the floor
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
Strike another match, go start a new
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
The lyrics to Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" are a poetic commentary on the end of a relationship, the changing times, and the ways in which one can move on after being left behind. The first verse sets the tone and gives a sense of urgency, with the singer urging their ex-lover to take what they need because the end has come, and nothing lasts forever. The image of the orphan with a gun further emphasizes the sense of danger and violence that surrounds the end of this relationship.
The second verse is more introspective and reflective, with the singer advising the listener to use their sense when traveling down the highway of life. The empty-handed painter is a metaphor for someone who has nothing tangible to show for their life, but who is still able to create something beautiful and meaningful. The sky folding under you is a metaphor for the world changing around you, and the inevitability of being left behind.
The final verse is a call to action, urging the listener to leave their past behind and start anew. The seasick sailors and empty-handed armies are all going home, leaving the singer to strike another match and start over. The vagabond rapping at the door is a reminder that there is always something or someone new waiting to be discovered or explored. The final message is clear: it's all over now, but that's okay because there is always a new beginning waiting just around the corner.
Line by Line Meaning
You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last
You should leave now and take whatever you believe will be essential for your future.
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast
If there's something you want to keep, you should take it quickly before it's too late.
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun
There's a lone person in the distance holding a weapon, possibly to prevent you from staying.
Crying like a fire in the sun
The person in the distance is crying loudly like the heat of the sun.
Look out the saints are comin' through
Be aware, because a group of holy people is approaching.
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
Your time in this place has come to an end and it's time for you to go.
The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense
The road can be risky, so be cautious with your choices.
Take what you have gathered from coincidence
Use what you've acquired from chance or fate to guide your decisions.
The empty handed painter from your streets
A poor artist from your town is without any paint supplies.
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets
The artist is using your sheets as makeshift canvas and creating wild designs.
This sky, too, is folding under you
Even the sky seems to be collapsing around you.
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
You need to move on from this situation because it's ending.
All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home
The people who were struggling and lost at sea are heading back home.
Your empty handed armies, are all going home
Even the armies that were once powerful and victorious have nothing left and are returning home.
Your lover who just walked out the door
The person you loved who just left you recently.
Has taken all his blankets from the floor
They packed all of their belongings, including what was on the floor.
The carpet, too, is moving under you
Even the floor beneath you seems to be shifting and changing.
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
Your life as you knew it has come to a close.
Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
Don't rely on familiar things, because there's a voice calling you towards something new.
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you
Don't dwell on the past or the people you've left behind. They can't come with you.
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
A wanderer is knocking on your door.
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
They're wearing clothes that you used to own, perhaps to show they've been where you are.
Strike another match, go start a new
Light another fire, start afresh and pursue a new beginning.
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
Your time in this situation or place is over, and it's time to move on.
Writer(s): Bob Dylan
Contributed by Cameron C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.