Original The Band version
Virgil Kane is the name and I served on the Danville train
'Til Stoneman's cavalry came and tore up the tracks again
In the winter of '65, we were hungry, just barely alive
By May the 10th, Richmond had fell, it's a time I remember oh so well
The night they drove old Dixie down and the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down and the people were singing
They went, "Na la-la-la la-na, la-la na-la-la la-la-la la"
Back with my wife in Tennessee when one day she called to me
"Virgil, quick, come see, there goes Robert E. Lee"
Now I don't mind chopping wood and I don't care if the money's no good
You take what you need and you leave the rest but they should never have taken the very best
The night they drove old Dixie down and the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down and all the people were singing
They went, "Na la-la-la la-na, la-la na-la-la la-la-la la"
Like my father before me I will work the land
And like my brother above me who took a rebel stand
He was just 18, proud and brave, but a Yankee laid him in his grave
I swear by the mud below my feet you can't raise a Kane back up when he's in defeat
The night they drove old Dixie down and the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down and all the people were singing
They went, "Na la-la-la la-na, la-la na-la-la la-la-la la"
The night they drove old Dixie down and all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down and the people were singing
They went, "Na la-la-la la-na, la-la na-la-la la-la-la la"
THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN is a song written by Robbie Robertson and originally released by The Band on their 1969 album The Band. The above lyrics are for the original The Band version of THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN as released in 1969.
Bruce Springsteen covered THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN with The Bruce Springsteen Band in 1971. See the live 01 Sep 1971 version for more details.
List of available versions of THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN on this website:
THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN [Live 01 Sep 1971 version]