More than a Song

"Some of us scare ourselves to death in the dark
 to be where the angels fly
"


Red River Shore

In the context of today's entertainment market, unlimited music outlets and technology, a song is a snapshot of time, a batch of downloadable bits, or a source for sampling, a commercial sales tool, or the current earworm cum soundtrack to your momentary ADD consciousness.

In its inception a song was not only entertainment but a form of communication, the original news network containing the latest stories of interest, survival, and conventional wisdom. The most interesting of these were copied, embellished, reinterpreted, and passed down through generations, over time becoming templates for expression and our link to the past - also known as tradition.

Well, no revelations there - I'm stating the obvious, but it does help add context to a recently released song by Bob Dylan - Red River Shore. It's also no surprise dylan should release a song rooted in the tradition in which his name first became a synonymic icon.

It is, however, particularly in the current American Idolized sub-prime talent market, rare to watch musical history being written. Which makes the emergence of this song (and others on Tell Tale Signs: the Bootleg Series Vol. 8) so exciting. Few songs we hear today will remain relevant during one generation much less become part of the molecular structure of time eternal.

Bob Dylan remains true to himself, true to a tradition - the student, the artist, the teacher, the MASTER. Yet, he breaks the bounds of the mortal artist by also becoming a vital link in a golden chain.

I must admit that without having read the liner notes I would not have known that The Kingston trio sang a like named song but I did research the writers Jack Splittard/Randy Cierley linked below. I have not further researched possible earlier versions. But the template is certainly familiar - love pursued at the risk of, hardship, emotional desperation, and life itself. The song though, is more than merely a cover, a rewrite, a reinterpretation, or a derivative. Dylan - as always, almost reinvents a genre using language that transcends anything that has come before and setting a new standard for what must come after - this is Dylan's song, and we are extremely fortunate to be his contemporary audience.

If you had to pick one song representing Dylan's 'mature' period this would certainly be a great choice. In addition this CD set provides a perfect archeological insight to the foundation of his last 20 years and also amazingly includes a Robert Johnson cover, a divine duet with Ralph Stanley, a blazing live version of High Water (for Charlie Patton), and an 8+ minute Civil War epic !

I also came to another realization during a recent conversation with my brother. What could be offhandedly considered the liability of a deteriorating voice actually becomes the perfect patina and physical weight for the lyrical framework Dylan lays out in his current canon. In fact, he becomes a vocal peer of such timeless legends as Armstrong, Howlin' Wolf, and so many others. Dylan has always known how to use his voice in any context and this song is as perfect an example as you can find.

I kept staring at the cover photo and thinking it reminded me of someone. When I finally realized who I was thinking of I came up with the following comparison which lends some credence to my previous observation.





I present the some lyrics and some referential links below as well. I have not yet found a copy of the Kingston Trio song.


The Kingston Trio

Red River Shore

(Jack Splittard/Randy Cierley)

At the foot of yon mountain, where the big river flows, there's a fond creation and a soft wind that blows.
There lives a fair maiden, she's the one I adore. She's the one I will marry on the Red River shore.

She wrote me a letter. She wrote it so kind and in that letter these words you will find.
"Come back to me, darling, you're the one I adore. You're the one I will marry on the Red River shore.

I jumped on my bronco and away I did ride to marry my true love on the Red River side.
But her pa knew the secret and with twenty and four come to fight this young cowboy on the Red River shore.

I grabbed my six shooter, spun 'round and 'round 'til six men were wounded and seven were down.
I can't fight an army of twenty and four when I'm bound for my true love on the Red River shore.

At the foot of yon mountain, where the big river flows, there's a fond creation and a soft wind that blows.
And there lives a fair maiden, she's the one I adore, but never will marry on the Red River shore.

----------------

Bob Dylan

Red River Shore

Some of us turn off the lights and we laugh 
In the moonlight shooting by

Some of us scare ourselves to death in the dark
 To be where the angels fly

Pretty maids all in a row lined up
 Outside my cabin door

I never wanted any of ‘em wantin’ me 
‘Cept the girl from the Red River shore

Well I sat by her side and for a while I tried
 To make that girl my wife

She gave me her best advice and she said
 Go home and lead a quiet life

Well I been to the East and I been to the West
 And I been out where the black winds roar

Somehow though I never did get that far 
With the girl from the Red River shore

Well I knew when I first laid eyes on her 
I could never be free

One look at her and I knew right away
 She should always be with me

Well the dream dried up a long time ago
 Don’t know where it is anymore

True to life, true to me 
Was the girl from the Red River shore

Well I’m wearing the cloak of misery
 And I’ve tasted jilted love

And the frozen smile upon my face
 Fits me like a glove

But I can’t escape from the memory
Of the one that I’ll always adore

All those nights when I lay in the arms
 Of the girl from the Red River shore

Well we’re livin’ in the shadows of a fading past
 Trapped in the fires of time

I’ve tried not to ever hurt anybody
 And to stay out of the life of crime

And when it’s all been said and done
I never did know the score

One more day is another day away
From the girl from the Red River shore

Well I’m a stranger here in a strange land
 But I know this is where I belong

I ramble and gamble but the one I love
 And the hills will give me a song

Though nothing looks familiar to me 
I know I’ve stayed here before

Once a thousand nights ago
 With the girl from the Red River shore

Well I went back to see about her once
 Went back to straighten it out

Everybody that I talked to that seen us there
 Said they didn’t know who I was talking about

Well the sun went down on me a long time ago 
I’ve had to go back from the door

I wish I could have spent every hour of my life
 With the girl from the Red River shore

Now I heard of a guy who lived a long time ago 
A man full of sorrow and strife

That if someone around him died and was dead
 He knew how to bring him on back to life

Well I don’t know what kind of language he used
 Or if they do that kind of thing anymore 

Sometimes I think nobody ever saw me here at all 
‘Cept the girl from the Red River shore


Song Preview:Red River Shore

Reference 1:Kingston Trio

Reference 2:Randy Cierley

Reference 3 - Nice Resume:randy sterling