The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, lyric by Band, The

from the songs album The Band

C am c/g f f/e dm
Virgil caine is the name, and i served on the danville train,

Am c/g f f/e dm
'til stoneman's cavalry came and tore up the tracks again.

Am/e f c dm
In the winter of '65, we were hungry, just barely alive.

Am/e f c dm d
By may the tenth, richmond had fell, it's a time i remember, oh so well,


(chorus)

C/g fmaj7 c/g fmaj7
The night they drove old dixie down, and the bells were ringing,

C/g fmaj7 c/g fmaj7
The night they drove old dixie down, and the people were singin'. they went

C/g am gsus4 f c
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la,


Am c f f/e dm
Back with my wife in tennessee, when one day she called to me,

Am c f f/e dm
"virgil, quick, come see, there goes robert e. lee!"

Am/e f c dm
Now i don't mind choppin' wood, and i don't care if the money's no good.

Am/e f
Ya take what ya need and ya leave the rest,

C dm d
But they should never have taken the very best. (chorus)


Am c f f/e dm
Like my father before me, i will work the land,

Am c f f/e dm
Like my brother above me, who took a rebel stand.

Am/e f c dm
He was just eighteen, proud and brave, but a yankee laid him in his grave,

Am/e f
I swear by the mud below my feet,

C dm d
You can't raise a caine back up when he's in defeat.