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Virgil Caine 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 tenth, 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, na-na
La-la, na-na, 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 choppin' 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, na-na
La-la, na-na, 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 eighteen, proud and brave
But a Yankee laid him in his grave
I swear by the mud below my feet
You can't raise a Caine 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, na-na
La-la, na-na, 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, na-na
La-la, na-na, la-la-la-la-la"
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 tenth, 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, na-na
La-la, na-na, 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 choppin' 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, na-na
La-la, na-na, 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 eighteen, proud and brave
But a Yankee laid him in his grave
I swear by the mud below my feet
You can't raise a Caine 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, na-na
La-la, na-na, 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, na-na
La-la, na-na, la-la-la-la-la"
Lyrics submitted by H-bomb, edited by vinegar800, RobertGary1
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down Lyrics as written by Robbie Robertson
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I've wondered what Robertson meant when he said they never should have taken the very best. Anyone in the south knows Lee was Lincolns first choice; however today I thought he was referring to his brother, or he just put the verse together and the rhyming and what not was forced.
This song is actually how I heard the phrase "The south will rise again" or at least the first time I recognized it. A lot has changed in the south since this song was written. Atlanta is a major economic hub you know we just don't say that phrase anymore. It's an old phrase and it's kind of antiquated. It was a very common phrase once upon a time.
I believe "they should never have taken the very best" is a general reference to all of the young men killed in the war. While this song is historically accurate, you can't take all of it literally.
@bkabbott All the beautiful youth that die in wars which we can relate to all over the world.