[1374] The Weight
I pulled into Nazareth, I was feeling about half past dead;
I just needed some place where I can lay my head.
"Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?"
He just grinned and shook my hand, and 'No' was all he said.
Take a load off Fanny,
Take a load for free;
Take a load off Fanny,
And (and) (and) you put the load right on me.
I picked up my bag, I went looking for a place to hide;
When I saw Carmen and the Devil walking side by side.
I said, "Hey, Carmen, come on, let's go downtown."
She said, "I gotta go, but my friend can stick around."
Take a load off Fanny (etc.)
Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothing you can say
It's just ol' Luke, and Luke's waiting on the Judgement Day.
"Well, Luke, my friend, what about young Anna Lee?"
He said, "Do me a favor, son, won't you stay and keep Anna Lee
company?"
Take a load off Fanny (etc.)
Crazy Chester followed me, and he caught me in the fog.
He said, "I will fix your rack, if you'll take Jack, my dog."
I said, "Wait a minute, Chester, you know I'm a peaceful man."
He said, "That's okay, boy, won't you feed him when you can."
Take a load off Fanny (etc.)
Catch a cannonball now, to take me down the line
My bag is sinking low and I do believe it's time.
To get back to Miss Fanny, you know she's the only one.
Who sent me here with her regards for everyone.
Take a load off Fanny (etc.)
-- Jaime 'Robbie' Robertson
|
From the album "Music from Big Pink", by 'The Band', released in 1968.
First, there's the music. The Band's music, while generally classed
under 'folk rock', was in reality a wonderfully diverse mix of styles.
The foundation was built on folk tunes and jug music, but these roots
were overlaid with rock flourishes, blues rhythms and gospel harmonies,
and tinged with soul, bluegrass and swing.
Next, there are the arrangements. The Band started out as a tight-knit
rock and roll outfit, but under Dylan's influence they sprawled out into
a more 'relaxed' group, experimenting with different instrumental and
vocal lineups (the fact that each member was proficient on multiple
instruments, and that there were three excellent vocalists on the
roster, helped). As a result their music often sounded like a work in
progress, a group of musicians searching for a common goal. This
potentially untidy approach worked surprisingly well; at any rate it
proved perfect for the kind of music (eclectic, rough-hewn,
down-to-earth) they generally performed. (Their harmonies, especially,
are remarkable: they're distinctly non-traditional, and nowhere near as
'pretty' as Simon & Garfunkel's, but they have a power all their own).
And finally, there are the lyrics. In keeping with the diversity of
musical styles and the multiplicity of instrumental approaches, the
Band's lyrics reflect various strains of a mythologized Americana. And
nowhere is this more evident than in the centrepiece of their first
album, 'The Weight'. The theme is not hard to grasp -- it's about the
burdens that come to weigh on a man who's simply trying to do "what's
right" -- but the handling is subtle. Allusions to religion (Nazareth,
the Devil, Judgement Day) mingle with references to American culture
('Go Down Moses' is the title of a short story by Faulkner; the 'Wabash
Cannonball' is a mythical train that has visited every small-town
station in America [1]) and The Band's personal history (Crazy Chester,
Anna Lee and Old Luke are all supposedly based on real people). The
whole is an intensely visual, almost Impressionistic tapestry, where
form, content and execution meet to lovely effect.
thomas.
[1] See http://www.utahphillips.org/songbook/wabashcannonball.html, and
also http://ingeb.org/songs/wabashca.html, and also (especially) Robert
Bloch's excellent short story "That Hell-Bound Train".
PS. Here's a fairly detailed essay on today's song, somewhat rambling
and disorganized, but a good read nonetheless:
http://theband.hiof.no/articles/the_weight_viney.html
[this poem is archived, accessible and awaiting your comments at]
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1374.html
To subscribe, send a blank mail to <minstrels-subscribe@>.
From: "Reuben Abraham" <ra319@>
And then there's the little trivial detail you missed -- the band Nazareth
took its name from the first line.
Reuben
Read my blog at http://www.wetware.blogspot.com
From: BART VAN OIJEN <oijen012@>
Hey, this is a good one! The oldies are coming back (Richard Corey)!!!!
Wondering if you ever can publish music and chords for guitar.
Sincerely,
Bart van Oijen.
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000080>Hey, this is a good one! The oldies are
coming back (Richard Corey)!!!!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000080>Wondering if you ever can publish music and
chords for guitar.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000080>Sincerely,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000080>Bart van Oijen.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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From: "Haugen, Phebe" <phaugen@>
Hi Thomas,
Thank you for this! It's always been one of my favorites, but I've
never read anything about it at all, nor have I even ever seen all the
lyrics printed out anywhere. Very enlightening and interesting.
All best,
Phebe Haugen
PS Is your first name Thomas or Abraham?
From: Amy Cobb <cuddledumplin@>
Hi Thomas,
In the essay in the liner notes of the Band's To Kingdom Come: the
Definitve Collection it states that "the Weight" was inspired by the
films of Luis Buñuel (especially Nazarin and Viridiana). I suppose it
just proves that artists can find inspiration in works far different
from their own.
Thanks,
Amy Cobb
From: Duane McNaughton <duane.mcnaughton@>
A great song. I wonder what it means?
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From: rbbtslyr <rbbtslyr@>
You have a common miss hearing of the lyrics instead of "Take a load off
Fanny" it should be "Take a load off Annie"
It is a great old song, no wonder someone grabbed it for a commerical.
Rabbit
Meddle not in the Affairs of Dragons, for Thou Art Crunchy and Taste
Good with Catsup or BBQ Sauce
Liberty Hill, SC Elevation 571 ft Lat 34.478N by 80.802W
From: Burtoncwb@
Greetings from Little Rock Arkansas:
Can you explain what this song means? I have spent years trying to figure it
out. It is currently being played on a nation wide TV commercial and each
time I hear it I think I am not giving up until I figure it out or someone will
explain a meaning to the poem that makes sense.
Toni
From: "CToby" <ctoby@>
Cool.except for that along with the 'Annie/Fannie' issue, there is also
the reference to 'Go Down Moses,' which is an old Negro Spiritual
(Gospel). "Go down, Moses.way down in Egypt's land. Tell old Pharaoh,
let my people go." etc. The song predates the book-by a few decades.
Otherwise, good commentary, and thanks for taking the time to publish
the lyrics and analysis. :-)
CT
From: "Dana Beyerle" <DTB123@>
I can't believe it was 1968 when the Pink came out. Time flies and the
song is still good.
From: MKosegi415@
I've always loved this song. But can anyone tell me why it was sold for a
car commercial? Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm were once described as, people
"you can turn your back on..." Not anymore, I guess. What a pity.
From: "Gerald and Tammy Northcutt" <gtnorth@>
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I imagine that it was done because of the catchy tune and the first
words. I pulled into.........It works for the cellular generation.
Secondly, I think it is great that they pulled that song back into the
mainstream. Awesome tune that our youth would not otherwise experience.
I wish we had songwriters like that now. Writers that wrote because of
inspiration, not because of a contract and rhyming software.
I find myself humming it again and again.
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<DIV><FONT face"Arial size"2>I imagine that it was done because of
the catchy
tune and the first words. I pulled into.........It works for the
cellular
generation.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face"Arial size"2>Secondly, I think it is great that they
pulled that
song back into the mainstream. Awesome tune that our youth would
not
otherwise experience. I wish we had songwriters like that
now.
Writers that wrote because of inspiration, not because of a contract
and rhyming software.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face"Arial size"2>I find myself humming it again and
again.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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From: <chrisgray@>
FYI
It’s take a load off Annie
Not take a load off Fanny
From: "ohpress" <ohpress@>
Gee whiz, the world has ended because The Weight is used in a car
commercial... me, I'm happy to sit through the pitch so I can hear the
song. And to the fretful person who demands an Explanation That Makes
Sense: Verse makes sense. Poetry doesn't. Deal with it.
From: "Jocelyn Clark" <jclark3@>
The "Nazareth" referred to in the first line may be Nazareth, Pennsylvania,
which happens to be the headquarters of the world-famous Martin Guitar
Company. Robertson uses Martin guitars.
From: Scott Anderson <sla@>
__________________________
Scott Anderson, D.M.A.
Associate Professor of Trombone
Chair, Brass and Percussion Area
University of Nebraska
225 Westbrook Music Building
Lincoln, Nebraska
68588-0100
402-472-2488
sla@
http://www.unl.edu/trombone
From: "pc" <pc@>
It's definitely "Fanny" - listen and learn- in the last verse "=2E=2E=2Eto
get back to Miss Fanny=2E=2E=2E" is clearly heard=2E Cheers!
From: Larry Schultz <lwschult@>