Bob Dylan song about JFK assassination

[Jeanie Dean]

Reply to DiEugenio comment on Dumbarton Drums

There are  multiple versions of Dumbarton's Drums both in melody and lyric and all contested.  Depending on the singer's (gender) the subject of the song is Johnny or Jeanie.   Both renditions are true;  therein is the beauty  and power of poetry; its capacity to engender many valuable meanings. 

Wikipedia reports "Thereis a male version, with "Johnnie" changed to "Jeannie" and the last verse omitted, which has been recorded by The Corries. However the original version as collected and recorded by Burns is to a different tune, a brisk march which was recorded by the Glasgow Orpheus Choir. It also has different words which were the basis for the popular song. "Dumbarton's Drums" is the march of The Royal Scots, but this is a quick march, a different tune from the folk song.

[James DiEugenio]

Something else I was alerted to by a friend of Couteau's:

The theme to that Woody Allen piece of frivolity What's New Pussycat? was sung by Tom Jones.

The last film that JFK saw was reportedly Tom Jones.

If this is true Bob Dylan is not only a student of the JFK case, but of Kennedy also.

[Jeanie Dean]

Hello All,

Dylan's "Murder Most Foul" lyrics are of course interesting and a powerful  stream of codified impressions. After all Dylan is the Shakespeare of the 20th century. or as I like to say "one more cup of coffee for the literati," to allude to his wonderful song.  Its not surprising to see Dylan's work allude to other poets. Of course there are few poets, who have written specifically on JFK; Jeanie Dean being one is pretty obscure even to members of this forum. Up until  Dylan's trope, the  idea of poetry  about JFK and th assaination has seemed  rather insignifcant or unimportant.  Now that we ar looking at poetics,  these are insider views on parallel language and themes in Dylan's and Dean's lyrics. 
Dean's  fifteen minute anthem poem "Abortion of the American Dream"  in the book The Whole World Stopped, says JFK was sacrificed on the altar of greed.  Dylan repeats the sacrifice theme in each stanza of his "Murder Most Foul"  There are several common riffs between Dylan's voicing and Dean's poems including Elm street and crossroads, that will be mentioned here. Read on it might be interesting. 

Forum member Andrews quotes Dylan about the topic crossroads and death:  
Dealey Plaza, make a left-hand turn
I’m going down to the crossroads, gonna flag a ride
The place where faith, hope, and charity died

Dylan's word, "died" echoes the premise of Dean's "Abortion  of the American Dream"

This stanza by Dylan recalls Dean's poem: "Crosshairs of History:"
the presidential motorcade 
turned the corner 
slowed for the marksmen
at the crossroads 
of idealism and corruption 
to JFK's inevitable
rendezvous with destiny 
where the whole world stopped 
and life was never the same.

The crossroads is also of course a ubiquitous metaphor for the meeting place for the proverbial deal with the devil,  with many more possible interpretations.

In the same stanza above, Dylan references "Ellum," street, which seem to echo another poem by Dean: "Tall Lean Lone Man on the Scene,"  that depicts the turn on Elm Street as a signifying moment in the assassination; the poem is spoken with a repeating, even hypnotic stop-action rhythm:
"as the President's limousine turns onto Elm
a lone man, tall and lean
tall enough to be seen on the scene
tall lean lone man steps out 
as the limousine turns onto Elm
the tall lean lone man steps out ..."

This poem continues repeating and sustains attention on the pivotal turn on Elm Street, an idea that Dylan recapitulates with his garrulous lyric.  

Check  out Dean's unique book if you like poetry, metaphor, symbol, and research.  Or let it remain another marginalized and scoffed at unknown work in this significant inquiry;  Ignore it but pay homage to the super stars.  Yours, Jeanie Dean

 

  

 

 

[James DiEugenio]

Here you go Jeanie:

https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Jeanie-S-Dean/dp/0615911161

 

168 pages of poems and its blurbed by Mike Parenti.

[David Andrews]

Good catch, the Elm Street/Deep Ellum connection.  "Deep Ellum Blues" is a traditional African-American folk song that Dylan has performed, and has more frequently been performed by the Grateful Dead.

Deep Ellum itself was a storied African-American neighborhood in Dallas through the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries, and was the place a man went for a dangerous good time.  That's why you have to "keep your money in your shoe."

[wiki:] After independence from the Mexican-American War, Texas became a part of the United States in 1845. Four years later, Dallas was founded after the Civil War. After the 1850s’ slave liberation in Texas, many slaves from Texas and nearby states built their houses and cropped their land in the future Deep Ellum, which was one of the largest African-American communities.^[1] This community holds the most history in the Dallas area.

When you go down to Deep Ellum
Keep your money in your shoes
When you're down in Deep Ellum
Gives you Deep Ellum blues

 

Hey pretty mama
Your daddy's got them Deep Ellum blues
Tell your brothers and your sisters
Daddy's got them Deep Ellum blues

 

Well I went down to Deep Ellum
On a one way track
Well they took my money boys
And they never give it back

 

Hey pretty mama
Your daddy's got them Deep Ellum blues
Tell your brothers and your sisters
Your daddy's got them Deep Ellum blues

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by David Andrews

[Jeanie Dean]

Great references by everyone

[Jeanie Dean]

Speaking of Dylan's singing voice for his rendition of Murder Most Foul,  he used a very righteous and solemn baritone, and not his Topo Giggio falsetto. 

[David Andrews]

7 minutes ago, Jeanie Dean said:

Speaking of Dylan's singing voice for his rendition of Murder Most Foul,  he used a very righteous and solemn baritone, and not his Topo Giggio falsetto. 

He's been an evocative, soulful baritone for the last 20 years.

[Jeanie Dean]

Thanks Jim for the link to my book and Michael Parenti's comment.  He and I have had excellent conversations about the instruments of Empire.  Our research was in parallel.  In my unpublished book Poems of the Washerwoman, she scrubs away 400 years of Britaish veneer to reveal the instruments.  

[Jeanie Dean]

Thanks Jim for the link to my book and Michael Parenti's comment.  He and I have had excellent conversations about the instruments of Empire.  Our research was in parallel.  In my unpublished book Poems of the Washerwoman, she scrubs away 400 years of British veneer to reveal the instruments.  

[Jeanie Dean]

Oh yes Dylan's voice can be great. I wonder why he sings falsetto so much. 2 years ago i saw him from row 2 and most of the concert was falsetto.   grrr

[Jeanie Dean]

You might like this rewrite of the traditional Irish ballad Spancil Hill (1870) by Irish Immigrant Michael Considine who longs for home.  it's an irish tradition to rewrite ballads. Mine is called Sad Grassy Knoll.  I pasted Shane McGowan's fast punk version.  I am looking for someone to sing my version.  Just imagine my words to McGowan's singing.    

Sad Grassy Knoll

Last night as I was thinking of a sad day the world once knew
Me mind been bent on wondering to Dallas, Texas I flew
I went there sadly seeking truth wanting all to know
Where freedom fell on Elm Street by the sad Grassy Knoll

It be November twenty-two, nineteen sixty-three
The nation came to greet President John Kennedy
The black the white the left and right to see and hear their hero
Down on Dealey Plaza just past the Grassy Knoll

Waving hello, shaking his hand each wanted to be so near
The smiling leader inspired all to live without fear
They saw his vision for peace, a good and simple goal
Shot at noon by snipers under the Grassy Knoll

I went to see the people, to hear what they would say
Old ones cried conspiracy, not one lone shooter that day
A script, played to deceive, but the young ones just didn’t know
Cynics, called it theory, those killers on the Knoll

If John Kennedy lived would we have a peace
His “Open society” with justice for all increased
Not greed not hate nor traitors in a land that lost its soul  
No one would know the sorrow of the sad Grassy Knoll

* Kennedy spoke of  “OPEN SOCIETY”  often; it was changed to ”Great Society by L.B. Johnson’s staff.
Jeanie Dean 2013
Sean McGowan Spancill Hill

 

  gritty version

[Jeanie Dean]

The multiple references to Wolfman Jack are not to be overlooked as repetition is a poetic pointer.  "Wolfman" is potentially significant in light of Robert Wheeler's comment that the secret service code-name for Poppy George Bush Sr. is "Timber Wolf."   The name pair of  "Wolf" and "Jack" might also be significant. Does Dylan know that obscure bit of history about George Bush?  Who knows?    

My poem "Tall Lean Lone Man on the Scene" in the  book,  The Whole World Stopped observes a similar mystery man in Dealey Plaza that day

Another possibility is Dylan heard the actual "Wolfman Jack playing nationwide a 50,000 watt radio elegy for JFK on his midnight show from radio XERB during some 36 hours after JFK's assassination.  David Andrews points out, Dylan spent four days after the assassination in a New York apartment like everyone listening to the news.   

 

[W. Niederhut]

On 4/2/2020 at 5:04 PM, David Andrews said:

Good catch, the Elm Street/Deep Ellum connection.  "Deep Ellum Blues" is a traditional African-American folk song that Dylan has performed, and has more frequently been performed by the Grateful Dead.

Deep Ellum itself was a storied African-American neighborhood in Dallas through the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries, and was the place a man went for a dangerous good time.  That's why you have to "keep your money in your shoe."

[wiki:] After independence from the Mexican-American War, Texas became a part of the United States in 1845. Four years later, Dallas was founded after the Civil War. After the 1850s’ slave liberation in Texas, many slaves from Texas and nearby states built their houses and cropped their land in the future Deep Ellum, which was one of the largest African-American communities.^[1] This community holds the most history in the Dallas area.

When you go down to Deep Ellum
Keep your money in your shoes
When you're down in Deep Ellum
Gives you Deep Ellum blues

 

Hey pretty mama
Your daddy's got them Deep Ellum blues
Tell your brothers and your sisters
Daddy's got them Deep Ellum blues

 

Well I went down to Deep Ellum
On a one way track
Well they took my money boys
And they never give it back

 

Hey pretty mama
Your daddy's got them Deep Ellum blues
Tell your brothers and your sisters
Your daddy's got them Deep Ellum blues

 

 

 

Great post, David.  I've always loved Jerry Garcia's renditions of Deep Ellum Blues-- including the live (DAT) recording in '87 of the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band.

(Incidentally, I think the best Jerry Garcia old timey acoustic album ever was the Shady Grove album he recorded with David Grisman shortly before his untimely death.)

[Sandy Larsen]

On 4/1/2020 at 8:26 PM, Ron Bulman said:

Hi Sandy.  I know you posted a while back about some health problems.  Nice to see you on here, I've always enjoyed your posts and found them informative.  As an aside not meant to distract from the thread topic, "Tarleton's Quarter" became a rallying cry in the Revolutionary War in South Carolina as a result of Tarleton's no quarter.  Kind of like Remember the Alamo.  The Patriots often gave no quarter afterwards.  Inspiring them to victory at Kings Mountain.  Which I believe it was Ben Franklin who thought it was the final decisive victory of the revolution.  The Red Coat's left shortly after.  I just read about this recently myself.

 https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tarleton-gives-quarter-in-south-carolina

 

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the "no quarter" trivia/history lesson and for your kind words. I enjoy also your posts and those of others here on the forum. It's nice to come here and see what people you've come to know and respect (or disrespect, as the case may be LOL) have to say. I've learned a lot.