John Wesley Harding Lyrics
John Wesley Harding
Was a friend to the poor
He traveled a'with a gun in ev'ry hand
All along this countryside
He opened a'many a door
But he was never known
To hurt an honest man
[Verse 2]
’Twas down in Chaynee County
A time they talk about
With his lady by his side
He took a stand
And soon the situation there
Was all but straightened out
For he was always known
To lend a helping hand
[Verse 3]
All across the telegraph
His name it did resound
But no charge held against him
Could they prove
And there was no man around
Who could track or chain him down
He was never known
To make a foolish move
About
The first song, and title track, of Bob Dylan’s supposed “comeback” album after the famed motorcycle crash 18 months earlier. Gone is the thin, wild mercury music of 1965-1966, gone is the wild-haired, shade-wearing rock star, gone is any hint at being “the voice of a generation”, replaced by a soft-spoken, acoustic folk singer both far more traditional and far more mystical than his original “protest singer” version, eschewing touring to stay home with his family in upstate New York.
“John Wesley Harding” is an archetypical story of a famous outlaw which manages to get almost every single fact about the historical John Wesley Hardin (up to and including his name) completely wrong. Hmm. It’s almost as if Dylan, trying to escape his own myth, is trying to make a point about what a hero is.
Q&A
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- 1.John Wesley Harding