Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie
Encyclopedia
"Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie" is a poem written by American singer-songwriter
Bob Dylan
, and recited live during his April 12, 1963 performance at New York City
's Town Hall
. It was released in 1991 on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991
after circulating on bootleg releases
for years, even appearing on the ten-LP
box set Ten of Swords in 1985.
", "Dusty Old Fairgrounds", "Ramblin' Down Thru the World", and "Bob Dylan's New Orleans Rag". However, at the end of the concert, Dylan returned to the stage to recite one of his poems in public, "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie", which he has never done since. In his introduction, Dylan explained that he had written the piece after being asked to "write something about Woody...what does Woody Guthrie mean to you in twenty-five words" in the impending release of a book about Guthrie. He then explains that he "couldn't do it, I wrote out five pages, and, I have it here, have it here by accident, actually." Apparently, the poem described his "feelings towards Woody Guthrie", but, Guthrie's name is not mentioned until the last stanza
.
The poem was also put to music by Jack Johnson, who performed it at a live concert in Boulder, Colorado.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, and recited live during his April 12, 1963 performance at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Town Hall
The Town Hall
The Town Hall is a performance space, located at 123 West 43rd Street, between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, in New York City. It seats approximately 1,500 people.-History:...
. It was released in 1991 on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991
The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991
The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 is a compilation box set by Bob Dylan, issued on Columbia Records, catalogue C3K 86572. It is the first installment in the Dylan bootleg series, comprising material spanning the first three decades of his career, from 1961 to 1989...
after circulating on bootleg releases
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
for years, even appearing on the ten-LP
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
box set Ten of Swords in 1985.
History
Dylan's performance at the Town Hall on April 12 was used to debut several new compositions, such as "Tomorrow Is a Long TimeTomorrow Is a Long Time
"Tomorrow Is a Long Time" is a song written and recorded by Bob Dylan. Dylan's version first appeared on the Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume II compilation, released in 1971...
", "Dusty Old Fairgrounds", "Ramblin' Down Thru the World", and "Bob Dylan's New Orleans Rag". However, at the end of the concert, Dylan returned to the stage to recite one of his poems in public, "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie", which he has never done since. In his introduction, Dylan explained that he had written the piece after being asked to "write something about Woody...what does Woody Guthrie mean to you in twenty-five words" in the impending release of a book about Guthrie. He then explains that he "couldn't do it, I wrote out five pages, and, I have it here, have it here by accident, actually." Apparently, the poem described his "feelings towards Woody Guthrie", but, Guthrie's name is not mentioned until the last stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
.
The poem was also put to music by Jack Johnson, who performed it at a live concert in Boulder, Colorado.
External links
- Lyrics at bobdylan.com