Bob Dylan And Leon Redbone part 2: Night’s coming on

 

by Larry Fyffe

This article continues from Bob Dylan And Leon Redbone

And when I hear the whistle of an old steamboat
Down the Mississippi River
Again I'm going to float
(Leon Redbone: Mississippi River Blues ~ McWilliams/Rodgers)

Leon Redbone might be described as a nonphilosophical Hegelian who savours old songs from the days of steam.

Singer/songwriter/musician Bob Dylan mixes the old with the new.  As in the song lyrics below:

Guess I hop on a train to ride ...
Comes a ways down by the river side
Bob Dylan: Let Me Come Baby)

Alluding to the following song:

She's got a ticket to ride
But she don't care
(Beatles: Ticket To Ride ~ Lennon/McCartney)

Again in the lyrics beneath:

I love seeing you, hold my hand
What I need is a loving plan
(Bob Dylan: Let Me Come Baby)

Mixed with:

You'll let me be your man ...
You'll let me hold your hand
(Beatles: I Want To Hold Your Hand ~ Lennon/McCartney)

Then we have:

There she comes baby all around ...
I'm leaving that thieving town
(Bob Dylan: Let Me Come Baby)

Reminding of the song quoted beneath:

Oh I hate to see that evening sun go down
For I know I'm on my last go round
(Shirkey & Harper: Steamboat Man)

The train steams along  the track:

Over by the river side
Oh there's no God knows where
(Bob Dylan: Let Me Come Baby)

The steamboat along the river:

I'm gonna where I won't have to work no more
And I'm going to the Lord's knows where
(Shirkey & Harper: Steamboat Man)

Mistress Death always comes along for the ride:
The dying sun was going down
And the night was coming on
(Bob Dylan: Crossing The Rubicon ~ variant)

And so it ends:

I might-a pulled a plug
And she blessed my soul
(Bob Dylan: Let Me Come Baby)