Gone But Not Forgotten: another Dylan oddity found, but your help is needed.

By Tony Attwood

Aaron Gailbraith has been doing a great job recently as Untold’s official bloodhound, searching out unlisted Dylan compositions, and here he has found another one:

Gone But Not Forgotten

Below is the initial commentary on the song, and below that the correspondence between Larry and Aaron as they worked out the lyrics.  The lyrics are then printed out in full with variants noted, along with the guitar chords on our second article

Now the first thing to say is that this doesn’t appear on the official Bob Dylan site (although our friends in official Dylan Land have been known to consult us on occasion, so maybe we are ahead of the game on this one).  It also isn’t in Heylin – although the latter is excusable since this song is of recent origin.

The prime source of the story is the Variety website which tends to be fairly accurate in what it reports (although I am reading it from the UK, so friends in the US might have a different view).   They say.

“It’s surprising enough that Grammy and Oscar-winning producer T Bone Burnett teamed up with Justin Bieber collaborator Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd and Jingle Punks founder Jared Gustadt for a project called Bear and a Banjo that only makes music for films and TV…

“Even odder? Bob Dylan — yeah, that Bob Dylan — has gotten in on the action, contributing lyrics to another song from the project, “Gone But Not Forgotten…”

“The song’s origins are similar to those of Burnett’s 2014 project “Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes,” which saw musicians like Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Jim James and Rhiannon Giddens performing songs based on previously unrecorded lyrics written by Dylan for a project with founding members of The Band.

“Dylan didn’t take part in the recording sessions, but “You could kind of feel his spirit in the room,” Gustadt says. “You knew those were classic lyrics. It was a bizarre, unique collaboration, and just to see his name on the lyrics sheet, it’s pretty crazy”.”

You can hear the song online.  It is the lower one of two listed on

https://bearandbanjo.com/

I have had a bash at transcribing the lyrics but there are so many that I am not getting, it would be far too embarassing for me to provide my version.  And I can’t find anything on the internet beyond the links I have given above.

So if we can get the lyrics out it will be another first for Untold Dylan.  Everyone will be fully acknowledged as with other songs we have treated in this way.  If we can get a full set of lyrics I will then publish them within the article with of course the names of everyone who has worked on this.

Please do have a listen – and please do write in your version of the lyrics below.  If you prefer absolute anonymity send your version to Tony@schools.co.uk and I absolutely won’t reveal your details and just put the lyrics on the site as “anonymous contributor”.

What else is on the site

You’ll find an index to our latest posts arranged by themes and subjects on the home page.  You can also see details of our main sections on this site at the top of this page under the picture.

The index to the 500+ Dylan compositions reviewed is now on a new page of its own.  You will find it here.  It contains reviews of every Dylan composition that we can find a recording of – if you know of anything we have missed please do write in.

We also have a discussion group “Untold Dylan” on Facebook.  Just type the phrase “Untold Dylan” in, on your Facebook page or follow this link 

And please do note   The Bob Dylan Project, which lists every Dylan song in alphabetical order, and has links to licensed recordings and performances by Dylan and by other artists, is starting to link back to our reviews

14 Comments

  1. Here’s a stating version…open for suggestions …

    Gone but not forgotten
    Cryin’ wouldn’t make her stay
    Oh, she left me early one mornin’
    Just got up and walked away

    Nineteen bird dogs, and one old measly hound
    Six and twenty others to track my baby down
    She says, ‘Honey, neither of’em goin’ where I have to go
    One goin’ to Navy, two of’em goin’ to San Antanio’

    Ain’t no difference any name of the women I meet
    Simply want’em for a stroll, someone right for the street
    Some of’em in high heels
    Mamas in her stocking feet

    Lookin’ at my window
    While the rain falls three days straight
    Sometimes wanna holler, ‘ How long, my baby?
    Don’t make me wait’

    I can’tell sleep
    Till my heart has a beat
    Don’t want to talk to nobody, oh no
    Ain’t got no appetite to eat

  2. I’m not sure about bird dogs..but can’t make out what it might be!

    Then it’s
    “take all twenty of them to track my baby down,
    two trains running neither of them going where I have to go
    one going to Houston, one going to San Antonio”

    Other than that it’s all good!

  3. Also, think it’s “ mothers in their stocking feet” not mamas

    Oh And then

    “Lookin out my window
    While the rain falls three days straight
    sometimes I wonder how long my baby’s gonna make me wait”

  4. I think “birddogs” fits and yes I had at first written down words very close to what you have, based on verses used in other songs, then changed my mind…..sticking with first impressions seems the best thing to do.

    I’d say we’re very close.

  5. Ok…let’s go with “bird dogs”! I had another couple of listens and think I have it all now, some more changes I think!

    Here is what I think are the complete lyrics…

    Gone but not forgotten
    Cryin’ wouldn’t make her stay
    Oh, she left me early one mornin’
    Just got up and walked away

    Nineteen bird dogs, and one old measly hound
    take all twenty of them to track my baby down,
    two trains running neither of them going where I have to go
    one going to Houston, one going to San Antonio

    Ain’t no difference any name of the women I meet
    Some live on the first floor, some live right above the street
    Some walk in high heels
    Some others in their stocking feet

    Lookin out my window
    While the rain falls three days straight
    sometimes I wonder how long my baby’s gonna make me wait

    I can’t sleep
    Till my heart has a beat
    Don’t want to talk to nobody, oh no
    Ain’t got no appetite to eat

  6. I’m sticking with “take twenty…”

    I listened a few more times and think the last verse might be..

    I can’t sleep
    Still my heart has to beat…etc

    It’s a cracking track in my opinion…and I’ve listened to it about 25 times tonight! I can see this fitting in True Detectives or Peaky Blinders…which is exactly what the aim is…don’t be surprised if it turns up in True Detective series 3 (if they ever make it!) As T Bone is the musical director on that series…

  7. Brilliant guys. Thank you so much. I’m going to do a compilation version and put it into the article. Full recognition to Aaron and Larry for all this work. Untold Dylan – first with the lyrics, yet again.

  8. OKnow… You’ve gone with ‘birddogs’, so I ‘ll go with ‘take all’ ….. unless somebody else comes up with another possibility (lol).

    Quick, if it’still not too late …..let’s get a copy right on them!

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