The song that started A Good Place

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The Song that started the Book

When you open the first page of A Good Place, the page above is what you'll see. (If it's not autographed as shown above, I can send a personalized book plate to you via mail absolutely free. (See below)

As I wrote about the hard times piney woods families had during the Civil War, I went back to one of my favorite songs, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. It always touches me as I hear "Virgil Cain"* (the song's narrator) tell about the loss and destruction he and his family experienced.

* Various spellings of the narrator are Cain/Caine/Kane. Notice Robertson's use of the "Cain and Abel" link as the brother-against-brother part of the Civil War. I had people on both sides of the conflict.

The verse above isn't just referring to the taking of the trees, it relates also to the taking of young men, many who never returned. The song's final verse tells of this.

"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" was written by Robbie Robertson, guitar player for The Band. It's more than ironic that what many call "The greatest song ever about the American Civil War" was written by a Canadian of Cree Indian ancestry.

I have many versions of this song on my iPod. Click on links below for my favorite three YouTube versions. I'd like readers to vote on their favorite and why.

The Band at their Farewell Concert, "The Last Waltz" Lead singer: Levon Helm 1977

Joan Baez's acoustic version circa 1971.

A recent version by the Georgia-based band, The Black Crows.

Click here to read song lyrics.

Mick Gold: "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down is not a song about the Confederacy, it is a song of the Confederacy." Click here to read entire website dedicated to the song.

Vote for your favorite in the comment section at the bottom of this post or email me at curtiles@aol.com

Autographed Copies: If you'd like an personally autographed adhesive book plate for your copy of A Good Place, email me at curtiles@aol.com with: Your name/How you'd like the plate inscribed/mailing address.