Virgil Caine is my name and I served on the Danville train, Till so much cavalry came and they tore up the tracks again In the winter of sixty-five, we were hungry, just barely alive By May the tenth, Richmond had fell - it's a time I remember oh so well The night they drove old Dixie down, and all the bells were ringing The night they drove old Dixie down, and the people were singing They went "La, la, la-la, la, La, la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la" Back with my wife in Tennesee, when one day she called to me "Virgil, quick, come see, there goes the Robert E. Lee." Now I don't mind choppin' wood, and I don't care if the money's no good. Take what you need and leave the rest, But they should never have taken the very best." (Chorus) Like my father before me, I'm a working man Like my brother before me, I took a rebel stand He was just eighteen, proud and brave, but a Yankee laid him in his grave I swear by the blood below my feet You can't raise the cane back up when it's in the feed (Chorus)
Virgil Caine is my name and I served on the Danville train, Till so much cavalry came and they tore up the tracks again In the winter of sixty-five, we were hungry, just barely alive By May the tenth, Richmond had fell - it's a time I remember oh so well The night they drove old Dixie down, and all the bells were ringing The night they drove old Dixie down, and the people were singing They went "La, la, la-la, la, La, la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la" Back with my wife in Tennesee, when one day she called to me "Virgil, quick, come see, there goes the Robert E. Lee." Now I don't mind choppin' wood, and I don't care if the money's no good. Take what you need and leave the rest, But they should never have taken the very best." (Chorus) Like my father before me, I'm a working man Like my brother before me, I took a rebel stand He was just eighteen, proud and brave, but a Yankee laid him in his grave I swear by the blood below my feet You can't raise the cane back up when it's in the feed (Chorus)
A letra da música narra os últimos dias da Guerra Civil Americana através dos olhos de Virgil Caine, um soldado confederado que serviu na linha ferroviária de suprimentos para Richmond, na Virgínia.
O compositor Robbie Robertson teve a melodia em mente, mas não sabia o tema da canção até que ele "vomitou" para ele durante uma visita ao Sul dos Estados Unidos.
A estrutura rítmica, a voz de Levon Helm, a linha de baixo com acentos de bateria e os graves harmônicos da canção conferem a ela uma aura de autenticidade, como se fosse um material tradicional passado de pai para filho desde o inverno de 1865.
O crítico musical Ralph J Gleason comparou o impacto humano da música ao livro "The Red Badge of Courage" (O Corajoso Sinal Vermelho), afirmando que nenhum texto lido lhe trouxera um senso de história tão avassador.
O conceito da letra surgiu após Robertson ouvir repetidamente a expressão "não se preocupe, o Sul vai subir novamente", percebendo por trás da frase uma dor e uma tristeza profunda.
A canção foi gravada pela primeira vez em 1969 pelo grupo canadiense The Band e lançada em seu segundo álbum, que leva o mesmo nome da banda.
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