portrait of this blog's author - by Stephen Blackman 2008

Saturday, November 05, 2022

Bob Dylan Plays OXFORD


Oxford Town, Oxford Town Everybody's got their heads bowed down The sun don't shine above the ground Ain't a-goin' down to Oxford Town

He went down to Oxford Town Guns and clubs followed him down All because his face was brown Better get away from Oxford Town

Oxford Town around the bend Come to the door, he couldn't get in All because of the color of his skin What do you think about that, my friend?

Me and my gal, my gal's son We got met with a tear gas bomb I don't even know why we come Goin' back where we come from

Oxford Town in the afternoon Everybody singin' a sorrowful tune Two men died 'neath the Mississippi moon Somebody better investigate soon

 Bob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways World Tour 2022 Tickets | New Theatre Oxford  in Oxford | ATG Tickets

SET LIST

Watching the River Flow
Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
I Contain Multitudes
False Prophet
When I Paint My Masterpiece
Black Rider
My Own Version of You
I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
Crossing the Rubicon
To Be Alone with You
Key West (Philosopher Pirate)
Gotta Serve Somebody
I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You
That Old Black Magic
Mother of Muses
Goodbye Jimmy Reed
Every Grain of Sand

On the day after Bobby played Oxford CITY UK thought it worth posting this . . . . .

From Wikipedia :

Recorded in Columbia's Studio A on December 6, 1962, for his second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

The song was composed in response to an open invitation from Broadside magazine for songs about one of the top news events of 1962: the Ole Miss riot triggered by the enrollment of a black student, James Meredith, in the University of Mississippi on October 1.[1] Among other submissions was Phil Ochs' song "Ballad of Oxford, Mississippi".[2]The lyrics and music from Dylan's song were printed December 1962 in Broadside's issue No. 17.[3]

Except that the University of Mississippi is located in Oxford, Mississippi, "Oxford Town" does not mention either Meredith or the university by name. Later, in an interview with Studs Terkel, Dylan said, "It deals with the Meredith case, but then again it doesn't... I wrote that when it happened, and I could have written that yesterday. It's still the same. 'Somebody better investigate soon' that's a verse in the song."

Besides the Freewheelin' release, Dylan recorded a version of "Oxford Town" for Broadside Sessions in November 1962. He also recorded a demo of the song for his music publisher M. Witmark & Sons in March 1963. This version was released in October 2010 on The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 – The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964.[4][5]


It may (or may not!) be worth noting that the previous night Bob played Manchester and some wag shouted out during a quiet moment "JUDAS!" (I thought it was funny!)

 

Here about the riot . . . .

about Mr James Meredith, B.A.,LL.B  here . . .

James Meredith Portrait.png

James Meredith (89)

No comments: