| What's With "THE WEIGHT?" |
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 Nobody doesn't like that song "The
Weight" by The Band. It's #41 on Rolling Stone's Greatest Songs of All
Time List, my Top Ten. Of course, I have no idea what it means. But after a week stuck at home with a rotten cold, and really sick of Oprah, Dr. Phil, and Judge Judy, I decided to do something meaningful with my life: go online and uncover the meaning of The Weight. So here goes: I pulled into Nazareth, I was feelin' about half past dead; I just need some place where I can lay my head. Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?" He just grinned and shook my hand, and "No!", was all he said. Are you with me, so far? I always thought that Nazareth was Biblical, but according to Wikipedia, it's a town in Pennsylvania. Go figure. Anyway, it's clear that the traveler is tired and looking for a place to stay. "Half-past dead." How brilliant is that. And then comes the famous chorus, where the plot thickens. . . Take a load off Fannie, take a load for free; Take a load off Fannie, And (and) (and) you can put the load right on me. Okay, for starters, I always heard it as Manny, not Fannie, but that's a minor detaill. I also assumed that "take a load" was a hit off a joint (Hey, this was from the sixties!) but most people think it just means: You help me out, I'll help you out. Whatever. Anyway, now it starts to get complicated: I picked up my bag, I went lookin' for a place to hide; When I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin' side by side. I said, "Hey, Carmen, come on, let's go downtown." She said, "I gotta go, but m'friend can stick around." Who the hell is Carmen? The Devil I know (better than the Devil I don't), but is Carmen telling the traveler to go to hell, or what! In the next stanza we meet two or three more characters: Miss Moses (Miss Carmen Moses? Or are they two different people?) and Luke (this must be Biblical), plus our new BFF, Anna Lee. Listen up: Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothin' you can say It's just ol' Luke, and Luke's waitin' on the Judgement Day. "Well, Luke, my friend, what about young Anna Lee?" He said, "Do me a favor, son, woncha stay an' keep Anna Lee company?" After the chorus (Fannie or Manny again), yet another character is introduced: Crazy Chester followed me, and he caught me in the fog. He said, "I will fix your rags, if you'll take Jack, my dog." I said, "Wait a minute, Chester, you know I'm a peaceful man." He said, "That's okay, boy, won't you feed him when you can." Whoa, Nellie. Now we've added Chester (wasn't he in Gunsmoke?) not to mention his dog, Jake. And then, in the next part, we get Miss Annie, who I suspect is the aforementioned Anna Lee, but who knows: Catch a Cannonball, now, t'take me down the line My bag is sinkin' low and I do believe it's time. To get back to Miss Annie, you know she's the only one. Who sent me here with her regards for everyone. Miss Annie? Fanny? Manny? Anna Lee? Crazy Chester? Jake? Luke?, Carmen? Miss Moses? The Devil! Forget Top Ten for music, The Weight has GOT to hold the World Record For Most Characters In A Single Song. And what, by the way, is a Cannonball? A train? A bus? Not another character I hope (jazz musician name of Adderley)? I am so confused.  So let's ask Robbie Robertson, he should know. Robbie says that the song was inspired by the surrealistic films of Bunuel and deals with the impossibility of sainthood. Well, that certainly clears things up, doesn't it. But wait. Mr R also says that the song is about the difficulty of doing something simple, like saying hello to someone (regards from Miss Annie) while passing through a new town — without getting yourself into an "incredible predicament." Others say all sorts of things: The Weight is the burden we all feel to deflect sin and become more . . . saintlike. Really? We do? Or that it refers to the Afterlife, where the traveler lays down the burdens of the world. Or a place between life and death. Or a hooker named Fanny. Or a hooker's fanny. Or the clap. AIDS. The South.The Civil War. Star Wars. The 60s. Life Itself. Nothing at all. Maybe you have to be stoned. I know, I know. You're not supposed to take the lyrics so seriously: it's only rock ‘n roll and you love it — not analyze it to death. Which has been done on the Internet, trust me. And yes, it's entirely possible that no one, not even The Band, or maybe especially The Band, really knows what it all means. But you can't blame a girl for trying. And maybe you know something I don't know . . . Or not. See it on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfyjhtOTy1s Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites                 |
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WHAT'S WITH
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One-word
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Past & Present:
The Kids Are All Right: "Alright!"
Despicable Me: "Delightful"
The Secret In Their Eyes: "Wow!"
SATC2: "(What) City?"
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Up!: "Uplifting!"
Hurt Locker: "Nerve-wracking"
The White Ribbon: "Brilliant"
Precious: "Semi"
Ghost Writer: "Engrossing"
A Single Man: "Poignant"
Julie & Julia: "Delicious!"
It's Complicated: "Scumptious!"
Whatever Works: "Doesn't"
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Comments
I for one, never can remember lyrics so I make up my own. Fanny, Manny, Hammie, who cares. For me it's about the tune, the groove and the overall feel.
Fun post!
However, I think a little chemical boost and a bottle of Jack is helpful whenever analyzing any of the 60's song lyrics, but I can agree with One of the Guys, it's a fun post.
These days, I drink martinis, but somehow Jack or a beer seems to suit the song better. Then again, it's from the '60s, the age of doing your own thing. So I guess I can drink whatever turns me on.
Just to talk to my old Guru and listen to him wail.
I said, "What's the song THE WEIGHT about, you crazy old fool?"
He said, "Everybody knows that. Didn't you go to school?"
I said, "School of hard knocks is all I know."
He said, "THE WEIGHT is about radishes, now, go man, go!
"Radishes," I said, "is a might dumb reply."
"You mean it isn't?" he said. Old jokes never die.
As for "Radishes," it's as good an answer as any.
Love your comments.
Can I email Gary Poole's Guru or is he on Facebook?
But Fanny ain't talking.
2. Some songs just "sing right." It only makes no sense in the fun of analyzing the thing. Evidence?
Watch 'em at any karaoke, singing along with that chorus, singing their hearts out.
Just like they'll do when they were singing "May the circle be unbroken, etc." They sing it as a peace anthem, although it's about a guy's mother's funeral.
I'll go with the radish.
On the mistaken meaning track, I heard Sting in an interview saying that Every Step You Take is about an obsessed lover — a stalker — and that he was dismayed that people were playing it at their weddings.
Hmm. The radish is starting to look good, isn't it?
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