FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about The Gaslight Tapes
Quiz about The Gaslight Tapes

The Gaslight Tapes Trivia Quiz


"The Gaslight Tapes 1962" capture Dylan performing his first self-penned compositions as well as traditional folk and blues songs before fame came knocking at his door.

A multiple-choice quiz by 50ftqueenie. Estimated time: 5 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Music Trivia
  6. »
  7. Music D-G
  8. »
  9. Bob Dylan

Author
50ftqueenie
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
252,151
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
9 / 15
Plays
574
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 15
1. This one should be fairly straightforward for Dylan fans:

"Oh, where have you been, my blue eyed son?
Oh, where have you been, my darling young one?
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways"
Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. These lyrics belong to which of Dylan's own compositions?

"It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It don't matter, anyhow
And it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don't know by now"
Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. Dylan took these lyrics from a poem:

"He says, "Hezekiah, you believe in the Church?"
Hezekiah says, "Well, the Church is divided, ain't they,
And... they can't make up their minds.
I'm just like them, I can't make up mine either."
Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. Which traditional folk song do these lyrics belong to?

"No more driver's lash for me
No more, no more
No more driver's lash for me."

Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. These lyrics are more blues than folk inspired, which song is it?

"Takes a good woman mama,
To satisfy my weary soul."
Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. These lyrics are taken from one of the oldest-known folk songs, which one?

"Oh slowly, slowly she got up
To the place where he was lyin',
And when she pulled the curtain back,
Said, "Young man, I b'lieve you're dying!"
Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. Dylan is at his finest when singing this song, which traditional song is it?

"Let me eat when I'm hungry, let me drink when I'm dry
Hmm, dollar when I'm hard up, religion when I die
The whole world's a bottle an' life's but a dram
When a bottle gets empty it sure ain't worth a damn."
Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. Which sweet little ditty do these lyrics come from?

"I build me a cabin
On a mountain so high
So I can see Nelly
As she goes ridin' by."
Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. Which Celtic tune are these lyrics from?

"Oh, I wish I was in London, hmm, hmm,
Or some other seaport town;
Get myself a steamboat
To sail the ocean 'round."
Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. This song is quite possibly one of Dylan's first protest songs:

"Don't you remember, Ma, when I went off to war
You thought it was the best thing I could do?
I was on the battleground, you were home . . . acting proud.
You wasn't there standing in my shoes."
Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. Which song are the following lyrics from?

"You prayed to the Lord above
Oh please send you a friend
You prayed to the Lord above
Oh please send you a friend
Your empty pockets tell yuh
That you ain't a-got no friend."
Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. Dylan puts his stamp on another old blues song; which song are these lyrics from?

"Sometime I'm thinking, you're too good to die
Sometime I'm thinking, you're too good to die
Other times I'm a-thinking you ought to be buried alive."
Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. Dylan was a huge fan of the blues singer that wrote these lyrics:

"Did you ever hear that coffin sound,
Have you ever heard that coffin sound,
Did you ever hear that coffin sound,
Means another poor boy is under ground."
Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. These lyrics are from a traditional blues work-song; which one?

"Wake up on a lifetime, hold up your own head
Well you may get a pardon and then you might drop dead."
Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. These lyrics are taken from which song?

"Yonder come a baby all dressed in white,
hey baby won't you stay all night."
Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This one should be fairly straightforward for Dylan fans: "Oh, where have you been, my blue eyed son? Oh, where have you been, my darling young one? I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways"

Answer: A Hard Rain's A - Gonna Fall

Dylan based the lyric structure of "Hard Rain" on the traditional ballad "Lord Randall":
"O where ha you been, Lord Randal, my son?
And where ha you been, my handsome young man?"
"I ha been at the greenwood; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I'm wearied wi hunting, and fain wad lie down."
Dylan wrote "Hard Rain" in 1962; he first sang the song at Carnegie Hall in September and at the Gaslight cafe a month later. "Hard Rain" appears on Dylan's second album "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan".
2. These lyrics belong to which of Dylan's own compositions? "It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe It don't matter, anyhow And it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe If you don't know by now"

Answer: Don't Think Twice it's All Right

Folksinger Paul Clayton wrote "Who's Goin' to Buy You Ribbons When I'm Gone" in 1960:

"It ain't no use to sit and sigh now, darlin,
And it ain't no use to sit and cry now,
T'ain't no use to sit and wonder why, darlin,
Just wonder who's gonna buy you ribbons when I'm gone.

So times on the railroad gettin' hard, babe,
I woke up last night and saw it snow,
Remember what you said to me last summer
When you saw me walkin' down that road.

So I'm walkin' down that long, lonesome road,
You're the one that made me travel on,
But still-I-can't-help wonderin' on my way,
Who's gonna buy you ribbons when I'm gone?"

Clayton taught the melody to Dylan, who two years later wrote "Don't Think Twice It's All Right". I can't imagine that Clayton was very happy with Dylan's success!
3. Dylan took these lyrics from a poem: "He says, "Hezekiah, you believe in the Church?" Hezekiah says, "Well, the Church is divided, ain't they, And... they can't make up their minds. I'm just like them, I can't make up mine either."

Answer: Black Cross

"Black Cross" was written as a poem in 1948 by Joseph S. Newman; it was published in a collection of poetry entitled "It Could be Verse". It was first recorded by Richard "Lord" Buckley live at the Ivar Theatre, Los Angeles in 1959.
Dylan adapted the lyrics for his version of "Black Cross" which he first performed in late 1961 at the Minnesota Hotel and a year later at the Gaslight cafe.
4. Which traditional folk song do these lyrics belong to? "No more driver's lash for me No more, no more No more driver's lash for me."

Answer: No More Auction Block

"No More Auction Block" is a traditional folk song which dates back to the mid-1860's. The melody of "No More Auction Block" is very similar to Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind". Dylan often took melodies from traditional songs and wrote his own lyrics to accompany the music, occasionally he would use just a line or two of a traditional song in his own compositions.
5. These lyrics are more blues than folk inspired, which song is it? "Takes a good woman mama, To satisfy my weary soul."

Answer: Rocks and Gravel

Dylan fused Brownie McGhee's "Solid Road" and Leroy Carr's "Alabama Woman" to write "Rocks and Gravel". Dylan recorded the song during his "Freewheelin'" sessions in 1962. The song appeared on the promos of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" but was left off the final cut of Dylan's second album.
6. These lyrics are taken from one of the oldest-known folk songs, which one? "Oh slowly, slowly she got up To the place where he was lyin', And when she pulled the curtain back, Said, "Young man, I b'lieve you're dying!"

Answer: Barbara Allen

"Barbara Allen" dates as far back as the 17th century. There are many different versions of this traditional folk song: "Barb'ry Ellen", "Barbara Ellen", "Barbriallen" and so on...
7. Dylan is at his finest when singing this song, which traditional song is it? "Let me eat when I'm hungry, let me drink when I'm dry Hmm, dollar when I'm hard up, religion when I die The whole world's a bottle an' life's but a dram When a bottle gets empty it sure ain't worth a damn."

Answer: Moonshine Blues (Moonshiner)

"Moonshiner" is a traditional Irish drinking song, though there is some doubt over whether the song originated in Ireland or America. Irish folk group, The Clancy Brothers, recorded a popular version of the song after they emigrated from Ireland to America in the 1950s.
8. Which sweet little ditty do these lyrics come from? "I build me a cabin On a mountain so high So I can see Nelly As she goes ridin' by."

Answer: The Cuckoo is a Pretty Bird

"The Cuckoo is a Pretty Bird" is another traditional folk ballad that has many different variations. One of the earliest known recordings was by Clarence Ashley; a banjo musician from North Carolina who recorded the song in the 1920s.
9. Which Celtic tune are these lyrics from? "Oh, I wish I was in London, hmm, hmm, Or some other seaport town; Get myself a steamboat To sail the ocean 'round."

Answer: Handsome Molly

"Handsome Molly" is a Celtic standard that has many similarities to other Irish folk songs: "Farewell Ballymoney", "Lovely Molly" and "Lovely Hannah". It became a favourite among bluegrass musicians in the 1950s but was first recorded by Grayson and Whitter in 1927.
10. This song is quite possibly one of Dylan's first protest songs: "Don't you remember, Ma, when I went off to war You thought it was the best thing I could do? I was on the battleground, you were home . . . acting proud. You wasn't there standing in my shoes."

Answer: John Brown

Dylan first recorded this self-penned anti-war song during sessions for the folk magazine "Broadside" in 1962/3. "John Brown", "Only a Hobo" and "Talking Devil" all appeared on the compilation album "Broadside Ballads, Volume 1", which was released in 1963. Dylan was credited on the album under the pseudonym Blind Boy Grunt presumably because he was under contract at the time with Columbia Records.
11. Which song are the following lyrics from? "You prayed to the Lord above Oh please send you a friend You prayed to the Lord above Oh please send you a friend Your empty pockets tell yuh That you ain't a-got no friend."

Answer: Ballad of Hollis Brown

Dylan wrote "Ballad of Hollis Brown" in 1962, performing it at the Gaslight cafe shortly after. Dylan recorded the song initially for his second album "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", that outtake and the Gaslight version has an extra verse making the song even bleaker:

"There's bedbugs on your baby's bed
There's chinches on your wife
There's bedbugs on your baby's bed
There's chinches on your wife
Gangrene snuck in your side,
It's a-cuttin' you like a knife".
"Hollis Brown" eventually appeared on Dylan's third album "The Times They Are-A Changin'".
12. Dylan puts his stamp on another old blues song; which song are these lyrics from? "Sometime I'm thinking, you're too good to die Sometime I'm thinking, you're too good to die Other times I'm a-thinking you ought to be buried alive."

Answer: Kind Hearted Woman Blues

"Kind Hearted Woman Blues" was written by the seminal blues-man Robert Johnson; it is said to be Johnson's very first recording. It was recorded in a hotel room in San Antonio, Texas back in 1936. "Kind Hearted Woman Blues" is on many of Johnson's posthumously released albums; if you are new to his music "Complete Recordings" would be a good starting point.
13. Dylan was a huge fan of the blues singer that wrote these lyrics: "Did you ever hear that coffin sound, Have you ever heard that coffin sound, Did you ever hear that coffin sound, Means another poor boy is under ground."

Answer: See that my Grave is Kept Clean

"See that my Grave is Kept Clean" is one of Blind Lemon Jefferson's most famous recordings. It was recorded in 1927 under the pseudonym Deacon LJ. Bates. Dylan pretty much stuck to the original version when he sang at the Gaslight cafe; he recorded the song for his first eponymous album. Dylan again recorded the song in 1967 for "The Genuine Basement Tapes Vol. 4".
14. These lyrics are from a traditional blues work-song; which one? "Wake up on a lifetime, hold up your own head Well you may get a pardon and then you might drop dead."

Answer: Ain't no More Cane (on the Brazos)

"Ain't no More Cane (on the Brazos)" is a traditional Texas prison work-song. The Brazos river flows past many of the old Texas prisons and sugar plantations where many of the prisoners worked in chain-gangs. When Leadbelly performed the song he made it his own and it's his version that Dylan emulates on the Gaslight recording.
Dylan sang the song again in 1979 with The Band in "The Basement Tapes" sessions.
15. These lyrics are taken from which song? "Yonder come a baby all dressed in white, hey baby won't you stay all night."

Answer: Cocaine Blues

"Cocaine Blues" was written by Luke Jordan who first recorded the song in the late 1920s. Luke Jordan was a blues guitarist and singer from Virginia. Dylan's rendition of "Cocaine" bares more resemblance to Reverend Gary Davis' version than to Jordan's original recording, though.
Source: Author 50ftqueenie

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
10/31/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us