The Gaslight Tapes Trivia Quiz

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".

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!

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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'".

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.

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".

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.

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.