Dylan Song by Song: "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" Quiz

Answer: Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid

"Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" depicts the life of aging lawman Pat Garrett (played by James Coburn), who has been hired by a group of rich cattle barons to track down Billy the Kid (who is played by country musician Kris Kristofferson). Dylan composed the soundtrack, including the score and songs, most notably "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." He also plays a character in the film, named Alias, who helps to kill a man who is trying to kill Billy the Kid during a shootout.

Answer: his badge

"Mama, take this badge off of me,
I can't use it anymore."

This song represents two deaths, those of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Billy the Kid's real name was Henry McCarty, but he also went by the pseudonym of William H. Bonne. He had killed eight men by the age of 21, when Pat Garrett shot him.

In the movie, twenty-eight years after killing Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett is ambushed and killed by his associates. The line "take this badge off of me" implies a reference to Garrett, the lawman.

The soundtrack album to "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid" was released as Bob Dylan's twelfth studio album in 1973. It peaked at number sixteen on the U.S. Billboard 200 and at number 29 on the UK Top 75 albums chart.

Answer: see

"It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door."

In "Revolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan," Clinton Heylin described this song as embodying a "splendid simplicity."

According to the Official Bob Dylan website, Dylan has played this song live more than 450 times. Live versions of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" may be found on "Before the Flood," "Bob Dylan at Budokan," "Dylan & The Dead," "The Bootleg Series Volume 5," and "The Rolling Thunder Review."

Answer: His guns

"Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore."

This second verse ties into the death of Billy the Kid, who lived by the gun. After being tried and convicted for murder and sentenced to hang, he escaped from jail and killed two sheriff's deputies in the process. Sheriff Pat Garrett caught up with him in Fort Sumter, and shot and killed him.

In the movie, Billy the Kid goes to get some food and spies Garrett's deputies. They're afraid to shoot him, but when Billy backs into a bedroom, Pat Garrett does.

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was released as a single from the album in July of 1973, with "Turkey Chase" on the B-side. The single peaked at number twelve on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at number 10 on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100. It made it into the top ten on the official singles charts in the U.K., Ireland, Canada, and Australia.

Answer: That long black cloud

Here, death is depicted as a "long black cloud." Bob Dylan was nominated for the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music at the 1974 Bafta Awards for the music he composed for "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid." Dylan was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special.

Roger McGuinn of the Byrds worked with Bob Dylan on "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid." He recorded his own cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" on his 1975 album "Roger McGuinn & the Band."

Answer: Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton played on Louis's version in January of 1975 and released his own single in August of 1975. Clapton's version peaked at number 38 on the U.K. singles charts. A version of the song is included on the 2012 Deluxe Edition of Clapton's fifth studio album, "Slowhand." A live version is also included on his 1996 boxed set "Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies."

Answer: Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses began performing Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" live in 1987. A studio version was recorded for the "Days of Thunder" soundtrack in 1990. That version peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and at number two on the UK official singles chart.

It also entered the top ten on official singles charts in Poland, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and Sweden.

Answer: Dunblane school massacre

On March 13, 1996, Thomas Hamilton shot sixteen children and a teacher at Dunblane primary school outside Stirling, Scotland. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was recorded in memory of those murdered children, and the proceeds went to various charities for children. The song featured children from the village singing on the chorus.

Ted Christopher's version of the song uses "Lord" instead of "Mama" and adds the following verse:

"Lord these guns have caused too much pain
This town will never be the same
So for the bairns of Dunblane
We ask please never again."

It also launches into a bit of the 23rd Psalm and alters the second verse to read:

"Lord, put all these guns in the ground
We just can't shoot them anymore
It's time that we spread some love around
Before we're knockin' on heaven's door."

Answer: yes

Dylan appeared on MTV's "Unplugged" on November 17th and 18th in 1994. These recordings were released in 1995 on the live album titled, simply, "MTV Unplugged." The album reached number 23 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and included acoustic versions of many of his most popular songs, such as "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," "Like A Rolling Stone," "Tombstone Blues," and "The Times They Are a-Changin'."

Answer: Treasure Planet

The 2001 Walt Disney animated science fiction adventure film "Treasure Planet" used a Bob Dylan version of the song. "Days of Thunder" used a Guns N' Roses version. "Lethal Weapon 2" used a version by Eric Clapton, Randy Crawford, and David Sanborn. "Windstruck," a Korean film, used a version by artist Youme.

Bob Dylan versions of the song have also been used in the soundtrack to the movies "Rush," "Lawn Dogs," and "Be Cool," as well as in episodes of the television shows "Las Vegas," "Six Feet Under," "Supernatural," "Cold Case," and "My Name Is Earl."