The Last Waltz (1978) Movie Script
OK?
OK.
- OK?
- Yeah, I'll start again.
Same slate still running.
Cutthroat.
Keep running. It'll get better.
Start all over again. Same slate.
OK, Rick, what's the game?
- Cutthroat.
- The object is?
The object is to keep your balls on
the table and knock everybody else's off.
You're still there, huh?
We're gonna do one more song
and that's it.
All right.
And happy Thanksgiving.
' Well, baby, don't you do it
' Don't do it
' Don't you break my heart
' Please, don't do it,
don't you break my heart
' My biggest mistake
was loving you too much
' And letting ya know
' Now you got me where you want me
' And you won't let me go
' If my heart was made of glass
' Well, then you'd surely see
' Heartaches and misery
' You been causin' me
' And I been trying to do my best
' You know I try to do my best
' Don't do it
' Don't you break my heart
' Please don't do it
' Don't you break my heart
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
Good night. Goodbye.
OK, look.
We've been together 16 years.
- Who?
- Who?
The Band.
- You want me to plug that in?
- Let's do it again.
The Band has been together 16 years.
Together on the road.
We did eight years
in bars, dives, dance halls.
Eight years of concerts
and stadiums, arenas.
We gave our final concert,
The Band's final concert,
and we called it The Last Waltz.
Why was it held
in San Francisco, in Winterland,
when you guys have been
on the road for 16 years?
Winterland was the first place
that the band played as The Band.
Some friends showed up
and helped us take it home.
Not just friends. They're more than that.
Would you ask me that again?
They weren't just friends. They weren't
just friends who came in to say hello.
You know what I mean? Get that fly!
No. They were more than just friends.
I feel they're probably
some of the greatest influences
on music on a whole generation.
We wanted it to be more than just a
concert. We wanted it to be a celebration.
Celebration of a beginning or an end?
Beginning of the beginning
of the end of the beginning.
Good evening.
' When I get off of this mountain
' You know where I wanna go?
' Straight down the Mississippi river
to the Gulf of Mexico
' To Lake Charles, Louisiana
' Little Bessie, girl that I once knew
' She told me just to come on by
if there's anything she could do
' up on Cripple Creek she sends me
' If I spring a leak, she mends me
' I don't have to speak, she defends me
' A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one
' Well, now me and my mate
were back at the shack
' We had Spike Jones on the box
' She said "I can't take the way he sings
but I love to hear him talk"
' Now there's one thing in the whole
wide world I sure do love to see
' That's how that little sweet thing
of mine puts her doughnut in my tea
' I'm going up on Cripple Creek,
she sends me
' If I spring a leak, she mends me
' I don't have to speak, she defends me
' A drunkard's dream, if I ever did see one
' There's a flood out in California
and up north it's freezing cold
' And this living off of the road
is getting pretty old
' So I guess I'll call up my big mama
' And tell her I'll be rolling in
' But you know, deep down,
I'm sort of tempted
' To go and see my Bessie again
' I'm going up on Cripple Creek,
she sends me
' If I spring a leak, she mends me
' I don't have to speak, she defends me
' A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one
' Oh, no, oooh-oooh-oooh
' Yodel yodel yodel oooh-oooh
' Oh, no, oooh-oooh-oooh
' Yodel yodel yodel oooh-oooh
' Oh, no, no, no, no
' Yodel yodel yodel oooh-oooh
' Oh, no, oooh-oooh-oooh
' Yodel yodel yodel oooh-oooh
' Yeah, yeah, you know,
I sure wish I could yodel, I know
' Yodely, yodely, yodely-oh
' Yodel yodel yodel oooh-oooh
' Oh, no, oooh-oooh-oooh
' Yodel yodel yodel oooh
It was kind of... We didn't know where we
were going, we didn't know what it was.
But, for some reason,
it seemed like a good idea.
We got to this place, a joint,
in Fort Worth, Texas.
It was burned out, bombed out. The roof
wasn't even on the place any more.
And that's when they decided
to call it the Skyline Lounge.
And we got there and set up and...
A big place.
Huge. Bar, way at the back
and a big dance floor.
- Real old.
- So we set up the first night.
We go down to the place to play.
We go in and, in this huge place, there's
about three people in the audience.
A one-armed go-go dancer
and a couple of drunk waiters.
- A couple here, a couple there.
- Somebody fires a tear gas...
And a fight starts.
There isn't enough people
in the place to get angry.
And we found out a few years later
that it was Jack Ruby's club.
' Go out yonder, peace in the valley
' Come downtown,
have to rumble in the alley
' Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
' Has anybody seen my lady?
' This living alone will drive me crazy
' Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
' I just been down by the water
' But I ain't gonna jump in, no, no
' I'll just be looking for my maker
' And I hear that's
where she's gone? Oh!
' Out of nine lives, I spent seven
' Now how in the world
do you get to heaven?
' Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
' Well, I just spent 60 days
in the jailhouse
' For the crime of having no dough
' Now here I am back out on the street
' For the crime of having nowhere to go
' Save your neck or save your brother
' Looks like it's one or the other
' Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
16 years ago, when we started, we started
with a guy you might have heard of.
We'd like to start with him.
The Hawk! Ronnie Hawkins!
He called me up and I said
"Sure I'd like a job.
What does it mean? What do I do?"
He said "You won't make much money
but you'll get more pussy than Sinatra. "
' Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley,
have you heard?
' Baby's gonna buy me a mockingbird
Whooooo!
Big time, Bill! Big time! Big time!
' I walked 47 miles of barbed wire,
use a cobra snake for a necktie
' Got a brand-new house on the roadside,
made from rattlesnake hide
' Got a brand-new chimney made on top,
made from a human skull
' Come on, Robbie, let's take a little walk,
tell me who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Arlene took me by the hand, says
"Who are you, Ricky? I understand"
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
Argh!
Arrrgh!
Arrrrrrgh!
Arrggghhh!
Come on, Robbie!
' I got a tombstone hand
and a graveyard mind
' I've turned 41, I don't mind dyin'
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' I ride around the county
and use a rattlesnake whip
' Take it easy, Garth,
don't you give me no lip
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' The night was black
and the night was blue
' Round the corner an ice wagon flew
' Bump was hit and somebody screamed,
you shoulda heard just what I seen
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
Argh!
Arrrgh!
Arrrrrrgh!
Arrrggghhh!
Thank you, Ronnie!
The Hawk!
And the week went on
and it was a little depressing.
And it was especially depressing cos we
didn't have any money at all. No dough.
At one point,
we had no more food money.
It got to the point where, coming from
Canada, we had these overcoats,
big overcoats with pockets and
everything, and we had a little routine.
We'd go to the shopping centre,
all together.
- But I stayed home, right?
- No, you didn't.
I got the cigarettes.
I turned the cigarette machine upside
down and got everybody some cigarettes.
- Yeah, but that was on the...
- You got me some baloney.
We'd go to the supermarket
and a couple of people would buy
a couple of loaves of bread,
cos that was about
the cheapest thing you could get.
And the rest of us would be carousing
the aisles, stuffing baloney.
It'd be time to leave, the guy with
the loaves would go to the checkout
and we'd say "We'll meet you
at the car. You take the bread out. "
- Ya'll come back!
- And with these overcoats...
' And it makes no difference where I turn
' I can't get over you
and the flame still burns
' And it makes no difference, night or day
' The shadow never seems to fade away
' And the sun don't shine any more
' And the rains fall down on my door
' Well, these old love letters
' Well, I just can't keep them
' Cos, like the gambler says
' Read 'em and weep
' And the dawn don't rescue me no more
' Without your love I have nothing at all
' Like an empty hall, it's a lonely fall
' Since you've been gone,
it's a losing battle
' Stampeding cattle they rattle the walls
' And the sun don't shine any more
' And the rains fall down on my door
' Well, I love you so much
' And it's all I can do
' Just to keep myself from telling you
' That I never felt so alone before
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
So priketh hem Nature in hir corages;
Thanne longen folk to goon
on pilgrimages
To ferne halwes,
kowthe in sondry londes;
And specially from every shires ende
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for the seke
That hem hath holpen,
whan that they were seeke
Michael McClure!
You all know Doctor John?
Mac Rebennack. Come on, Mac.
In thankfulness to The Band
and all the fellas.
Two, three, four, one...
' Such a night
' Such a night
' Sweet confusion
' under the moonlight
' Such a night
' Such a night
' Got to steal away
' The time seems right
' When your eyes met mine
' At a glance
' You let me know
' This was my chance
' You came in with my best friend Jim
' See I aim da-da-da
to steal you away from him
' Oh, baby, if I don't do it,
somebody else will
' If I don't do it, somebody else will
' If I don't do it, somebody else will
' If I don't do it, somebody else will
' Such a night
' Such a night
' Sweet confusion
' under the moonlight
' Such a night
' Such a night
' Got to steal away
' The time seems right
' Baby, I couldn't believe my ears
' My heart just skipped a little beat
' You told me we could slip away
' Down the dark end of the street
' Baby, you came in
with my best friend Jim
' See, I aim da-da-da
to steal you away from him, baby
' If I don't do it, somebody else will
' If I don't do it,
you know somebody else will
' If I don't do it, somebody else will
' If I don't do it, somebody else will
Hey!
The Doctor!
Everybody knows him.
You know this guy, I bet.
- Thank you, man, for letting me do this.
- Oh, shit. Are you kidding?
Are you kidding?
I'd just like to say before I start
that it's one of the pleasures of my life
to be able to be on the stage
with these people tonight.
They got it now, Robbie.
' There is a town in north Ontario
' With dream-comfort memories to spare
' In my mind I still need a place to go
' All my changes were there
' Blue, blue windows behind the stars
' Yellow moon on the rise
' The big birds flying across the sky
' They were throwing
shadows on our eyes
' Leave us
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' You make me feel so helpless
' Well, baby, can you hear me now?
' I can hear you now
' The chains are locked
and tied across my door
' But, baby, baby, sing with me somehow
' Blue, blue windows behind the stars
' Yellow moon on the rise
' The big birds flying across the sky
' They're throwing shadows on our eyes
' Leave us
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Baby, can you hear me now?
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Chains are locked and tied
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Baby, baby, baby,
sing with me somehow
- ' Helpless, helpless, helpless
- ' With me somehow
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
Neil Young!
I don't know what it is. Maybe
the years connect or it's coincidence,
but it seems like that's it.
That's what The Last Waltz is.
I mean, 16 years on the road.
The numbers start to scare you.
I couldn't live with 20 years on the road.
I don't think I could even discuss it.
' Now deep in the heart of a lonely kid
' Who suffered so much for what he did
' They gave this poor boy
his fortune and fame
' Since that day he ain't been the same
' See the man with the stage fright
' Just standing up there
to give it all his might
' He got caught in the spotlight
' But when we get to the end
' He wants to start all over again
' I've got firewater right on my breath
' And the doctor warned me
I might catch a death
' He said "You can make it
in your disguise"
' "Just never show the fear in your eyes"
' See the man with the stage fright
' Just standing up there
to give it all his might
' He got caught in the spotlight
' But when we get to the end
' He wants to start all over again
' Now when he says that he's afraid
' Won't you take him at his word?
' And for the price that
the poor boy has paid
' Well, he gets to sing just like a bird
' Oooh oooh oooh-oooh
' My brow is sweating
and my mouth gets dry
' The fancy people go drifting by
' Well, the moment of truth
is right at hand
' Just one more nightmare you can stand
' See the man with the stage fright
' Just standing up there
to give it all his might
' And he got caught in the spotlight
' But when we get to the end
' Well, he wants to start
all over again, no, no, no
' That's right, make him start
' Just let him take it from the top
Well, we were The Hawks.
Everything was fine.
We were sailing along.
And all of a sudden, one day, The Hawks
meant something else altogether.
It was right in the middle
of that whole psychedelia.
"Chocolate Subway". "Marshmallow
Overcoat". Those kind of names.
When we were working with Bob Dylan
and we moved to Woodstock,
everybody referred to us as The Band.
He called us The Band. Our friends
and neighbours called us The Band.
And we started out with The Crackers.
We tried to call ourselves The Honkies.
Everybody kind of backed off
from that, you know?
It was too straight.
So we decided just
to call ourselves The Band.
' I pulled into Nazareth
just feeling 'bout half-past dead
' Just need to find a place
where I can lay my head
' "Mister, can you tell me where
a man might find a bed?"
' He just grinned and shook my hand
' "No!" was all he said
' Take a load off Fanny
' Take a load for free
' Take a load off Fanny
' And...
' You put the load right on me
' I picked up my bag
and went looking for a place to hide
' When I saw old Carmen and the Devil
walking side by side
' I said "Hey, Carmen,
come on, let's go downtown"
' She said "I gotta go
but my friend can stick around"
' Take a load off Fanny
' Take a load for free
' Take a load off Fanny
' And...
' You put the load right on me
' Go down, Moses,
there's nothin' that you can say
' It's just old Luke
and Luke is waiting on the Judgment Day
' "Hey, Luke, my friend,
what about young Anna Lee?"
' He said "Do me a favour, son"
"Won't you stay
and keep Anna Lee company?"
' Take a load off Fanny
' Take a load for free
' Take a load off Fanny
' And...
' You put the load right on me
' Crazy Chester followed me
and he caught me in the fog
' He said "I will fix your rack
if you take old Jack, my dog"
' I said "Wait a minute, Chester,
you know I'm a peaceful man"
' He said "That's OK, boy,
won't you feed him whenever you can"
' Take a load off Fanny
' Take a load for free
' Take a load off Fanny
' And...
' You put the load right on me
' Catch a cannonball now
to take me on down the line
' My bag is sinking low
and I do believe that it's time
' To get back to Miss Fanny,
you know she's the only one
' She sent me here
with regards for everyone
' Take a load off Fanny
' Take a load for free
' Take a load off Fanny
' And you put the load right on me
' Oh, Fanny, take a load off Fanny
' Ohhh
Beautiful!
- Doesn't that need dusting?
- This looks interesting.
We'll play "Old-Time Religion"
for the folks.
' Old-time religion,
give me that old-time religion
' And it's good enough
' Well, it's good enough
' It was good for Grandpa,
good for my grandma
' It's good enough
' Good enough, good enough now
Oh, it's not like it used to be!
' Virgil Caine is the name
and I served on the Danville train
' Till Stoneman's cavalry came
and they tore up the tracks again
' In the winter of '65
we were hungry, just barely alive
' By May the tenth Richmond had fell
' It's a time I remember oh so well
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' When all the bells were ringing
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' And all the people were singing
' They went la la-la la la-la laaa
' La la-la la la-la la-la laaa
' Back with my wife in Tennessee
' When one day she called to me
' Said "Virgil, quick, come and see
there goes Robert E Lee!"
' Now I don't mind chopping wood
' And I don't care if the money's no good
' You take what you need
and you leave the rest
' But they should never
have taken the very best
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' When all the bells were ringing
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' And all the people were singing
' They went la la-la la la-la laaa
' La la-la la la-la la-la laaa
' Like my father before me
' I will work the land
' And like my brother above me
' Who took a rebel stand
' He was just 18, proud and brave
' But a Yankee laid him in his grave
' And I swear by the mud below my feet
' You can't raise a Caine back up
when he's in defeat
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' When all the bells were ringing
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' And all the people were singing
' They went la la-la la la-la laaa
' La la-la la la-la la-la laaa
' The night they drove
old Dixie down, down
' The bells were ringing
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' And all the people were singing
' They went la la-la la la-la laaa
' La la-la la la-la la-la laaa
A dream come true.
Fascinating. Scary.
Kind of hard to take the first time.
You have to go there about two or three
times before you can fall in love with it.
But that happens eventually.
We stayed at the Times Square Hotel
on 42nd Street.
The title of the hotel,
it sounded like it was conveniently
located in midtown Manhattan.
What did we know? We came out
of the hotel after checking in,
and you think "It's great
to be back in New York. "
Movie theatres for ever.
All these friendly women
walking up and down the street.
It was... It was great.
Yeah, New York, it was an adult portion.
It was an adult dose.
So it took a couple of trips to get into it.
You just go in the first time and you get
your ass kicked and you take off.
As soon as it heals up,
you come back and you try it again.
Eventually, you fall right in love with it.
Roulette Records was in the middle
of this mythical place, Tin Pan Alley.
The songwriting capital of the world.
And we met some of
the greatest songwriters ever.
Rock-and-roll songwriters. Doc Pomus.
Mort Shuman. Lieber and Stoller.
They were all then.
Carole King. Neil Diamond.
At the time it wasn't fair that a songwriter
was the low man on the totem pole.
But then, these people...
And here come the '60s,
with change and revolution
and war and assassinations,
and a whole other frame of mind
coming along.
And these songwriters were expressing
the feelings of people in the street.
In a way, it was kind of the beginning
of the end of Tin Pan Alley.
' Dry your eyes
' Take your song out
' It's a newborn afternoon
' And if you can't recall the singer
' Can you still recall the tune?
' Dry your eyes
' And play it slowly
' Just like you're marching off to war
' Sing it like you always wanted
' Like you sung it once before
' And from the centre of the circle
' To the midst of the waiting crowd
' If it ever is forgotten
' Sing it long and sing it loud
' And come dry your eyes
' And he taught us more about living
' Than we ever cared to know
' And we came to learn the secret
' And we never let it go
' And it was more than being holy
' Though it was less than being free
' And if you can't recall the reason
' Can you hear the people sing?
' Right through the lightning
and the thunder
' To the dark side of the moon
' To that distant falling angel
' That descended much too soon
' Come dry your eyes
' Dry your eyes
' Take your song out
' It's a newborn afternoon
' And if you can't recall the singer
' You can still recall the tune
' Come dry your eyes
' Come dry your eyes
' Dry your eyes
Neil Diamond!
Thanks very much.
When you started playing as The Band,
you shied away from publicity a lot.
Talk about that a little.
That was just part of a lifestyle
that we got to love in Woodstock.
We got to like it, you know,
just being able to chop wood
or hit your thumb with a hammer.
We'd be concerned with fixing
a tape recorder, fixing a screen door.
Stuff like that.
And getting the songs together.
We always seemed
to get a whole lot more done
when we didn't have
a lot of company around.
We were more productive.
And as soon as company came,
of course, we'd start having fun.
You know what happens
when you have too much fun.
Something we've kind of evaded
around here, but I'll ask it now.
- What about women and the road?
- I love 'em.
That's probably why
we've been on the road.
- That's it.
- Not that I don't like the music.
I thought you weren't supposed
to talk about it too much.
- No, I guess we're not.
- I thought we were supposed to...
pan away from that sort of stuff,
get into something else.
Since the beginning,
since we started playing together,
just like we've all grown just a little bit,
so have the women.
- You know? And it's amazing.
- That's right. That's good.
I just wanna break even.
Joni Mitchell. Right.
' No regrets, coyote
' We just come from such
different sets of circumstance
' I'm up all night in the studios
and you're up early on your ranch
' You'll be brushing out a brood mare's
tail while the sun is ascending
' And I'll just be getting home
with my reel-to-reel
' There's no comprehending
' Just how close to the bone
and the skin and the eyes
' And the lips you can get
' And still feel so alone
' And still feel related
' Like stations in some relay
' You're not a hit-and-run driver, no, no
' Racing away
' You just picked up a hitcher
' A prisoner of the white lines
on the freeway
' We saw a farmhouse burning down
' In the middle of nowhere
in the middle of the night
' And we rolled right past that tragedy
' until we pulled in
to some roadhouse lights
' Where a local band was playing
' Locals were up kicking
and shaking on the floor
' The next thing I know
' That coyote's at my door
' He pins me in the corner
and he won't take "No!"
' He drags me out on the dance floor
and we're dancing close and slow
' Now he's got a woman at home
' He's got another woman down the hall
and he seems to want me anyway
' Why d'you have to get so drunk
and lead me on that way?
' You just picked up a hitcher
' A prisoner of the white lines
on the freeway
' I looked a coyote right in the face
' On the road to Baljennie,
near my old home town
' He went running through
the whisker wheat
' Chasing some prize down
' And a hawk was playing with him
' Coyote was jumping straight up
and making passes
' He had those same eyes, just like yours
' under your dark glasses
' Privately probing the public rooms
' And peeking through keyholes
in numbered doors
' Where the players lick their wounds
and take their temporary lovers
' And their pills and powders
to get them through this passion play
' No regrets, coyote
' I just get off up aways
' You just picked up a hitcher
' A prisoner of the white lines
on the freeway
' Coyote's in the coffee shop
' He's staring a hole
in his scrambled eggs
' He picks up my scent on his fingers
while he's watching the waitresses' legs
' He's too far from the Bay of Fundy
' From Appaloosas and eagles and tides
' And the air-conditioned cubicles
' And the carbon ribbon rides
are spelling it out so clear
' Either he's gonna
have to stand and fight
' Or take off out of here
' I've tried to run away myself
' To run away and wrestle with my ego
' And with this flame
you put here in this Eskimo
' In this hitcher
' In this prisoner
' Of the fine white lines
' Of the white lines
' On the free freeway
Levon's home town,
it's near West Helena.
One time we were there,
for some reason or another,
and we decided we were gonna look up
one of the legends of that town,
which was Sonny Boy Williamson.
In my opinion, he's the best harp player,
that's like harmonica,
blues harmonica, that I've ever heard.
He's the big Daddy of 'em.
And he took us to a friend of his,
a woman's place,
who served food and corn liquor.
In a southern booze can.
He would sit there
and he was playing for us.
And we were getting drunk
and trying to figure out where we were.
He was spitting in a can.
I thought he was dipping snuff.
I thought he had something in his lip.
And he kept spitting in this can and
playing, and we kept getting drunker.
Finally, I looked over in the can
and I realised it was blood.
He was getting pretty tired
and pretty drunk by then.
And we made big plans for the future
and all kinds of things we were gonna do.
And it was tremendous. A great night.
A couple of months later, we got a letter
from his manager, or whoever it was,
saying that he had passed away.
' Train arrive
' 16 coaches long
' Train arrive, yeah
' 16 coaches long
' Well, that long, black train
took my baby and gone
' Train, train
' Rolling round the bend
' Train, train
' Rolling round the bend
' Well, it took my baby
away from me again
' Heard that whistle blowing,
it was the middle of the night
' When I got down to the station
the train was pulling out of sight
' Mystery train
' Rolling round the bend
' Mystery train
' Rolling round the bend
' Well, it took my baby
' Away from me again
Paul Butterfield!
Near Memphis,
cotton country, rice country,
the most interesting thing
is probably the music.
Levon, who came from around there?
Carl Perkins.
Muddy Waters, the king of country music.
Elvis Presley.
Johnny Cash. Bo Diddley.
That's kind of the middle
of the country back there.
So bluegrass or country music,
you know, if it comes down to that area
and if it mixes there with rhythm
and if it dances,
then you've got a combination
of all those different kinds of music.
Country, bluegrass, blues music.
- The melting pot.
- Show music.
- And what's it called?
- Rock and roll!
Yes. Exactly.
Whoa!
' When I was a young boy
' At the age of five
' My mother said I would be
' The greatest man alive
' But now I'm a man
' Way past 21
' I want you to believe me, woman
' I have lots of fun
' I'm a man
' I spell "M"
' "A", chile
' "N"
' My grandma says I'm grown
' No "B"
' "O", chile
' "Y"
' That mean mannish boy
' Man
' I'm a full-grown man
' Man
' I'm a natural-born lover's man
' Man
' I'm a rolling stone
' Man
' I'm a hoochie-coochie man
' Well
' Well, well, well
' The line I shoot
' I will never miss
' When I make love to a girl
' She can't resist
' I think I'll go down
' To old Kansas Stew
' I'm gonna bring back my second cousin
' That little Johnny Congeroo
' All you little girls
' Sitting out at that line
' I can make love to you, girl
' In five minutes' time
' Ain't that a man?
' I spell "M"
' "A", chile
' "N"
' That represents man
' No "B"
' "O", chile
' "Y"
' That means mannish boy
' Man
' I'm a full-grown man
' Man
' I'm a natural-born lover's man
' Man
' I'm a rolling stone
' Man-child
' I'm a hoochie-coochie man
' Well
' Well, well, well, well, well, well, well
' Well, well, well, well, well
Wasn't that a man! Muddy Waters!
On the guitar, Eric Clapton!
One, two, a-one, two, three...
' Further on up the road
' Someone's gonna hurt you
like you hurt me
' Further on up the road
' Someone's gonna hurt you
like you hurt me
' Further on up the road
' Baby, just you wait and see
' You gotta reap just what you sow
' That old saying is true
' You gotta reap just what you sow
' That old saying is true
' Just like you mistreat someone
' Someone's gonna mistreat you
' Further up the road
' Someone's gonna hurt you
like you hurt me
' Further on up the road
' Someone's gonna hurt you
like you hurt me
' Further on up the road
' Baby, just you wait and see
' You been laughing, pretty baby
' Someday you're gonna be crying
' You been laughing, pretty baby
' Someday you're gonna be crying
' Further on up the road
' You'll find out I wasn't lying
OK. So, Rick, what is Shangri-La?
Maybe you could give us a little tour.
What is Shangri-La?
It's a club house where we get together
and play. Make records.
Yeah.
Kind of better. It's like an office, I guess.
It used to be a bordello.
- A bordello?
- You can tell by the wallpaper.
That decadence,
that softness in the barroom.
I've heard a few funny stories, man.
- That's why all these rooms are here.
- You can't believe most of what you hear.
This was a master-control bedroom,
this is now a master-control music room.
Let me ask you, now that The Last
Waltz is over, what are you doing now?
Eddie, why don't you...
Just making music, you know?
Oh, yeah.
Trying to stay busy, man.
' I want to lay down beside you
' I want to hold your body close to mine
' Like a grape that grows ripe...
It's where the music took you. Otherwise
you would never go to such a situation.
Because of the music,
it took us everywhere.
It took us to some strange places.
- Physically and spiritually?
- Physically, spiritually and psychotically.
It just always wasn't on the stage.
- Even though you were on the stage.
- Even though we were on the stage.
' She stands on the banks
of the mighty Mississippi
' Alone in the pale moonlight
' Waiting for a man, a riverboat gambler
' Said that he'd return tonight
' They used to waltz on the banks
of the mighty Mississippi
' Loving the whole night through
' Till the riverboat gambler
went off to make a killing
' And bring it on back to you
' Evangeline, Evangeline
' Curses the soul
of the Mississippi Queen
' That pulled her man away
' Bayou Sam from South Louisiana
' Had gambling in his veins
' Evangeline from the Maritimes
' Was slowly going insane
' High on the top of Hickory Hill
' She stands in the lightning and thunder
' Down on the river the boat was sinking
' She watched that Queen go under
' Evangeline, Evangeline
' Curses the soul
of the Mississippi Queen
' That pulled her man away
' Evangeline, Evangeline
' Curses the soul
of the Mississippi Queen
' That pulled her man away
Garth was one of the most
amazing musicians that we knew.
He could play better
than anybody we ever heard.
And Garth joined The Band
if we would make him the music teacher.
We didn't know why but we said
"Sure. I mean, we're interested anyway. "
And we had to pay him $10 a week each
for these music lessons.
Then I was sure it was a riff.
But then I found out what it really was.
It was that, where he was coming from
and his musical education,
to tell his parents at this point
that we was joining a rock-and-roll band
would have been like
pouring it down the drain.
So he justified it to his people and his
background by being a music teacher.
There is a view that jazz is evil
because it comes from evil people.
But, actually,
the greatest priests on 52nd Street
and on the streets of New York City
were the musicians.
They were doing
the greatest healing work.
And they knew how
to punch through music
which would cure
and make people feel good.
' Boards on the window
' Mail by the door
' Why would anybody leave
so quickly for?
' Ophelia
' Where have you gone?
' The old neighbourhood
just ain't the same
' Nobody knows just what became
' Of Ophelia
' Where have you gone?
' Was it something that somebody said?
' Mama, you know we broke the rules
' Was somebody up against the law?
' Honey, you know that I'd die for you
' They got your number
' They're scared and running
' But I'm just waiting for
the second coming
' Of Ophelia
' Please darken my door
' Was it something that somebody said?
' Mama, you know we broke the rules
' Was somebody up against the law?
' Oh, honey, you know that I'd die for you
' Ashes of laughter
' The ghost is clear
' Why do the best things
always disappear?
' Like Ophelia
' Oh, please, come back home
Most of the show stuff, though,
was like travelling shows, like tent shows.
One was Walcott's Rabbit Foot Minstrels.
- What was that?
- Walcott's Rabbit Foot Minstrels. Yeah.
They used to have the show start, right?
They'd have the singers and the players
and the different parts of the show.
Then the master of ceremonies
would come out just before the finale
and explain that, after the kids go home,
they'd have the midnight ramble.
- The midnight?
- The midnight ramble.
The songs would get a little bit juicier
and the jokes'd get a little funnier.
And the prettiest dancer would really
get down and shake it a few times.
A lot of the rock-and-roll duck walks and
steps and moves came from a lot of that.
Everybody did it and so, when you would
see Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis
or Chuck Berry or Bo Diddley
really shaking it up,
it didn't come out of nowhere,
It didn't come out of the air.
It was like the local entertainment
everybody was going to see.
So when they exposed it
to the rest of the world,
it was like this unknown beast
that had come out,
the grotesque of music
that the devil had sent, you know?
Here we go.
' And the caravan is on its way
' I can hear the merry gypsies play
' Mama, Mama, look at Emma Rose
' She's a-playing with the radio
' La la la-la la-la la
' La la la-la la-la la
' And the caravan
is painted red and white
' That means everybody's
staying overnight
' And the barefoot gypsy boy
round the campfire sing and play
' And a woman tells us of her ways
' La la la-la la-la la
' La la la-la la-la la
' Da da da-da da
' Turn up your radio
' And let me, let me, let me hear the song
' Switch on your electric light
' Now we can get down
to what's really wrong
' I long just to hold you in my arms
' So that I can, I can feel you
' Sweet lady of the night
' I shall reveal you
' Turn it up
' Turn it up
' Little bit higher
' Radio
' Turn it up
' That's enough
' So you know it's got soul
' La la la-la la-la la
' La la la-la la-la la
' Turn up your radio
' And let me, let me, let me,
let me hear the song
' Switch on your electric light
' Then we can get down to what's
really wrong, really wrong, really wrong
' I long just to hold you in my arms
' So that I can, I can feel you
' Sweet lady of the night
' I shall reveal you
' Turn it up
' Turn it up
' Turn it up
' Little bit higher
' Radio
' Turn it up
' That's enough
' So you know
' It's got soul
' So you know
' So you know it's got
' Soul, baby
' So you know it's got
' Yeah
' Zi boo ba boogie,
zi boo ba boogie, zi boo ba boogie
' So you know it's got soul
' So you know it's got nothin' but soul
' Turn it up now
' Yeah, yeah, yeah
' One more time
' Do that one more time
' So you know
' Do that one more time
' Do that one more time
' One more
' Do that one more time
' Do that one more time
Thank you.
Hey, Van the Man!
Lawrence Ferlinghetti!
Let us pray.
Our Father, whose art's in heaven
Hollow by thy name -
unless things change.
Thy wigdom come and gone.
Thy will, will be undone
on earth, as it isn't heaven.
Give us this day our daily dread,
at least three times a day.
And forgive us our trespasses
on love's territory.
For thine is the wigdom
and power and glory...
Oh, man!
' May God bless and keep you always
' May your wishes all come true
' May you always do for others
' And let others do for you
' May you build a ladder to the stars
' Climb on every rung
' And may you stay
' Forever young
' Forever young
' Forever young
' May you stay
' Forever young
' May your hands always be busy
' May your feet always be swift
' May you have a strong foundation
when the winds of changes shift
' May your heart always be joyful
' May your song always be sung
' And may you stay
' Forever young
' Forever young
' Forever young
' May you stay
' Forever young
' Can I come home with you?
' Baby, can I come home with you?
' Well, I'll do anything
in this god-almighty world
' If you'll just let me come home with you
' Baby, let me follow you down
' Baby, let me follow you down
' Well, I'll do anything
in this god-almighty world
' If you'll just let me follow you down
' I'll buy you a diamond ring
' I'll buy you a wedding gown
' Well, I'll do anything
in this god-almighty world
' If you'll just let me follow you down
Thank you.
We got Ringo and Ronnie Wood
gonna help us out on this one, too.
' They say everything can be replaced
' They say every distance is not near
' So I remember every face
' Of every man who put me here
' I see my light come shining
' From the west down to the east
' Any day now
' Any day now
' I shall be released
' They say every man needs protection
' They say that every man must fall
' But I swear I see my reflection
' Somewhere so high above this wall
' I see my light come shining
' From the west down to the east
' Any day now
' Any day now
' I shall be released
' Down here in this lonely crowd
' There's a man who swears
he's not to blame
' All day long I hear him shouting loud
' Crying out that he been framed
' I see my light come shining
' From the west down to the east
' Any day now
' Any day now
' I shall be released
- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
The road was our school.
It gave us a sense of survival.
It taught us all we know.
There's not much left
that we can really take from the road.
We've had our share of...
Or maybe it's just superstitious.
- Superstitious in what way?
- You can press your luck.
The road has taken
a lot of the great ones.
Hank Williams. Buddy Holly.
Otis Redding.
Janis. Jimi Hendrix.
Elvis.
It's a goddamn impossible way of life.
- It is, isn't it?
- No question about it.
OK.
- OK?
- Yeah, I'll start again.
Same slate still running.
Cutthroat.
Keep running. It'll get better.
Start all over again. Same slate.
OK, Rick, what's the game?
- Cutthroat.
- The object is?
The object is to keep your balls on
the table and knock everybody else's off.
You're still there, huh?
We're gonna do one more song
and that's it.
All right.
And happy Thanksgiving.
' Well, baby, don't you do it
' Don't do it
' Don't you break my heart
' Please, don't do it,
don't you break my heart
' My biggest mistake
was loving you too much
' And letting ya know
' Now you got me where you want me
' And you won't let me go
' If my heart was made of glass
' Well, then you'd surely see
' Heartaches and misery
' You been causin' me
' And I been trying to do my best
' You know I try to do my best
' Don't do it
' Don't you break my heart
' Please don't do it
' Don't you break my heart
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
Good night. Goodbye.
OK, look.
We've been together 16 years.
- Who?
- Who?
The Band.
- You want me to plug that in?
- Let's do it again.
The Band has been together 16 years.
Together on the road.
We did eight years
in bars, dives, dance halls.
Eight years of concerts
and stadiums, arenas.
We gave our final concert,
The Band's final concert,
and we called it The Last Waltz.
Why was it held
in San Francisco, in Winterland,
when you guys have been
on the road for 16 years?
Winterland was the first place
that the band played as The Band.
Some friends showed up
and helped us take it home.
Not just friends. They're more than that.
Would you ask me that again?
They weren't just friends. They weren't
just friends who came in to say hello.
You know what I mean? Get that fly!
No. They were more than just friends.
I feel they're probably
some of the greatest influences
on music on a whole generation.
We wanted it to be more than just a
concert. We wanted it to be a celebration.
Celebration of a beginning or an end?
Beginning of the beginning
of the end of the beginning.
Good evening.
' When I get off of this mountain
' You know where I wanna go?
' Straight down the Mississippi river
to the Gulf of Mexico
' To Lake Charles, Louisiana
' Little Bessie, girl that I once knew
' She told me just to come on by
if there's anything she could do
' up on Cripple Creek she sends me
' If I spring a leak, she mends me
' I don't have to speak, she defends me
' A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one
' Well, now me and my mate
were back at the shack
' We had Spike Jones on the box
' She said "I can't take the way he sings
but I love to hear him talk"
' Now there's one thing in the whole
wide world I sure do love to see
' That's how that little sweet thing
of mine puts her doughnut in my tea
' I'm going up on Cripple Creek,
she sends me
' If I spring a leak, she mends me
' I don't have to speak, she defends me
' A drunkard's dream, if I ever did see one
' There's a flood out in California
and up north it's freezing cold
' And this living off of the road
is getting pretty old
' So I guess I'll call up my big mama
' And tell her I'll be rolling in
' But you know, deep down,
I'm sort of tempted
' To go and see my Bessie again
' I'm going up on Cripple Creek,
she sends me
' If I spring a leak, she mends me
' I don't have to speak, she defends me
' A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one
' Oh, no, oooh-oooh-oooh
' Yodel yodel yodel oooh-oooh
' Oh, no, oooh-oooh-oooh
' Yodel yodel yodel oooh-oooh
' Oh, no, no, no, no
' Yodel yodel yodel oooh-oooh
' Oh, no, oooh-oooh-oooh
' Yodel yodel yodel oooh-oooh
' Yeah, yeah, you know,
I sure wish I could yodel, I know
' Yodely, yodely, yodely-oh
' Yodel yodel yodel oooh-oooh
' Oh, no, oooh-oooh-oooh
' Yodel yodel yodel oooh
It was kind of... We didn't know where we
were going, we didn't know what it was.
But, for some reason,
it seemed like a good idea.
We got to this place, a joint,
in Fort Worth, Texas.
It was burned out, bombed out. The roof
wasn't even on the place any more.
And that's when they decided
to call it the Skyline Lounge.
And we got there and set up and...
A big place.
Huge. Bar, way at the back
and a big dance floor.
- Real old.
- So we set up the first night.
We go down to the place to play.
We go in and, in this huge place, there's
about three people in the audience.
A one-armed go-go dancer
and a couple of drunk waiters.
- A couple here, a couple there.
- Somebody fires a tear gas...
And a fight starts.
There isn't enough people
in the place to get angry.
And we found out a few years later
that it was Jack Ruby's club.
' Go out yonder, peace in the valley
' Come downtown,
have to rumble in the alley
' Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
' Has anybody seen my lady?
' This living alone will drive me crazy
' Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
' I just been down by the water
' But I ain't gonna jump in, no, no
' I'll just be looking for my maker
' And I hear that's
where she's gone? Oh!
' Out of nine lives, I spent seven
' Now how in the world
do you get to heaven?
' Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
' Well, I just spent 60 days
in the jailhouse
' For the crime of having no dough
' Now here I am back out on the street
' For the crime of having nowhere to go
' Save your neck or save your brother
' Looks like it's one or the other
' Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
16 years ago, when we started, we started
with a guy you might have heard of.
We'd like to start with him.
The Hawk! Ronnie Hawkins!
He called me up and I said
"Sure I'd like a job.
What does it mean? What do I do?"
He said "You won't make much money
but you'll get more pussy than Sinatra. "
' Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley,
have you heard?
' Baby's gonna buy me a mockingbird
Whooooo!
Big time, Bill! Big time! Big time!
' I walked 47 miles of barbed wire,
use a cobra snake for a necktie
' Got a brand-new house on the roadside,
made from rattlesnake hide
' Got a brand-new chimney made on top,
made from a human skull
' Come on, Robbie, let's take a little walk,
tell me who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Arlene took me by the hand, says
"Who are you, Ricky? I understand"
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
Argh!
Arrrgh!
Arrrrrrgh!
Arrggghhh!
Come on, Robbie!
' I got a tombstone hand
and a graveyard mind
' I've turned 41, I don't mind dyin'
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' I ride around the county
and use a rattlesnake whip
' Take it easy, Garth,
don't you give me no lip
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' The night was black
and the night was blue
' Round the corner an ice wagon flew
' Bump was hit and somebody screamed,
you shoulda heard just what I seen
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
' Who do you love?
Argh!
Arrrgh!
Arrrrrrgh!
Arrrggghhh!
Thank you, Ronnie!
The Hawk!
And the week went on
and it was a little depressing.
And it was especially depressing cos we
didn't have any money at all. No dough.
At one point,
we had no more food money.
It got to the point where, coming from
Canada, we had these overcoats,
big overcoats with pockets and
everything, and we had a little routine.
We'd go to the shopping centre,
all together.
- But I stayed home, right?
- No, you didn't.
I got the cigarettes.
I turned the cigarette machine upside
down and got everybody some cigarettes.
- Yeah, but that was on the...
- You got me some baloney.
We'd go to the supermarket
and a couple of people would buy
a couple of loaves of bread,
cos that was about
the cheapest thing you could get.
And the rest of us would be carousing
the aisles, stuffing baloney.
It'd be time to leave, the guy with
the loaves would go to the checkout
and we'd say "We'll meet you
at the car. You take the bread out. "
- Ya'll come back!
- And with these overcoats...
' And it makes no difference where I turn
' I can't get over you
and the flame still burns
' And it makes no difference, night or day
' The shadow never seems to fade away
' And the sun don't shine any more
' And the rains fall down on my door
' Well, these old love letters
' Well, I just can't keep them
' Cos, like the gambler says
' Read 'em and weep
' And the dawn don't rescue me no more
' Without your love I have nothing at all
' Like an empty hall, it's a lonely fall
' Since you've been gone,
it's a losing battle
' Stampeding cattle they rattle the walls
' And the sun don't shine any more
' And the rains fall down on my door
' Well, I love you so much
' And it's all I can do
' Just to keep myself from telling you
' That I never felt so alone before
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
So priketh hem Nature in hir corages;
Thanne longen folk to goon
on pilgrimages
To ferne halwes,
kowthe in sondry londes;
And specially from every shires ende
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for the seke
That hem hath holpen,
whan that they were seeke
Michael McClure!
You all know Doctor John?
Mac Rebennack. Come on, Mac.
In thankfulness to The Band
and all the fellas.
Two, three, four, one...
' Such a night
' Such a night
' Sweet confusion
' under the moonlight
' Such a night
' Such a night
' Got to steal away
' The time seems right
' When your eyes met mine
' At a glance
' You let me know
' This was my chance
' You came in with my best friend Jim
' See I aim da-da-da
to steal you away from him
' Oh, baby, if I don't do it,
somebody else will
' If I don't do it, somebody else will
' If I don't do it, somebody else will
' If I don't do it, somebody else will
' Such a night
' Such a night
' Sweet confusion
' under the moonlight
' Such a night
' Such a night
' Got to steal away
' The time seems right
' Baby, I couldn't believe my ears
' My heart just skipped a little beat
' You told me we could slip away
' Down the dark end of the street
' Baby, you came in
with my best friend Jim
' See, I aim da-da-da
to steal you away from him, baby
' If I don't do it, somebody else will
' If I don't do it,
you know somebody else will
' If I don't do it, somebody else will
' If I don't do it, somebody else will
Hey!
The Doctor!
Everybody knows him.
You know this guy, I bet.
- Thank you, man, for letting me do this.
- Oh, shit. Are you kidding?
Are you kidding?
I'd just like to say before I start
that it's one of the pleasures of my life
to be able to be on the stage
with these people tonight.
They got it now, Robbie.
' There is a town in north Ontario
' With dream-comfort memories to spare
' In my mind I still need a place to go
' All my changes were there
' Blue, blue windows behind the stars
' Yellow moon on the rise
' The big birds flying across the sky
' They were throwing
shadows on our eyes
' Leave us
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' You make me feel so helpless
' Well, baby, can you hear me now?
' I can hear you now
' The chains are locked
and tied across my door
' But, baby, baby, sing with me somehow
' Blue, blue windows behind the stars
' Yellow moon on the rise
' The big birds flying across the sky
' They're throwing shadows on our eyes
' Leave us
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Baby, can you hear me now?
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Chains are locked and tied
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
' Baby, baby, baby,
sing with me somehow
- ' Helpless, helpless, helpless
- ' With me somehow
' Helpless, helpless, helpless
Neil Young!
I don't know what it is. Maybe
the years connect or it's coincidence,
but it seems like that's it.
That's what The Last Waltz is.
I mean, 16 years on the road.
The numbers start to scare you.
I couldn't live with 20 years on the road.
I don't think I could even discuss it.
' Now deep in the heart of a lonely kid
' Who suffered so much for what he did
' They gave this poor boy
his fortune and fame
' Since that day he ain't been the same
' See the man with the stage fright
' Just standing up there
to give it all his might
' He got caught in the spotlight
' But when we get to the end
' He wants to start all over again
' I've got firewater right on my breath
' And the doctor warned me
I might catch a death
' He said "You can make it
in your disguise"
' "Just never show the fear in your eyes"
' See the man with the stage fright
' Just standing up there
to give it all his might
' He got caught in the spotlight
' But when we get to the end
' He wants to start all over again
' Now when he says that he's afraid
' Won't you take him at his word?
' And for the price that
the poor boy has paid
' Well, he gets to sing just like a bird
' Oooh oooh oooh-oooh
' My brow is sweating
and my mouth gets dry
' The fancy people go drifting by
' Well, the moment of truth
is right at hand
' Just one more nightmare you can stand
' See the man with the stage fright
' Just standing up there
to give it all his might
' And he got caught in the spotlight
' But when we get to the end
' Well, he wants to start
all over again, no, no, no
' That's right, make him start
' Just let him take it from the top
Well, we were The Hawks.
Everything was fine.
We were sailing along.
And all of a sudden, one day, The Hawks
meant something else altogether.
It was right in the middle
of that whole psychedelia.
"Chocolate Subway". "Marshmallow
Overcoat". Those kind of names.
When we were working with Bob Dylan
and we moved to Woodstock,
everybody referred to us as The Band.
He called us The Band. Our friends
and neighbours called us The Band.
And we started out with The Crackers.
We tried to call ourselves The Honkies.
Everybody kind of backed off
from that, you know?
It was too straight.
So we decided just
to call ourselves The Band.
' I pulled into Nazareth
just feeling 'bout half-past dead
' Just need to find a place
where I can lay my head
' "Mister, can you tell me where
a man might find a bed?"
' He just grinned and shook my hand
' "No!" was all he said
' Take a load off Fanny
' Take a load for free
' Take a load off Fanny
' And...
' You put the load right on me
' I picked up my bag
and went looking for a place to hide
' When I saw old Carmen and the Devil
walking side by side
' I said "Hey, Carmen,
come on, let's go downtown"
' She said "I gotta go
but my friend can stick around"
' Take a load off Fanny
' Take a load for free
' Take a load off Fanny
' And...
' You put the load right on me
' Go down, Moses,
there's nothin' that you can say
' It's just old Luke
and Luke is waiting on the Judgment Day
' "Hey, Luke, my friend,
what about young Anna Lee?"
' He said "Do me a favour, son"
"Won't you stay
and keep Anna Lee company?"
' Take a load off Fanny
' Take a load for free
' Take a load off Fanny
' And...
' You put the load right on me
' Crazy Chester followed me
and he caught me in the fog
' He said "I will fix your rack
if you take old Jack, my dog"
' I said "Wait a minute, Chester,
you know I'm a peaceful man"
' He said "That's OK, boy,
won't you feed him whenever you can"
' Take a load off Fanny
' Take a load for free
' Take a load off Fanny
' And...
' You put the load right on me
' Catch a cannonball now
to take me on down the line
' My bag is sinking low
and I do believe that it's time
' To get back to Miss Fanny,
you know she's the only one
' She sent me here
with regards for everyone
' Take a load off Fanny
' Take a load for free
' Take a load off Fanny
' And you put the load right on me
' Oh, Fanny, take a load off Fanny
' Ohhh
Beautiful!
- Doesn't that need dusting?
- This looks interesting.
We'll play "Old-Time Religion"
for the folks.
' Old-time religion,
give me that old-time religion
' And it's good enough
' Well, it's good enough
' It was good for Grandpa,
good for my grandma
' It's good enough
' Good enough, good enough now
Oh, it's not like it used to be!
' Virgil Caine is the name
and I served on the Danville train
' Till Stoneman's cavalry came
and they tore up the tracks again
' In the winter of '65
we were hungry, just barely alive
' By May the tenth Richmond had fell
' It's a time I remember oh so well
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' When all the bells were ringing
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' And all the people were singing
' They went la la-la la la-la laaa
' La la-la la la-la la-la laaa
' Back with my wife in Tennessee
' When one day she called to me
' Said "Virgil, quick, come and see
there goes Robert E Lee!"
' Now I don't mind chopping wood
' And I don't care if the money's no good
' You take what you need
and you leave the rest
' But they should never
have taken the very best
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' When all the bells were ringing
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' And all the people were singing
' They went la la-la la la-la laaa
' La la-la la la-la la-la laaa
' Like my father before me
' I will work the land
' And like my brother above me
' Who took a rebel stand
' He was just 18, proud and brave
' But a Yankee laid him in his grave
' And I swear by the mud below my feet
' You can't raise a Caine back up
when he's in defeat
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' When all the bells were ringing
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' And all the people were singing
' They went la la-la la la-la laaa
' La la-la la la-la la-la laaa
' The night they drove
old Dixie down, down
' The bells were ringing
' The night they drove old Dixie down
' And all the people were singing
' They went la la-la la la-la laaa
' La la-la la la-la la-la laaa
A dream come true.
Fascinating. Scary.
Kind of hard to take the first time.
You have to go there about two or three
times before you can fall in love with it.
But that happens eventually.
We stayed at the Times Square Hotel
on 42nd Street.
The title of the hotel,
it sounded like it was conveniently
located in midtown Manhattan.
What did we know? We came out
of the hotel after checking in,
and you think "It's great
to be back in New York. "
Movie theatres for ever.
All these friendly women
walking up and down the street.
It was... It was great.
Yeah, New York, it was an adult portion.
It was an adult dose.
So it took a couple of trips to get into it.
You just go in the first time and you get
your ass kicked and you take off.
As soon as it heals up,
you come back and you try it again.
Eventually, you fall right in love with it.
Roulette Records was in the middle
of this mythical place, Tin Pan Alley.
The songwriting capital of the world.
And we met some of
the greatest songwriters ever.
Rock-and-roll songwriters. Doc Pomus.
Mort Shuman. Lieber and Stoller.
They were all then.
Carole King. Neil Diamond.
At the time it wasn't fair that a songwriter
was the low man on the totem pole.
But then, these people...
And here come the '60s,
with change and revolution
and war and assassinations,
and a whole other frame of mind
coming along.
And these songwriters were expressing
the feelings of people in the street.
In a way, it was kind of the beginning
of the end of Tin Pan Alley.
' Dry your eyes
' Take your song out
' It's a newborn afternoon
' And if you can't recall the singer
' Can you still recall the tune?
' Dry your eyes
' And play it slowly
' Just like you're marching off to war
' Sing it like you always wanted
' Like you sung it once before
' And from the centre of the circle
' To the midst of the waiting crowd
' If it ever is forgotten
' Sing it long and sing it loud
' And come dry your eyes
' And he taught us more about living
' Than we ever cared to know
' And we came to learn the secret
' And we never let it go
' And it was more than being holy
' Though it was less than being free
' And if you can't recall the reason
' Can you hear the people sing?
' Right through the lightning
and the thunder
' To the dark side of the moon
' To that distant falling angel
' That descended much too soon
' Come dry your eyes
' Dry your eyes
' Take your song out
' It's a newborn afternoon
' And if you can't recall the singer
' You can still recall the tune
' Come dry your eyes
' Come dry your eyes
' Dry your eyes
Neil Diamond!
Thanks very much.
When you started playing as The Band,
you shied away from publicity a lot.
Talk about that a little.
That was just part of a lifestyle
that we got to love in Woodstock.
We got to like it, you know,
just being able to chop wood
or hit your thumb with a hammer.
We'd be concerned with fixing
a tape recorder, fixing a screen door.
Stuff like that.
And getting the songs together.
We always seemed
to get a whole lot more done
when we didn't have
a lot of company around.
We were more productive.
And as soon as company came,
of course, we'd start having fun.
You know what happens
when you have too much fun.
Something we've kind of evaded
around here, but I'll ask it now.
- What about women and the road?
- I love 'em.
That's probably why
we've been on the road.
- That's it.
- Not that I don't like the music.
I thought you weren't supposed
to talk about it too much.
- No, I guess we're not.
- I thought we were supposed to...
pan away from that sort of stuff,
get into something else.
Since the beginning,
since we started playing together,
just like we've all grown just a little bit,
so have the women.
- You know? And it's amazing.
- That's right. That's good.
I just wanna break even.
Joni Mitchell. Right.
' No regrets, coyote
' We just come from such
different sets of circumstance
' I'm up all night in the studios
and you're up early on your ranch
' You'll be brushing out a brood mare's
tail while the sun is ascending
' And I'll just be getting home
with my reel-to-reel
' There's no comprehending
' Just how close to the bone
and the skin and the eyes
' And the lips you can get
' And still feel so alone
' And still feel related
' Like stations in some relay
' You're not a hit-and-run driver, no, no
' Racing away
' You just picked up a hitcher
' A prisoner of the white lines
on the freeway
' We saw a farmhouse burning down
' In the middle of nowhere
in the middle of the night
' And we rolled right past that tragedy
' until we pulled in
to some roadhouse lights
' Where a local band was playing
' Locals were up kicking
and shaking on the floor
' The next thing I know
' That coyote's at my door
' He pins me in the corner
and he won't take "No!"
' He drags me out on the dance floor
and we're dancing close and slow
' Now he's got a woman at home
' He's got another woman down the hall
and he seems to want me anyway
' Why d'you have to get so drunk
and lead me on that way?
' You just picked up a hitcher
' A prisoner of the white lines
on the freeway
' I looked a coyote right in the face
' On the road to Baljennie,
near my old home town
' He went running through
the whisker wheat
' Chasing some prize down
' And a hawk was playing with him
' Coyote was jumping straight up
and making passes
' He had those same eyes, just like yours
' under your dark glasses
' Privately probing the public rooms
' And peeking through keyholes
in numbered doors
' Where the players lick their wounds
and take their temporary lovers
' And their pills and powders
to get them through this passion play
' No regrets, coyote
' I just get off up aways
' You just picked up a hitcher
' A prisoner of the white lines
on the freeway
' Coyote's in the coffee shop
' He's staring a hole
in his scrambled eggs
' He picks up my scent on his fingers
while he's watching the waitresses' legs
' He's too far from the Bay of Fundy
' From Appaloosas and eagles and tides
' And the air-conditioned cubicles
' And the carbon ribbon rides
are spelling it out so clear
' Either he's gonna
have to stand and fight
' Or take off out of here
' I've tried to run away myself
' To run away and wrestle with my ego
' And with this flame
you put here in this Eskimo
' In this hitcher
' In this prisoner
' Of the fine white lines
' Of the white lines
' On the free freeway
Levon's home town,
it's near West Helena.
One time we were there,
for some reason or another,
and we decided we were gonna look up
one of the legends of that town,
which was Sonny Boy Williamson.
In my opinion, he's the best harp player,
that's like harmonica,
blues harmonica, that I've ever heard.
He's the big Daddy of 'em.
And he took us to a friend of his,
a woman's place,
who served food and corn liquor.
In a southern booze can.
He would sit there
and he was playing for us.
And we were getting drunk
and trying to figure out where we were.
He was spitting in a can.
I thought he was dipping snuff.
I thought he had something in his lip.
And he kept spitting in this can and
playing, and we kept getting drunker.
Finally, I looked over in the can
and I realised it was blood.
He was getting pretty tired
and pretty drunk by then.
And we made big plans for the future
and all kinds of things we were gonna do.
And it was tremendous. A great night.
A couple of months later, we got a letter
from his manager, or whoever it was,
saying that he had passed away.
' Train arrive
' 16 coaches long
' Train arrive, yeah
' 16 coaches long
' Well, that long, black train
took my baby and gone
' Train, train
' Rolling round the bend
' Train, train
' Rolling round the bend
' Well, it took my baby
away from me again
' Heard that whistle blowing,
it was the middle of the night
' When I got down to the station
the train was pulling out of sight
' Mystery train
' Rolling round the bend
' Mystery train
' Rolling round the bend
' Well, it took my baby
' Away from me again
Paul Butterfield!
Near Memphis,
cotton country, rice country,
the most interesting thing
is probably the music.
Levon, who came from around there?
Carl Perkins.
Muddy Waters, the king of country music.
Elvis Presley.
Johnny Cash. Bo Diddley.
That's kind of the middle
of the country back there.
So bluegrass or country music,
you know, if it comes down to that area
and if it mixes there with rhythm
and if it dances,
then you've got a combination
of all those different kinds of music.
Country, bluegrass, blues music.
- The melting pot.
- Show music.
- And what's it called?
- Rock and roll!
Yes. Exactly.
Whoa!
' When I was a young boy
' At the age of five
' My mother said I would be
' The greatest man alive
' But now I'm a man
' Way past 21
' I want you to believe me, woman
' I have lots of fun
' I'm a man
' I spell "M"
' "A", chile
' "N"
' My grandma says I'm grown
' No "B"
' "O", chile
' "Y"
' That mean mannish boy
' Man
' I'm a full-grown man
' Man
' I'm a natural-born lover's man
' Man
' I'm a rolling stone
' Man
' I'm a hoochie-coochie man
' Well
' Well, well, well
' The line I shoot
' I will never miss
' When I make love to a girl
' She can't resist
' I think I'll go down
' To old Kansas Stew
' I'm gonna bring back my second cousin
' That little Johnny Congeroo
' All you little girls
' Sitting out at that line
' I can make love to you, girl
' In five minutes' time
' Ain't that a man?
' I spell "M"
' "A", chile
' "N"
' That represents man
' No "B"
' "O", chile
' "Y"
' That means mannish boy
' Man
' I'm a full-grown man
' Man
' I'm a natural-born lover's man
' Man
' I'm a rolling stone
' Man-child
' I'm a hoochie-coochie man
' Well
' Well, well, well, well, well, well, well
' Well, well, well, well, well
Wasn't that a man! Muddy Waters!
On the guitar, Eric Clapton!
One, two, a-one, two, three...
' Further on up the road
' Someone's gonna hurt you
like you hurt me
' Further on up the road
' Someone's gonna hurt you
like you hurt me
' Further on up the road
' Baby, just you wait and see
' You gotta reap just what you sow
' That old saying is true
' You gotta reap just what you sow
' That old saying is true
' Just like you mistreat someone
' Someone's gonna mistreat you
' Further up the road
' Someone's gonna hurt you
like you hurt me
' Further on up the road
' Someone's gonna hurt you
like you hurt me
' Further on up the road
' Baby, just you wait and see
' You been laughing, pretty baby
' Someday you're gonna be crying
' You been laughing, pretty baby
' Someday you're gonna be crying
' Further on up the road
' You'll find out I wasn't lying
OK. So, Rick, what is Shangri-La?
Maybe you could give us a little tour.
What is Shangri-La?
It's a club house where we get together
and play. Make records.
Yeah.
Kind of better. It's like an office, I guess.
It used to be a bordello.
- A bordello?
- You can tell by the wallpaper.
That decadence,
that softness in the barroom.
I've heard a few funny stories, man.
- That's why all these rooms are here.
- You can't believe most of what you hear.
This was a master-control bedroom,
this is now a master-control music room.
Let me ask you, now that The Last
Waltz is over, what are you doing now?
Eddie, why don't you...
Just making music, you know?
Oh, yeah.
Trying to stay busy, man.
' I want to lay down beside you
' I want to hold your body close to mine
' Like a grape that grows ripe...
It's where the music took you. Otherwise
you would never go to such a situation.
Because of the music,
it took us everywhere.
It took us to some strange places.
- Physically and spiritually?
- Physically, spiritually and psychotically.
It just always wasn't on the stage.
- Even though you were on the stage.
- Even though we were on the stage.
' She stands on the banks
of the mighty Mississippi
' Alone in the pale moonlight
' Waiting for a man, a riverboat gambler
' Said that he'd return tonight
' They used to waltz on the banks
of the mighty Mississippi
' Loving the whole night through
' Till the riverboat gambler
went off to make a killing
' And bring it on back to you
' Evangeline, Evangeline
' Curses the soul
of the Mississippi Queen
' That pulled her man away
' Bayou Sam from South Louisiana
' Had gambling in his veins
' Evangeline from the Maritimes
' Was slowly going insane
' High on the top of Hickory Hill
' She stands in the lightning and thunder
' Down on the river the boat was sinking
' She watched that Queen go under
' Evangeline, Evangeline
' Curses the soul
of the Mississippi Queen
' That pulled her man away
' Evangeline, Evangeline
' Curses the soul
of the Mississippi Queen
' That pulled her man away
Garth was one of the most
amazing musicians that we knew.
He could play better
than anybody we ever heard.
And Garth joined The Band
if we would make him the music teacher.
We didn't know why but we said
"Sure. I mean, we're interested anyway. "
And we had to pay him $10 a week each
for these music lessons.
Then I was sure it was a riff.
But then I found out what it really was.
It was that, where he was coming from
and his musical education,
to tell his parents at this point
that we was joining a rock-and-roll band
would have been like
pouring it down the drain.
So he justified it to his people and his
background by being a music teacher.
There is a view that jazz is evil
because it comes from evil people.
But, actually,
the greatest priests on 52nd Street
and on the streets of New York City
were the musicians.
They were doing
the greatest healing work.
And they knew how
to punch through music
which would cure
and make people feel good.
' Boards on the window
' Mail by the door
' Why would anybody leave
so quickly for?
' Ophelia
' Where have you gone?
' The old neighbourhood
just ain't the same
' Nobody knows just what became
' Of Ophelia
' Where have you gone?
' Was it something that somebody said?
' Mama, you know we broke the rules
' Was somebody up against the law?
' Honey, you know that I'd die for you
' They got your number
' They're scared and running
' But I'm just waiting for
the second coming
' Of Ophelia
' Please darken my door
' Was it something that somebody said?
' Mama, you know we broke the rules
' Was somebody up against the law?
' Oh, honey, you know that I'd die for you
' Ashes of laughter
' The ghost is clear
' Why do the best things
always disappear?
' Like Ophelia
' Oh, please, come back home
Most of the show stuff, though,
was like travelling shows, like tent shows.
One was Walcott's Rabbit Foot Minstrels.
- What was that?
- Walcott's Rabbit Foot Minstrels. Yeah.
They used to have the show start, right?
They'd have the singers and the players
and the different parts of the show.
Then the master of ceremonies
would come out just before the finale
and explain that, after the kids go home,
they'd have the midnight ramble.
- The midnight?
- The midnight ramble.
The songs would get a little bit juicier
and the jokes'd get a little funnier.
And the prettiest dancer would really
get down and shake it a few times.
A lot of the rock-and-roll duck walks and
steps and moves came from a lot of that.
Everybody did it and so, when you would
see Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis
or Chuck Berry or Bo Diddley
really shaking it up,
it didn't come out of nowhere,
It didn't come out of the air.
It was like the local entertainment
everybody was going to see.
So when they exposed it
to the rest of the world,
it was like this unknown beast
that had come out,
the grotesque of music
that the devil had sent, you know?
Here we go.
' And the caravan is on its way
' I can hear the merry gypsies play
' Mama, Mama, look at Emma Rose
' She's a-playing with the radio
' La la la-la la-la la
' La la la-la la-la la
' And the caravan
is painted red and white
' That means everybody's
staying overnight
' And the barefoot gypsy boy
round the campfire sing and play
' And a woman tells us of her ways
' La la la-la la-la la
' La la la-la la-la la
' Da da da-da da
' Turn up your radio
' And let me, let me, let me hear the song
' Switch on your electric light
' Now we can get down
to what's really wrong
' I long just to hold you in my arms
' So that I can, I can feel you
' Sweet lady of the night
' I shall reveal you
' Turn it up
' Turn it up
' Little bit higher
' Radio
' Turn it up
' That's enough
' So you know it's got soul
' La la la-la la-la la
' La la la-la la-la la
' Turn up your radio
' And let me, let me, let me,
let me hear the song
' Switch on your electric light
' Then we can get down to what's
really wrong, really wrong, really wrong
' I long just to hold you in my arms
' So that I can, I can feel you
' Sweet lady of the night
' I shall reveal you
' Turn it up
' Turn it up
' Turn it up
' Little bit higher
' Radio
' Turn it up
' That's enough
' So you know
' It's got soul
' So you know
' So you know it's got
' Soul, baby
' So you know it's got
' Yeah
' Zi boo ba boogie,
zi boo ba boogie, zi boo ba boogie
' So you know it's got soul
' So you know it's got nothin' but soul
' Turn it up now
' Yeah, yeah, yeah
' One more time
' Do that one more time
' So you know
' Do that one more time
' Do that one more time
' One more
' Do that one more time
' Do that one more time
Thank you.
Hey, Van the Man!
Lawrence Ferlinghetti!
Let us pray.
Our Father, whose art's in heaven
Hollow by thy name -
unless things change.
Thy wigdom come and gone.
Thy will, will be undone
on earth, as it isn't heaven.
Give us this day our daily dread,
at least three times a day.
And forgive us our trespasses
on love's territory.
For thine is the wigdom
and power and glory...
Oh, man!
' May God bless and keep you always
' May your wishes all come true
' May you always do for others
' And let others do for you
' May you build a ladder to the stars
' Climb on every rung
' And may you stay
' Forever young
' Forever young
' Forever young
' May you stay
' Forever young
' May your hands always be busy
' May your feet always be swift
' May you have a strong foundation
when the winds of changes shift
' May your heart always be joyful
' May your song always be sung
' And may you stay
' Forever young
' Forever young
' Forever young
' May you stay
' Forever young
' Can I come home with you?
' Baby, can I come home with you?
' Well, I'll do anything
in this god-almighty world
' If you'll just let me come home with you
' Baby, let me follow you down
' Baby, let me follow you down
' Well, I'll do anything
in this god-almighty world
' If you'll just let me follow you down
' I'll buy you a diamond ring
' I'll buy you a wedding gown
' Well, I'll do anything
in this god-almighty world
' If you'll just let me follow you down
Thank you.
We got Ringo and Ronnie Wood
gonna help us out on this one, too.
' They say everything can be replaced
' They say every distance is not near
' So I remember every face
' Of every man who put me here
' I see my light come shining
' From the west down to the east
' Any day now
' Any day now
' I shall be released
' They say every man needs protection
' They say that every man must fall
' But I swear I see my reflection
' Somewhere so high above this wall
' I see my light come shining
' From the west down to the east
' Any day now
' Any day now
' I shall be released
' Down here in this lonely crowd
' There's a man who swears
he's not to blame
' All day long I hear him shouting loud
' Crying out that he been framed
' I see my light come shining
' From the west down to the east
' Any day now
' Any day now
' I shall be released
- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
The road was our school.
It gave us a sense of survival.
It taught us all we know.
There's not much left
that we can really take from the road.
We've had our share of...
Or maybe it's just superstitious.
- Superstitious in what way?
- You can press your luck.
The road has taken
a lot of the great ones.
Hank Williams. Buddy Holly.
Otis Redding.
Janis. Jimi Hendrix.
Elvis.
It's a goddamn impossible way of life.
- It is, isn't it?
- No question about it.