Written by Robbie Robertson and sung by Levon Helm, The Band's swampy roots-rock chronicle of a defeated Southern soldier made regional Civil War loss feel embodied and intimate.
Joan Baez's 1971 reading stripped the rustic groove and rebuilt it with ringing acoustics, gospel harmonies, and crystalline soprano — a Top 3 folk-pop hit that turned a local historical drama into a universal lament.
An insular Americana defeat narrative redefined as a mainstream 1970s folk-pop mourning anthem.