This week marked the passing of Levon Helm, the acrid-voiced drummer and vocalist for The Band and my neighbor in upstate New York. I had not realized there was confusion about the significance of the lyrics in one of their best-known songs, “The Weight”. Wikipedia currently tells us the song is about a visit to the Martin guitar company in Nazareth, PA which is total horseshit. Here are the lyrics, followed by the actual explanation:
I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin’ about half past dead;
I just need some place where I can lay my head.
“Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?”
He just grinned and shook my hand, and “No!”, was all he said.
(Chorus:)
Take a load off Anny, take a load for free;
Take a load off Anny, And (and) (and) you can put the load right on me.
I picked up my bag, I went lookin’ for a place to hide;
When I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin’ side by side.
I said, “Hey, Carmen, come on, let’s go downtown.”
She said, “I gotta go, but m’friend can stick around.”
(Chorus)
Go down, Miss Moses, there’s nothin’ you can say
It’s just ol’ Luke, and Luke’s waitin’ on the Judgement Day.
“Well, Luke, my friend, what about young Anna Lee?”
He said, “Do me a favor, son, woncha stay an’ keep Anna Lee company?”
(Chorus)
Crazy Chester followed me, and he caught me in the fog.
He said, “I will fix your rack, if you’ll take Jack, my dog.”
I said, “Wait a minute, Chester, you know I’m a peaceful man.”
He said, “That’s okay, boy, won’t you feed him when you can.”
(Chorus)
Catch a cannon ball now, t’take me down the line
My bag is sinkin’ low and I do believe it’s time.
To get back to Miss Fanny, you know she’s the only one.
Who sent me here with her regards for everyone.
Explanation:
The whole business about Nazareth, PA which is mentioned on Wikipedia is a total misdirection. This is a song about Jesus’ crucifixion and “Nazareth” fit better than “Jerusalem” in a melodic sense.
The “he” in the first verse is of course Jesus. The anonymous narrator comes off the dusty road as Jesus is about to be crucified and runs into him coincidentally. Jesus in spite of his larger concerns addresses the insignificant narrator… a frequently seen scenario in ancient runes like Beowulf by the way.
“Anny” and “Anna Lee” are amalgams of Mary Magdalene. Who was not a real person but a composite representing a flawed, all-too-human follower of Jesus.
The “Miss Moses” verse is simply a nod to Biblical characters, Jesus speaking to his tradition.
Crazy Chester is Judas. The “dog” is a metaphor for any situation in which somebody comes out of left field and imposes themselves on you and you feel oddly compelled to oblige. “Fix your rack” can be taken as a prevision of Jesus on the cross.
Time passes after this verse. I think the gap in time was informed not so much by Bunuel (which seems like total horseshit and misdirection) as by the films of Peckinpah and Bogdanovich popular at this time, which typically featured a sequence of individual set pieces adding up to a total narrative. It’s as if a couple of verses were written, then deleted. “Fanny” is both Mary Magdalene (not that surprising that somebody dying of crucifixion would confuse “Anny” and “Fanny”) and God.
That’s what the song is about. [This post has been updated.]
I think you are a Jesus freak and cling to any sign that people think like you, regardless of inconsistincies. This is very typical of people who seek refuge in the falsities of any religion(cult). Im sure you also find truth in the Bible despite the wild contradictions and “bullshit” as you put it.
BC, I said “horseshit” not “bullshit” and referenced Wikipedia, not the Bible. In both cases there’s a big difference!
Anna lee is more likely a reference to Annabel lee by Poe than it is a Mary Magdalene reference. Thats a real stretch bro. Do you follow ancient astronaut theory as well? Haha. Dont mean to be cruel, its just that its annoying how cultish people can be. It could also be a reference to Robert e Lees wife as the band is fond of CSA references . I also think that it is just as likely Nazareth Pa was the inspiration for the opening line as the biblical Nazareth. The band toured through lehigh county and surrounding areas an astonishing amount. Dont be so quick to throw Jesus into the mix. The best thing about him was the 1973 Jesus Christ superstar prodiction. Haha
Think of a monkey on your back- it’s a song about black muddy rivers…
Robbie Robertson specifically said it was written about Nazareth, PA. Since he wrote the song, I’d say he knows it a little better than you.
In a 1991 interview with Goldmine magazine, Robertson said the “Nazareth” reference was, indeed, for the home of C.F. Martin.
“In `The Weight’, it was this very simple thing,” Robertson told the magazine. “Someone says, `Listen, will you me this favor? When you get there will you say ‘hello’ to somebody or will you pick up one of these for me? Oh, you’re going to Nazareth, that’s where the Martin guitar factory is. Do me a favor when you’re there.’ This is what it’s all about. So the guy goes and one thing leads to another.”
Garth HudsonAnd in a 2005 interview, Martin Artist Relations Manager Dick Boak told The Morning Call that Robertson told him he was working on “The Weight” when he looked at the label inside the sound hole of his Martin guitar. He liked the ring of the name “Nazareth, Pa.,” and decided to use it.
Well that’s pretty credible Ben, even though you posted it on April 1. Assuming the sources check out, I’ll stipulate that Robertson said the Nazareth reference was about Martin guitars.
If you asked Shakespeare, he would have told you his plays were a grab-bag of timely topics from news stories and other playwrights, cobbled together for a popular amusement. The point being, there’s often a meaning beyond that the author recognizes.
I am a “Jesus freak” (btw that was rude BC) and it is a far stretch to say this song is about Christ.
When in doubt always answer one question… Chapter and verse. If it’s in the word it can be supported. If it’s not it’s just an opinion.
As much as I’d like Peter Gabriel’s Solsberry Hill to be about the last days. It cannot be supported through the whole song.
So for those of us who believe in Christ let’s find Jesus wherever we can. When we share the good news let’s back it up with the word.
quick question,so,personally, although catholic n understand songs can have different meanings to different people, n can appreciate your point of seeing this as a bible reference is an interesting twist n like u said gives people still appreciate your view n hear “the word”
———————–>>>
MY QUESTION IS THIS: i know you said the dog part i’snt suppose to mean a literal dog,but, all I’m sayin is
1) If a man is walking to his death, y would “Chester” ask him to take the dog in the first place..? (Maybe that’s y” call him crazy” Chester…lol
quick question,so,personally, although catholic n understand songs can have different meanings to different people, n can appreciate your point of seeing this as a bible reference is an interesting twist n like u said gives people still appreciate your view n hear “the word”
———————–>>>
MY QUESTION IS THIS: i know you said the dog part i’snt suppose to mean a literal dog,but, all I’m sayin is
1) If a man is walking to his death, y would “Chester” ask him to take the dog in the first place..? (Maybe that’s y” call him crazy” Chester…lol
Jennifer, the person taking the dog is not Jesus but the anonymous narrator. Judas is transferring his emotional baggage to him/us. That’s the meaning as I see it.
According to Robbie Robertson, Fanny (NOT “Annie”) referred to Frances “Fanny” Steloff, who ran the Gotham Book Mart on 47th St. in NYC, where he found the scripts for films by Buñuel & Bergman (whose imagery is referenced in the song). The idea that “The Weight” is explicitly, metaphorically, or subliminally about a Christian experience (or even a parable referring to Jesus) seems a bit far-fetched, though (obviously), like the mostly symbolic movies of its influences, one must be free to draw whatever conclusions one may desire. Robertson has said it was (at least on its surface) about the Civil Rights movement, & I tend to believe him.
R.A. I’m assuming you are referring to the recent interview with the Wall Street Journal in which Robertson definitely filled in some of the blanks. The link: http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-weight-by-the-bands-robbie-robertson-1480436811
I was interested to learn he was influenced by reading scripts for The Seventh Seal (a movie which is incoherent IMHO)and Bunuel, specifically Nazarin. Check out the synopsis for Nazarin on Wikipedia. Many, many resemblances to this song.
Pete Grono, I am sorry I did not notice your comment earlier about “chapter and verse”. My interpretation is that this song is about Jesus but in the broadest sense, a mythic understanding that is widespread in Western culture whether you are a devout Christian or not. Obviously many liberties are taken. But if you insist on “chapter and verse”, how do you reconcile the fact that many incidents in Jesus’ life are described differently (or simply missing) from one book to another in the New Testament?
As far as “The Seventh Seal” (& other Bergman films) being “incoherent,” I suppose the best answer is that they are/were INTENTIONALLY vague; in that sense–to some extent–they were MEANT to lack total coherence. Bergman’s work of that period (through–at least–“Persona”) was meant as allegory/symbolism . . . though whether there was any intention for it to be a Christian allegory, I cannot say (I always thought of Bergman’s imagery as standing OUTSIDE the Christian tradition, but perhaps I was mistaken). At any rate, the nature of his symbolism is (clearly) to present one thing as a stand-in for another; such a presentation obviously (& intentionally, I’d argue) runs at least a risk of incoherence. Nevertheless, I think the classic Bergman films (besides “The Seventh Seal” & “Persona,” I certainly include “Wild Strawberries”) hold up better than most of Buñuel’s (those I have seen) and come close to those of Kurosawa (who, IMHO, likely was the “ace” of non-American directors not named “Hitchcock” or “Fellini”–both of whom also were not “above” the use of symbolism to make their points).
Otis, I am going to “take liberties” and suggest an answer to a question not directed to me. You may have trouble (theologically) with my answer, but–before you dismiss it “out of hand”–please consider that what I’m saying is merely the opinion of mainstream (NOT “fringe,” nor “wild-eyed”) Biblical scholars (coming from a wide variety of faith traditions). What I propose is the following: the Christian Gospels were written (set down) in the years (centuries, I believe) following the reported (by the Roman historian Josephus) death of Jesus. Those who wrote these documents never personally (in historical time) experienced the events they describe. Likely, they learned the story of Jesus in the way that most people in antiquity came to know such stories–through oral presentation/tradition. Moreover, the establishment of some accounts as Gospel (and relegation of others as Apocrypha) happened even later as the result of a decision by the established (Catholic) church attempting to relegate certain beliefs to the status of “apostasy” or “heresy” (in other words, as part of a struggle to define which beliefs were acceptable). It’s really no surprise that descriptions of events developed during different eras by men (almost certainly, no women) of different generations describe the same phenomena differently (&, in fact, report different events in some cases). The writings–in our own culture–describing our Revolutionary era CHANGE significantly from 1776 to today. Even the attempts of those living in an antebellum America of around the 1840s to “establish” a primacy for the “Founding Fathers” differ substantially from the “take” on those same events post-Civil War. (And “historians” of those eras had some access to “primary documents.”) If the endeavor to establish our own “national mythology” is so influenced by the contemporary circumstances of those recording the history, why would we assume that those recording the “Jesus story” over a period of generations wouldn’t be subject to similar influences?
R.A., please don’t think I’m copping out when I answer a long answer with a short one: regarding the reason for differing accounts of Jesus’ life, I absolutely agree. It’s totally reasonable that the narrative would change with the passage of time and re-telling. That is what I was implying with my answer to Pete Grono. Keeping in mind that many of the authors of the New Testament books were preachers, it’s logical that they would make a point, then tell a story to bring it to life and support it.
The characters in the song – Crazy Chester, Luke, Anna Lee, are based on friends of the band. In Levon Helm’s autobiography This Wheel’s On Fire: Levon Helm And The Story Of The Band, he explained:
‘We had two or three tunes, or pieces of tunes, and ‘The Weight’ was one I would work on. Robbie had that bit about going down to Nazareth – Pennsylvania, where the Martin guitar factory is at. The song was full of our favorite characters. ‘Luke’ was Jimmy Ray Paulman. ‘Young Anna Lee’ was Anna Lee Williams from Turkey Scratch. ‘Crazy Chester’ was a guy we all knew from Fayetteville who came into town on Saturdays wearing a full set of cap guns on his hips and kinda walked around town to help keep the peace,if you follow me. He was like Hopalong Cassidy, and he was a friend of the Hawks. Ronnie would always check with Crazy Chester to make sure there wasn’t any trouble around town. And Chester would reassure him that everything was peaceable and not to worry, because he was on the case. Two big cap guns, he wore, plus a toupee! There were also ‘Carmen and the Devil’, ‘Miss Moses’ and ‘Fanny,’ a name that just seemed to fit the picture. (I believe she looked a lot like Caladonia.) We recorded the song maybe four times. We weren’t really sure it was going to be on the album, but people really liked it. Rick, Richard, and I would switch the verses around among us, and we all sang the chorus: Put the load right on me!”
Thanks, N M Leon, this is really helpful. Can’t argue with it. I’ll just refer back to my observation on April 2, 2015 that a song or poem or story can have meaning beyond the literal explanation of the author. Shakespeare was creating entertainments for a local audience based on current events, yet 400 years later we’re finding something very different in his works. Maybe the same will prove true of this collection of characters known to the Hawks.