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John Brown (Bob Dylan song)
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Wikipedia article
'"John Brown"' is an anti-war song written and composed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Written in October 1962, the song was never included on any of Dylan's official studio albums.
Releases
A rough demo of the song performed for publishing company M. Witmark & Sons in August 1963 was eventually given an official release in 2010 on 'The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 The Witmark Demos: 19621964.
However, a studio version of the song had already been released under the pseudonym "Blind Boy Grunt" in 1963 on a compilation album entitled 'Broadside Ballads, Vol. 1' (one of five Dylan compositions on the release). This performance was later included in 'The Best Of Broadside 19621988' box set released in 2000. A pseudonym was employed due to contractual issues regarding Dylan performing on non-Columbia Records releases.
Three live versions are officially available: one of Dylan's earliest recorded performances of the song on 'Live at the Gaslight 1962' (released in 2005), a 1963 performance on 'Live 19621966: Rare Performances From The Copyright Collections' (released in 2018), and a 1994 performance on 'MTV Unplugged' (released in 1995).
Song lyrics
"John Brown" consists of twelve verses written in a straightforward manner.[http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/john-brown "John Brown" Lyrics] The song, composed in Dylan's protest song period, tells a story about a mother who sends her son John Brown to war on some foreign land, and he returns blinded and injured. Thematically, the song is very similar to the old Irish folk-songs "Mrs. McGrath" and "Paddy's Lamentation".
See also
* List of Bob Dylan songs based on earlier tunes
* List of anti-war songs
References
Category:Songs written by Bob Dylan
Category:Bob Dylan songs
Category:1962 songs
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