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Let Me Die In My Footsteps
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Wikipedia article
'"Let Me Die In My Footsteps"' is a song written by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in February 1962.Heylin, 'Bob Dylan: A Life In Stolen Moments', p. 30 The song was selected for the original sequence of Dylan's 1963 album 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan', but was replaced by "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall".Bauldie, 'The Bootleg Series Volumes 13' This version was recorded at Columbia studios on April 25, 1962, during the first 'Freewheelin' ' session, and was subsequently released in March 1991 on 'The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991'.Gray, 'The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia', p. 73Heylin, 'Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited', p. 738
A later version, recorded as a demo for M. Witmark & Sons publishing company in December 1962, was released in October 2010 on 'The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 The Witmark Demos: 19621964'.Heylin, 'Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited', p. 738Shelton, 'No Direction Home', pp. 145146Escott, "The Leeds & Witmark Demos" The song's first release, however, was in September 1963 on 'The Broadside Ballads, Vol. 1', an album of topical songs compiled by folk musician Pete Seeger and Sis Cunningham, publisher of 'Broadside' magazine. This version was recorded on January 24, 1963, with Dylan performing as "Blind Boy Grunt" (for contractual reasons), backed by his friend Happy Traum.Gray, p. 668 'Broadside' had published the song's lyrics under its original title, "I Will Not Go Down Under the Ground", in the magazine's third issue in April 1962.
Background
In the booklet that accompanied 'The Bootleg Series Volumes 13', Todd Harvey wrote that "Let Me Die in My Footsteps" has no clear melodic precedent and suggests that this may be the first song for which Dylan created an original melody.Bauldie, 'The Bootleg Series Volumes 13' However, Dylan later revealed the song's origins in 'Chronicles: Volume One', indicating it was based on an old Roy Acuff ballad. According to Dylan, the song was inspired by the construction of fallout shelters, a widespread practice in the U.S. during the cold war political climate of the 1950s when he was growing up.Dylan, 'Chronicles: Volume One', pp. 270271
In 1963, Dylan gave this account of how he came to write "Let Me Die in My Footsteps" to critic Nat Hentoff, who wrote the liner notes for 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan':
The liner notes to 'Broadside Ballads, Vol. 1' included this comment on the song:
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