Special Sub-Topic: Anatomy of a Song: "The Weight" Click Here To Play: Anatomy of a Song: "The Weight"

The song opens with: "I pulled into Nazareth, I was feelin' about half past dead" Where is the Nazareth that is referred to in the lyric?

Pennsylvania. "Nazareth, where the story takes place, refers to the town in Pennsylvania about 70 miles north of Philadelphia. The rock group Nazareth got their name from this line ("Went down to Nazareth, I was feeling about half past dead...")". In the liner notes for the "Across the Great Divide" boxed set, Robbie is quoted as saying that he chose that place because they make legendary Martin Guitars there, so he was aware of the place and been there once or twice".

When the singer asked "Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?", what was the helpful reply he got?

No. "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" Hurrumph! And people in that industry wonder why there are complaints about customer service!

As we reach the chorus, what word is missing?: "Take a load off ______, take a load for free"

Fanny. "Take a load off Fannie, take a load for free Take a load off Fannie And (and) (and) you can put the load right on me" Okay, before you consider sending me a correction notice debating Annie or Fanny, I did my best to research the correct answer. In the end, I based my answer upon: http://theband.hiof.no/articles/the_weight_viney.html It is for that reason I did not include both Annie and Fanny as choices.

Who walked side by side with Carmen?

The Devil. "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 my friend can stick around" "The Band's guitarist, Robbie Robertson, claims the song was influenced by the work of Luis Bunuel, a Mexican director who made some of the first movies dealing with surrealism. Robertson was intrigued by the characters in his films, who were often good people who did bad things".

What is Luke "waitin' on" in the song?

Judgement day. "Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothin' you can say It's just ol' Luke, and Luke's waitin' on the Judgement Day" "Robbie Robertson got the only writing credit for the song, although other members of the group claimed that they contributed to this as well as many of their other songs and were not credited. Since only the writer receives royalties for a song, this created a great deal of tension in The Band".

Who was asked to provide company for Anna Lee?

The Narrator. "Well, Luke, my friend What about young Anna Lee?" He said, "Do me a favor, son Woncha stay an' keep Anna Lee company?" Luke asks the song's Narrator to care for Anna Lee. I am sure Chester or Carmen would have kept Anna Lee company if asked. Dunno about Jack, he was a dog.

Where did Chester catch up with the singer?

In the fog. "Crazy Chester followed me And he caught me in the fog He said, "I will fix your rags If you'll take Jack, my dog" There are some bizarre lyrics in this song, folks! "The Weight" was used in the movie "Easy Rider". The Band performed the version heard in the movie, but on the soundtrack, a different group was used because of legal issues".

By what adjective is Chester described?

Crazy. "Crazy Chester followed me And he caught me in the fog He said, "I will fix your rags If you'll take Jack, my dog" A look at the above lyrics may provide an insight into why Chester was considered crazy! "The characters in the song - Crazy Chester, Luke, Anna Lee, are based on friends of the band".

What is 'caught' in the last verse of the song?

Cannonball. "Catch a Cannonball, now To take me down the line My bag is sinkin' low And I do believe it's time" "The Supremes, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, and Jackie DeShannon all covered this. Franklin's version was the biggest hit, reaching #19 US in 1969. It has also been covered by: A Group Called Smith, The Black Crowes, Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, Joan Osborne, Keller Williams, King Curtis & Duane Allman, Otis & Travis, Rotary Connection, Spooky Tooth, The Ventures and The Badloves".

A question with a difference to end with. Coincidentally, the title of one of Petula Clark's best known songs appears in the lyrics. Which song is it?

Downtown. I said, "Hey, Carmen, come on, let's go downtown She said, "I gotta go, but my friend can stick around" Petula's hit song "Downtown" was featured extensively in Seinfeld episode # 131 "The Bottle Deposit (1)". After having a conversation in the coffee shop where they manage to fit the lyrics of the song into a conversation, George Costanza states : "I got nothing, Jerry. Nothing". To which Jerry replies from the song: "Well, Don't hang around and let your problems surround you".