"Ballad of Hollis Brown" is a

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song written by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, released in 1964 on his third album '' The Times They Are A-Changin'''. The song tells the story of a

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

farmer who, overwhelmed by the desperation of poverty, kills his wife, children and then himself.

Music and structure

''The Times They Are A-Changin version was recorded on August 7, 1963. The song had been recorded during sessions for Dylan's previous album, ''

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on May 27, 1963 by Columbia Records. Whereas his self-titled debut album ''Bob Dylan'' had contained only two original songs, this album ...

'', in November 1962, but remained an outtake. On this earlier version, Dylan played the

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

and just strummed the chords, rather than picking the strings. (The live versions between 1962 and 1964 were also played that way, but without the harmonica.) According to Michael Gray, the guitar work and melodic structuring in "Hollis Brown" are taken from the

Appalachians The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

, "where such forms and modes had evolved, in comparative isolation, over a period of almost two hundred years". More specifically, the chords, tune and verse-structure of "Ballad of Hollis Brown" are based on the ballad "

Pretty Polly Pretty Polly may refer to: * "Pretty Polly" (ballad) * ''Pretty Polly'' (film) * ''Pretty Polly'' (opera) * Pretty Polly (horse) * Pretty Polly (hosiery) Pretty Polly is a British brand of women's tights based in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, En ...

", a song Dylan performed at the Gaslight Club in New York City prior to recording "Ballad of Hollis Brown". The album version of the song is performed as a solo piece by Dylan with his vocal accompanied by an

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

in the

flatpicking Flatpicking (or simply picking) is the technique of striking the strings of a guitar with a pick (also called a plectrum) held between the thumb and one or two fingers. It can be contrasted to fingerstyle guitar, which is playing with indi ...

style. The guitar is in 'double-dropped D

tuning Tuning can refer to: Common uses * Tuning, the process of tuning a tuned amplifier or other electronic component * Musical tuning, musical systems of tuning, and the act of tuning an instrument or voice ** Guitar tunings ** Piano tuning, adjusti ...

': Both the first and sixth strings, which normally play two ''E''s separated by two

octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...

s, are tuned down a

whole step In Western culture, Western music theory, a major second (sometimes also called whole tone or a whole step) is a second spanning two semitones (). A second is a interval (music), musical interval encompassing two adjacent staff positions ( ...

, down to ''D''. Also, Dylan uses a capo on the first fret. Therefore, while his fingers are positioned as if he were playing in the key of

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for t ...

, the song is actually in the key of Eb minor.

Lyrics

Lyrically, this song consists of 11 verses which bring the listener to a bleak and destitute

farm, where a poor farmer, his wife and five children, already living in abject poverty, are subjected to even more hardships. In despair, the man kills his wife and children and himself with a shotgun. Critic

David Horowitz David Joel Horowitz (born January 10, 1939) is an American conservative writer. He is a founder and president of the right-wing David Horowitz Freedom Center (DHFC); editor of the Center's website ''FrontPage Magazine''; and director of Disco ...

commented:

Live performances

Dylan played "Hollis Brown" live from 1962 to 1964, including on a Westinghouse television special in 1963 and at

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

in May 1963 (released in 2011 on '' Bob Dylan in Concert – Brandeis University 1963''). He also performed it in 1965, during the "comeback" Bob Dylan and the Band 1974 Tour, and at

Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...

in 1985. The song was regularly featured during the

Never Ending Tour The Never Ending Tour is the popular name for Bob Dylan's ongoing touring schedule which began on June 7, 1988. During the course of the tour, musicians have come and gone as the band has continued to evolve. The tour amassed a huge fan base with ...

through 2012. Dylan has played it over 200 times total.

Recordings by other artists

Some of the prominent musicians and groups that have covered "Ballad of Hollis Brown" include: *

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: ''

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'' (1965) *

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) *

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(performed with Bob Dylan): ''Third Annual Farewell Reunion'' (1995) *

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: '' Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International'' (2012) *

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References

*Matt Cowe and Arthur Dick. ''Acoustic Masters for Guitar''. Wise Publications, 2004.
Bob Dylan's official website
Retrieved 14 March 2006. * Michael Gray. ''Song & Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan''. Continuum, 2000. * Oliver Trager. ''Keys to the Rain: The Definitive Bob Dylan Encyclopedia''. Billboard Books, 2004. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballad Of Hollis Brown 1964 songs Blues rock songs Bob Dylan songs Fiction about familicide Folk rock songs Murder ballads Nazareth (band) songs Nina Simone songs Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer) Songs written by Bob Dylan South Dakota in fiction Songs about death Songs about suicide Songs about poverty Songs about domestic violence