"The Death of Emmett Till", also known as "The Ballad of Emmett Till", is a song by American musician and Nobel Laureate
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 ...
about the murder of
Emmett Till
Emmett Louis Till (July 25, 1941August 28, 1955) was a 14-year-old African American boy who was abducted, tortured, and lynched in Mississippi in 1955, after being accused of offending a white woman, Carolyn Bryant, in her family's grocery ...
. Till, a 14-year-old
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, was killed on August 28, 1955, by two white men, after being accused of disrespecting a white woman. In the song's lyrics, Dylan recounts the murder and trial.
Background
While the song never appeared on any of Dylan's studio albums, it did appear on a number of
bootlegs. One bootlegged performance, which was recorded from
Cynthia Gooding
Cynthia Gooding (August 12, 1924 – February 10, 1988) was an American folk singer who recorded traditional songs from various countries for Elektra Records in the 1950s and 1960s. Judy Collins wrote that she had been "inspired" by her.
Life ...
's radio show called ''Folksinger's Choice'' sometime in early 1962, starts with Dylan saying that the melody is based on chords he heard from
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
musician
Len Chandler
Len Hunt Chandler, Jr. (born May 27, 1935), better known as Len Chandler, is a folk musician from Akron, Ohio.
Biography
He showed an early interest in music and began playing piano at age 8. Studying classical music in his early teens, he lea ...
. The melody is quite similar to "
The House of the Rising Sun
"The House of the Rising Sun" is a traditional folk song, sometimes called "Rising Sun Blues". It tells of a person's life gone wrong in the city of New Orleans. Many versions also urge a sibling or parents and children to avoid the same fate. ...
" from the album ''
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 ...
''. Dylan's performance of the song was released on the 1972 album ''Broadside Ballads, Vol. 6: Broadside Reunion'', under the artist name Blind Boy Grunt. Another recording, taped as a
demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
for music publisher
M. Witmark & Sons and also bootlegged for many years, was released on ''
The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 – The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964'' in October 2010.
Reception
Stephen J. Whitfield calls the lyrics "mawkish" but describes "the ballad" as "a precocious attempt to continue the tradition of the folk protest song."
See also
*
Civil rights movement in popular culture
The history of the 1954 to 1968 American civil rights movement has been depicted and documented in film, song, theater, television, and the visual arts. These presentations add to and maintain cultural awareness and understanding of the goals, tact ...
Film Till 2023
References
External links
Lyricsat Bob Dylan's official website.
Audioat Bob Dylan's official YouTube channel.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Death of Emmett Till, The
Teenage tragedy songs
Bob Dylan songs
Songs written by Bob Dylan
1962 songs
Murder ballads
Songs based on American history
Emmett Till