"Let Me Die in My Footsteps" is a song written by American singer-songwriter

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 ...

in February 1962. The song was selected for the original sequence of Dylan's 1963 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 ...

'', but was replaced by "

A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" is a song written by American musician and Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan in the summer of 1962 and recorded later that year for his second album, ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' (1963). Its lyrical structure is modeled after ...

". 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 ''The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3'' is a box set by Bob Dylan issued on Columbia Records. It is the first installment in Dylan's Bootleg Series, comprising material spanning the first three decades of his career, from 1961 to 1989. It has been c ...

''. A later version, recorded 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 M. Witmark & Sons

publishing company Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

in December 1962, was released in October 2010 on '' The Bootleg Series Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964''. The song's first release, however, was in September 1963 on ''The Broadside Ballads, Vol. 1'', an album of topical songs compiled by

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

ian

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

and

Sis Cunningham Agnes "Sis" Cunningham (February 19, 1909 – June 27, 2004) was an American musician, best known for her involvement as a performer and publicist of folk music and protest songs. She was the founding editor of ''Broadside'' magazine, which she p ...

, 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 Happy Traum (born Harry Peter Traum, May 9, 1938, The Bronx, New York) is an American folk musician who started playing music in the 1950s and became a stalwart of the Greenwich Village music scene of the 1960s and the Woodstock music scene of t ...

. ''Broadside'' had published the song's

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...

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 1–3'',

Todd Harvey Todd Douglas Ross Harvey (born February 17, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward and current director of amateur scouting for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). During his playing career, he played for ...

wrote that "Let Me Die in My Footsteps" has no clear

melodic A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinat ...

precedent and suggests that this may be the first song for which Dylan created an original melody. 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 shelter A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designated to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War. During ...

s, a widespread practice in the U.S. during the Cold War political climate of the 1950s when he was growing up. In 1963, Dylan gave this account of how he came to write "Let Me Die in My Footsteps" to critic

Nat Hentoff Nathan Irving Hentoff (June 10, 1925 – January 7, 2017) was an American historian, novelist, jazz and country music critic, and syndicated columnist for United Media. Hentoff was a columnist for ''The Village Voice'' from 1958 to 2009. Fo ...

, who wrote the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...

for ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'': The liner notes to ''Broadside Ballads, Vol. 1'' included this comment on the song:

Footnotes

References

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External links

Lyrics on BobDylan.com
{{authority control 1962 songs Bob Dylan songs Songs about nuclear war and weapons Songs written by Bob Dylan