The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down Ukulele chords by The Band

Tuning: G C E A (G C E A)

Key: C

Difficulty: Intermediate


Written by: Robbie Robertson
From: “The Band” (1969)

Tuning: soprano C


Link 1 (to Verse 1]
  C               Am :
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
A|3---------------|0
E|0-------0-1---0-|0
C|0-----2---------|0
g|0-----------0---|2

Link 2 (end of Chorus 1 to Verse 2)
  F      C                            Am :
     1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
A --|----3-----------|----------------|0
E –-|--3-0-----------|----------0-1-3-|0
C 0-/4---0-----------|--------2-------|0
g --|----0-----------|----------------|2

Link 3: (end of Chorus 2 to Verse 3)
 F       C     C      F            C                           Am :
     1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
A --|----3-----3-----|0-------|----3-----------|----------------|0
E --|--3-0-----0-----|1-------|--3-0-----------|--------0-1-3---|0
C 0-/4---0-----0-----|0-----0-/4---0-----------|------2---------|0
g --|----0-----0-----|2-------|----0-----------|----------------|2

Link 4: (end of Chorus 3 to Chorus 4)
  F      C            G       Bb       F     Ddim7      C       D       C :
     1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
G --|----3-----------|2---2---1---1---|0---0---2---2---|3---3---0---2---|3
A --|--3-0-----------|3---3---1---1---|1---1---1---1---|0---0---2---2---|0
A 0-/4---0-----------|2---2---2---2---|0---0---2---2---|0---0---2---2---|0
B --|----0-----------|0---0---3---3---|2---2---1---1---|0---0---2---2---|0

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Intro:
|   C   |
 (Link 1)


Verse 1:
Am       C                        F             C        Dm
  Virgil Caine is the name, and I served on the Danville train
Am               C                F           C       Dm
 'Til Stoneman's cavalry came and tore up the tracks again
Am                 F           C            Dm
 In the winter of '65, We were hungry, just barely alive
Am                 F                         C        Dm            D
 By May the tenth, Richmond had fell, it's a time I remember, oh so well


Chorus 1:
    C          F               C             F
The night they drove Old Dixie down, and the bells were ringing
    C          F               C             F
The night they drove Old Dixie down, and the people were singin'
          C               Am            Gsus4           F               |    C   |  %  |
They went:  Laah, la, la, laah, la, la  La, la, la, la, laah, la, la, la    [Link 2)


Verse 2:
Am                     C               F           C         Dm
  Back with my wife in Tennessee, when one day she called to me
Am         C                F          C         Dm
  "Virgil, quick, come see, there goes Robert E. Lee!"
Am                 F                    C                 Dm
  Now I don't mind choppin' wood, and I don't care if the money's no good
   Am                       F
Ya take what ya need and ya leave the rest
                C                 Dm             D
But they should never should have taken the very best


Chorus 2:
    C            F             C             F
The night they drove Old Dixie down, and the bells were ringing
    C          F               C             F
The night they drove Old Dixie down, and the people were singin'
           C              Am
They went:  Laah, la, la, laah, la, la
                                               2/4
Gsus4               F                |   C  C | F |  C  |  N.C.  |
La, la, la, la, la, laah, la, la, la       (Link 3)


Verse 3:
Am                 C        F      C        Dm
  Like my father before me, I will work the land
Am                 C        F          C     Dm
  Like my brother above me, who took a rebel stand
       Am             F                       C               Dm
He was just eighteen, proud and brave,  But a Yankee laid him in his grave
Am                   F
  I swear by the mud below my feet
          C                  Dm                D
You can't raise a Caine back up when he's in defeat


Chorus 3:
    C            F             C             F
The night they drove Old Dixie down, and the bells were ringing
    C          F               C             F
The night they drove Old Dixie down, and the people were singin'
           C              Am
They went:  Laah, la, la, laah, la, la
Gsus4           F                 |  C    | G Bb | F Ddim7 | C   D |
La, la, la, la, laah, la, la, La        (Link 4)


Chorus 4: (fade out)
    C          F               C             F
The night they drove Old Dixie down, and the bells were ringing
    C          F               C             F
The night they drove Old Dixie down, and the people were singin'
          C               Am            Gsus4           F               |    C   |  %  |
They went:  Laah, la, la, laah, la, la  La, la, la, la, laah, la, la, la    [Link 2)