Rock me Mama by Parkington Sisters

Ok a friend wanted me really know the Old Medicine Show and Rock Me Mama, so she got me the CD for my birthday. Of course I wonder how does one rock some one like a wagon wheel? I thought they wrote it.. HA... per Hickory Wind, Dylan did, no wonder it's great and it doesn't make sense. HA... Dave



Following is from: http://www.hickorywind.org/000327.php
Written by Bob Dylan with additional lyrics by Ketch Secor
Performed by the Old Crow Medicine Show

Headed down south to the land of the pines
And I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline
Starin' up the road
And pray to God I see headlights

I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I'm a hopin' for Raleigh
I can see my baby tonight

So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me

Runnin' from the cold up in New England
I was born to be a fiddler in an old-time stringband
My baby plays the guitar
I pick a banjo now

Oh, the North country winters keep a gettin' me now
Lost my money playin' poker so I had to up and leave
But I ain't a turnin' back
To livin' that old life no more

So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me

Walkin' to the south out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of Philly
Had a nice long toke
But he's a headed west from the Cumberland Gap
To Johnson City, Tennessee

And I gotta get a move on before the sun
I hear my baby callin' my name
And I know that she's the only one
And if I die in Raleigh
At least I will die free

So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
Hey mama rock me

source of the lyrics

This song is without a doubt my favorite Old Crow Medicine Show song. The pedigree of this song is a bit interesting, however. It seems it's an unreleased song that may or may not be from Bob Dylan, but most likely is. Then the fiddler/singer from OCMS added his own lyrics. From the only lyric sheet I found of the original Bob version, it sounds like he added the majority of the verses, if not all.

More to the story from : http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858619338/

This song was actually originally called "Rock Me Mama" and was recorded in Mexico in 1972 for the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid movie. However, it was never released and was never actually finished either. The only part existing at that point was the chorus.

The verses were added in by a guy named Ketch Secor, the lead singer of a bluegrass band called Old Crow Medicine Show, who released this finished version of the song a few years ago. It's by far their most popular song and is incredible to hear played live. Recently, Ketch went on a radio station and explained the origins of the song:

"It'd be my pleasure to dispel the myth and rumor about the song Wagon Wheel, or "Rock Me Mama" as Bob Dylan himself called the song when he recorded it down in Mexico in 1972 for the soundtrack of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. This song was not released, and it was not finished either, this is a demo of a practice session of him, Rob Stoner, and a couple of gals doing the chorus over and over again while the bass player learns the bass line. That's what I heard on a German bootleg about nine years ago in high school. And I wrote the lyrics to the song because I loved the chorus so much and I sung it in my head for maybe a year straight, and then just penned what I penned, which is something of an autobiographical story about just wanting to get outta town, gettin outta school, and just wanting to go play music. It's sort of autobiographical like that. But yeah, it's sort of a Bob Dylan co-write with about 25 years inbetween."


Anybody have a copy of that bootleg, or any other original version of this song?

And now you and I know the rest of the story... let's watch those pretty Parkington Sisters again! Yeah!