vanity - Levon Helm dying of throat cancer

4.18.12

[InvisibleChurch]

I read a thread yesterday about Levon Helm nearing the end of his life here on Earth. I don't know why it makes me so sad. I don't know anything about him except that he played in The Band but still it makes me sad to the point of tears. I found a song of his earlier this year and it touches me very much.

When I Go Away

[InvisibleChurch]

When I Go Away

Early in the morning When the church bells toll The choir's gonna sing And the hearse will roll On down to the graveyard Where it's cold and gray And then the sun's gonna shine Through the shadows When I go away

Don't want no sorrow For this old orphan boy I don't want no crying Only tears of joy I'm gonna see my mother Gonna see my father And I'll be bound for glory In the morning When I go away

I'll be lifted up to the clouds On the wings of angels There's only flesh and bones In the ground Where my troubles will stay

See that storm over yonder It's gonna rain all day But then the sun's gonna shine Through the shadows When I go away

(I'm going home - Lift me up) When I go away (No more trouble - I'm going home) (Lift me up - When I go away) No more crying (I'm going home - Lift me up - When I go away) No more trials (I'm going home) Home to leave my worries in the ground (I'm going home - Lift me up - When I go away) No more troubles (I'm going home - Lift me up - When I go away) No more crying (I'm going home - Lift me up - When I go away) No more trials (I'm going home) Home to leave my worries in the graveyard Home to leave my troubles in the graveyard Home to leave my trials And I'll be bound for glory In the morning When I go away

All my kin who love me All my friends who care Look beyond the dark clouds We're gonna meet up there

When they lay me in the cold ground Bow your heads and pray (Bow your heads and pray)

And I'll be bound for glory In the morning When I go away

And then the sun's gonna shine Through the shadows When I go away

(I'm going home - Lift me up) When I go away (No more trouble - I'm going home) (Lift me up - When I go away) No more crying (I'm going home - Lift me up - When I go away) No more trials (I'm going home) Home to leave my worries in the graveyard (I'm going home - Lift me up - When I go away) No more troubles (I'm going home - Lift me up - When I go away) No more crying (I'm going home - Lift me up - When I go away) No more trials (I'm going home) Home to leave my worries in the graveyard Home to leave my troubles in the graveyard Home to leave my trials And I'll be bound for glory In the morning When I go away

And then the sun's gonna shine Through the shadows When I go away Ah, when I go away When I go away (When I go away) When I go away (When I go away) When I go away

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

I always thought he looked just like US Grant when Levon had a beard and bizarrely enough throat cancer is what took Grant.

[McGavin999]

It's always so sad when you hear of someone approaching the end of their life. I'm not sure why, because it's usually the end of a job well done and on to another world where justice is everywhere, where envy doesn't exist, where love surrounds everyone. We should be full of joy for them.

If it wasn't for the pain of passing, if not for the emptiness of those left behind, we would be celebrating.

[beebuster2000]

saw TheBand live in a small club in Philly late 60’s, probably ‘69.

awesome concert, they were the best. Big Pink RIP

[Rummyfan]

Levon Helm singing The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down with The Band is one of my favorites. So sad to hear this news.

FYI, Helm was the only American in The Band - the rest are / were Canadian.

[paterfamilias]

Sad news.

We saw Levon Helm and his band last year at the Tarrytown (N.Y.) Music Hall, which is close to his home a little farther upstate. A great performance.

[Fresh Wind]

Very sad.

One of my favorites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuZYC4aiMn4

[Liberty Valance]

I’ve always had great respect for Levon Helm. It is sad that he is going to be leaving us but he’d be the first to tell you he’s had a great life. Not only a wonderful life in music but a cool actor as well. Coal Miner’s Daughter - The Right Stuff - Shooter - In The Electric Mist etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcgxuGiI7wU
Levon Helm - Ramble At The Ryman - “Ophelia”

[Liberty Valance]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbfWXmPrWUg
LEVON HELM - Tennessee Jed - (Electric Dirt) - (2009)

[Chunga85]

I hope he pulls through. The Last Waltz is an all-time classic.

[Liberty Valance]

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

For those unfamiliar with The Band, they were much beloved as an opening act and background band by some of the biggest names in rock ‘n’ roll in the 1960s and 1970s.

When The Band was going to break up, they did a final concert in 1976, and director Martin Scorsese asked to do a documentary about them, featuring their final concert, entitled The Last Waltz. It is regarded as one of the best rock documentaries ever made, and when it hit the theaters in 1978, finally The Band became very popular, though they hadn’t been together for two years.

From that movie, here is The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Written by Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm, the vocals are performed by Levon Helm.

“Robbie and I worked on ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’ up in Woodstock. I remember taking him to the library so he could research the history and geography of the era and make General Robert E. Lee come out with all due respect.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VShpcqd3zE

Ralph J. Gleason (in the review in Rolling Stone of October 1969) explains why this song has such an impact on listeners:

“Nothing I have read... has brought home the overwhelming human sense of history that this song does. The only thing I can relate it to at all is The Red Badge of Courage. It’s a remarkable song, the rhythmic structure, the voice of Levon and the bass line with the drum accents and then the heavy close harmony of Levon, Richard and Rick in the theme, make it seem impossible that this isn’t some traditional material handed down from father to son straight from that winter of 1865 to today. It has that ring of truth and the whole aura of authenticity.”

A lot of southerners *assumed* that it was a Civil War-era lament, and Helm’s passionate and heartfelt performance brought many to tears.

(Ironically as all heck, it was later ‘covered’ by Joan Baez, who ignorantly mangled the lyrics horribly.)

[Liberty Valance]

bttt

[Vaquero]

Hey, Ridley, ya got any Beeman’s? (Levon Helm played Jack Ridley in ‘The Right Stuff')

so much entertainment from this man, and from THE BAND(and dont forget the HAWKS).

I was a ‘The Band’ fan from ‘...Big Pink’.

Saw them in ‘68 from the 5th row of my community colleges gymnasium.

Saw them in ‘69 at a guys farm (guy named Max Yasgur)the seats were a bit muddy.

Own most of their albums on vinyl, CD and now transferred to my IPod and I Phone....they are on all my best playlists...

Richard Manuel committed suicide, Rick Danko a drug overdose...

had Robbie Robertson not been so full of himself and thought himself better than The Band those two might be alive today....

now Levon?

How sad.

[Lurker]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2873418/posts

A link to that song performed live is on last nights thread.

[babyfreep]

Thanks for sharing this. Hadn’t heard it before...wasn’t listening. Glad I did now.

[NRA1995]

Loved him as Loretta Lynn’s father in “Coal Miner’s Daughter”

[murron]

I was so surprised to find out that he played Loretta Lynn’s Dad in Coal Miner’s Daughter. He looked like anything BUT a rock musician in that movie.

[yantis]

Thanks for posting this, as I was unaware of his condition :\

2012 is going to be a rough year for music.

First, Earl Scruggs and now Levon looks to be next? Sad year for music lovers, indeed.

[GSWarrior]

Robin Gibb is also near death.