Tune Origin: Blowing in the Wind (Bob Dylan)

Subject: Folk borrowing?
From: Jerry Friedman
Date: 06 Dec 97 - 04:38 PM

BK's comment about Robert Zimmerman's use of folk melodies also reminded me: I think I once read that the lovely tune of "Blowing in the Wind" is a folk tune. Does anyone know anything more about this, such as the name of the tune, or whether I'm just having delusions?

Subject: MUS ADD: Blowin In The Wind
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 17 Nov 98 - 01:36 AM

MIDI file: blown_nu.mid

Timebase: 120

TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Key: C
Tempo: 150 (400000 microsec/crotchet)
Name: VOICE
Start
0000 1 70 103 0160 0 70 000 0080 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 72 103 0160 0 72 000 0080 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 68 103 0080 0 68 000 0040 1 70 103 0160 0 70 000 0080 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 65 103 0080 0 65 000 0040 1 63 103 0240 0 63 000 0120 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 70 103 0160 0 70 000 0080 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 72 103 0160 0 72 000 0080 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 68 103 0080 0 68 000 0040 1 70 103 0321 0 70 000 0159 1 70 103 0160 0 70 000 0080 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 72 103 0160 0 72 000 0080 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 68 103 0080 0 68 000 0040 1 70 103 0160 0 70 000 0080 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 65 103 0080 0 65 000 0040 1 63 103 0240 0 63 000 0120 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 70 103 0160 0 70 000 0080 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 68 103 0160 0 68 000 0080 1 68 103 0080 0 68 000 0040 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 65 103 0321 0 65 000 0399 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 68 103 0080 0 68 000 0040 1 70 103 0160 0 70 000 0080 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 72 103 0160 0 72 000 0080 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 68 103 0080 0 68 000 0040 1 70 103 0040 0 70 000 0200 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 65 103 0080 0 65 000 0040 1 63 103 0240 0 63 000 0120 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 70 103 0160 0 70 000 0080 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 72 103 0160 0 72 000 0080 1 70 103 0080 0 70 000 0040 1 68 103 0080 0 68 000 0040 1 70 103 0321 0 70 000 0519 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 68 103 0160 0 68 000 0080 1 68 103 0080 0 68 000 0040 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 65 103 0240 0 65 000 0120 1 65 103 0080 0 65 000 0040 1 67 103 0120 1 67 103 0040 0 67 000 0040 0 67 000 0040 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 65 103 0080 0 65 000 0040 1 63 103 0240 0 63 000 0120 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 68 103 0160 0 68 000 0080 1 68 103 0080 0 68 000 0040 1 67 103 0080 0 67 000 0040 1 65 103 0120 1 65 103 0040 0 65 000 0080 0 65 000 0000 1 63 103 0080 0 63 000 0040 1 62 103 0080 0 62 000 0040 1 63 103 0321 0 63 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:VOICE
M:4/4
Q:1/4=150
K:C
^A4^A2^A2|c4^A2^G2|^A4G2F2|^D6G2|^A4^A2^A2|
c4^A2^G2|^A8|^A4^A2^A2|c4^A2^G2|^A4G2F2|^D6G2|
^A4^A2G2|^G4^G2G2|F8|-F4G2^G2|^A4^A2^A2|c4^A2^G2|
^A4G2F2|^D6G2|^A4^A2^A2|c4^A2^G2|^A8|-^A6G2|
^G4^G2G2|F6F2|G2G2G2F2|^D6G2|^G4^G2G2|F2F2^D2D2|
^D21/4||

Subject: RE: Tune of "Blowing in the Wind"
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Oct 03 - 04:49 AM

No, it was written by Dylan. For a while a rumor went around that a student, Lorre Wyatt, had written it but it wasn't true. Click here for more on the Wyatt story.

Subject: RE: Tune of "Blowing in the Wind"
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 21 Oct 03 - 05:45 AM

The tune has some resemblance to No more auction block for me" (which doesn't seem to be in the DT - at least "auction" didn't bring it up.)

Subject: RE: Tune of "Blowing in the Wind"
From: GUEST,JOHN OF ELSIE`S BAND
Date: 21 Oct 03 - 06:57 AM

A superb rendition of this song can be heard on an LP of Peter, Paul and Mary in concert.

Subject: RE: Tune of "Blowing in the Wind"
From: Louie Roy
Date: 21 Oct 03 - 11:15 AM

Here is another version as to the author.My Dad sang this song in the 1930s and maybe the words he used weren't the same as they are today but they were very close as I remember.He said he brought this song to Idaho from West Virginia in 1915 and he also said it was written bya Negro(meaning no disrespect to anyone and if I offended anuone by using the word Negro I apoligize)but these are his words in 1930 and he also said it was written in 1863 during the Civil War and if you listen to the words I'm sure it is true.How many years will the cannon balls fly before they're forever banned----How many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry---How many years can people exist before they're allowed to be free and many other lines throughout the entire song,Anyway I know the original song was written many years before 1960 Louie Roy

Subject: RE: Tune of "Blowing in the Wind"
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 21 Oct 03 - 12:44 PM

Versions of "No More Auction Block" under its 2-3 titles (first in print was "Many Thousands Gone") and references to sites (Allen, esp. where the music was first displayed) are given in thread 38161: No More

More than one tune variant has been used. Just checked the one in "Songs of Zion" (compiled by Cleveland and Nix) and it is not the tune used in "Blowing in the Wind."

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Blowing in the Wind'
From: Big Tim
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 04:48 PM

From the sleeve notes to Bob Dylan's "Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3" - "...it was Pete seeger who first identified Dylan's adaptation of the melody of this song ["No More Auction Block"] for the composition of "Blowin in the Wind".Indeed, Dylan himself was to admit the debt in 1978, when he told journalist Marc Rowland: 'Blowin in the Wind' has always been a spiritual. I took it off a song called "No More Auction Block" - that's a spiritual and 'Blowin in the Wind sorta follows the same feeling..."