Origins: Baby Let Me Follow You Down

Subject: Baby Let Me Follow You Down
From: Peter Stanley (Bojangles)
Date: 07 Aug 98 - 12:44 AM

Any information on a song (or a book) by this title?

Subject: RE: Baby Let Me Follow You Down
From: Zorro
Date: 07 Aug 98 - 02:39 AM

Bob Dylan did it. I'm not sure of the title.. the chorus is: Baby let me follow you down, Baby let me follow you down, I'll do any thing in this gosh almighty world, if you just let me follow you down... If memory serves me, I believe he took an old blues melody and added new words to it... He's done that before... Good blues song...

Subject: RE: Baby Let Me Follow You Down
From: Brian Hoskin
Date: 07 Aug 98 - 08:56 AM

Dylan took his 'Baby Let Me Follow You Down' from Mance Lipscomb's 'Baby Let Me Lay It on You' (and he does credit Mance Lipscomb for this). Mance Lipscomb learned his version in 1926.

Brian.

Subject: RE: Baby Let Me Follow You Down
From: Rockaday Johnny
Date: 07 Aug 98 - 10:22 AM

Baby let me follow you down, on Dylan's ist lp was learned from Eric Von Schmidt. This song was quite popular in the NY Scene --Dave Van Ronk recorded it as Baby Let me Lay it on You On "Just Dave Van Ronk" -Von Schmidt has recorded it on a cd called - "Baby let me..." put out about 2 years ago. Mance Lipscomb probably learned Dylan's version (as weird as it seems) all the recorded versions (Snooks Eaglin called it Baby don't youtear my Clothes) seem to go back to the thirties recording by Blind Boy Fuller --Although Gary Davis, who recorded it numerous times in the 60's said he taught it to Fuller, But I'd take that as a grain of salt. The Question on the Book however is easier to answer -It' "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" by Eric Von Schmidt & Jim Rooney -subtitled-"the Illustrated story of the Cambridge Folk Scene" 1979 - Doubleday. A WONDERFUL history ofall the folkies that floated thru that scene or influenced it --it's wonderful. and I've heard that it has been reprinted HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - try Amazon.com

Subject: RE: Baby Let Me Follow You Down
From: Mountain Dog
Date: 07 Aug 98 - 10:50 AM

Dear Peter,

You'll find Dylan's version, chords and all, at this site:

http://www.uvm.edu/~ksherloc/dylan/bob_dylan/baby_let_me.html

Enjoy!

Subject: RE: Baby Let Me Follow You Down
From: Jaxon
Date: 07 Aug 98 - 11:35 AM

If you'e looking for the book you might try WUMB, Folk Radio in Boston, a PBS station. They had a reissue done last year to give as premiums in a fund drive - autographed by Eric. They might have some copies left over in exchange for a donation. Their number is 617-287-6900.
The book is awesome. So many pics and comments from the people who made it happen in Cambridge and Boston.
Jack Murray

Subject: RE: Baby Let Me Follow You Down
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Aug 98 - 02:20 PM

The book is available at Amazon for $18.36 plus shipping. Click here to get there....
-Joe Offer-

Hmmmm. Looks to me like this link will also give Mudcat credit for any purchases....

Subject: RE: Baby Let Me Follow You Down
From: Brian Hoskin
Date: 08 Aug 98 - 07:09 AM

Dylan may well have learned his version of the song from Von Schmidt, although Lipscomb claims that he took it from his playing following meetings they had whilst playing on the same bill at Berkeley.

Lipscomb's and Dylan's version are different and I have no doubt that Lipscomb learned the basis of his version back in the 1920s, however, following the success of Dylan, he started to include one of Dylan's verses in his version.

Brian

Subject: RE: Baby Let Me Follow You Down
From:
Date: 09 Aug 98 - 06:09 AM

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Subject: RE: Origins: Baby Let Me Follow You Down
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Jun 21 - 02:18 AM

Does someone remember Gypsy...aka Don Snyder..he did the
song so well....leatned fromVan Ronk .

Subject: RE: Origins: Baby Let Me Follow You Down
From: rich-joy
Date: 22 Jun 21 - 02:55 AM

I was only ever familiar with the Eric Burden/Animals British variant, c.1963 - and assumed it came from some American bluesman :

" "Baby Let Me Take You Home", a song credited to Bert Russell (a.k.a. Bert Berns) and Wes Farrell ..... The song is an arrangement of Eric Von Schmidt's rendering of "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" as covered by Bob Dylan, on his first, self-titled, album. The Animals' version opens with ..... The result was a key influence on Dylan's change to electric music and to the folk-rock genre....."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Let_Me_Take_You_Home


" ..... Von Schmidt [1931-2007] co-authored with Jim Rooney "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down: The Illustrated Story of the Cambridge Folk Years"..... Von Schmidt is widely (and erroneously) credited as the author of the song, "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down", which was for years a staple of Dylan's musical catalogue..... In fact, von Schmidt had adapted the song from Blind Boy Fuller and credited Reverend Gary Davis as author of "three-quarters" of the song.[5] His 1979 book about the Cambridge scene is titled after the song..... "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Von_Schmidt



Cheers, R-J