according to levon helm's autobiography (the drummer for the band) robbie robertson had a bit of help writing a lot of these great songs even though he got all the credit. whoever is responsible for the weight and the other great songs that the band did, they have a great understanding of american history especially the south. levon helm was the only band member from the south (arkansas) everybody else was from canada. also, i couldn't disagree more about the song being written earlier in the century. listen to additional material by the band (i recommend "music from big pink" and "the band") and you will see how "the weight" sits nicely alongside their other songs. great songs, however, sound like they have been around for ages