Artist: Bob Dylan
Author: Bob Dylan
Label: Columbia
Year: 1962
Oldest recordings released on Live At The Gaslight and on Bootleg Series Vol 9: The Witmark Demos. Lyric structure based upon Lord Randal (Child ballad #12): "Oh where ha' you been, Lord Randal my son? And where ha' you been, my handsome young man?" The surreal imagery in the answers of Dylan's "blue-eyed son" were inspired by Allen Ginsberg's poetry like in Howl. Jimmy Driftwood's 1959 version of Lord Randal goes with a melody that's not that far from Dylan's in A Hard Rain. Dylan learned Lord Randal from Martin Carthy who knew it from Ewan MacColl's '56 recording (as Lord Randall).
Covers:
Pete Seeger [Broadside recording]
Nana Mouskouri [as Le Ciel est noir]
Drukwerk [as Ik Verveel Me Zo (In Amsterdam Noord)]
Ann Wilson [with Rufus Wainwright and Shawn Colvin]
Raymond Crooke [as Lord Randal to the melody of A Hard Rain's]
Ernst Jansz [as Zware Regen]
Laura Marling [in series Peaky Blinders]
If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
please let me know:
Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)