Lyrics:
Hollis Brown
He lived on the outside of town
Hollis Brown
He lived on the outside of town
With his wife and five children
And his cabin brokin' down.
You looked for work and money
And you walked a rugged mile
You looked for work and money
And you walked a rugged mile
Your children are so hungry
That they don't know how to smile.
Your baby's eyes look crazy
They're a-tuggin' at your sleeve
Your baby's eyes look crazy
They're a-tuggin' at your sleeve
You walk the floor and wonder why
With every breath you breathe.
The rats have got your flour
Bad blood it got your mare
The rats have got your flour
Bad blood it got your mare
If there's anyone that knows
Is there anyone that cares ?
You prayed to the Lord above
Oh please send you a friend
You prayed to the Lord above
Oh please send you a friend
Your empty pocket tell you
That you ain't a-got no friend.
Your babies are crying louder now
It's pounding on your brain
Your babies are crying louder now
It's pounding on your brain
Your wife's screams are stabbin' you
Like the dirty drivin' rain.
Your grass is turning black
There's no water in your well
Your grass is turning black
There's no water in your well
Your spent your last lone dollar
On seven shotgun shels.
Way out in the wilderness
A cold coyote calls
Way out in the wilderness
A cold coyote calls
Your eyes fix on the shortgun
That's hangin' on the wall.
Your brain is a-bleedin'
And your legs can't seem to stand
Your brain is a-bleedin'
And your legs can't seem to stand
Your eyes fix on the shortgun
That you're holdin' in your hand.
There's seven breezes a-blowin'
All around the cabin door
There's seven breezes a-blowin'
All around the cabin door
Seven shots ring out
Like the ocean's pounding roar.
There's seven people dead
On a south Dakota farm
There's seven people dead
On a south Dakota farm
Somewhere in the distance
There's seven new people born.
I first heard this song when Rise Against did a cover of it. After I heard that version, I decided to listen to Dylan's version and I really enjoyed it. I love it's tempo--it sounds almost like Dylan is telling an old west tale with the way the lyrics weave into the strumming of the guitar. Reading the lyrics, you realize that the song tells the story of Hollis Brown, a father whose driven insane by his family's inability to sustain itself. In the end, he decides to kill the family so that they don't have to suffer anymore. My favorite line is the last line which reads "There's seven new people born." because it implies a harsh reality that's also somehow an optimistic outlook: Even though Hollis Brown killed his family, life goes on. It doesn't matter that Hollis Brown and his wife and kids died, because new people are born into the world every day. You can look at that fact as positive or negative truth, and that's why I think this song is brilliant.
