Ballad of Hollis Brown


"Ballad of Hollis Brown" is a folk song written by Bob Dylan, released in 1964 on his third album The Times They Are A-Changin'. The song tells the story of a South Dakota farmer who, overwhelmed by the desperation of poverty, kills his wife, children, and then himself.

Music and structure

The Times They Are A-Changin' version was recorded on August 7, 1963. The song had been recorded during sessions for Dylan's previous album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, in November 1962, but remained an outtake. In this earlier version, Dylan played the harmonica and just strummed the chords rather than picking the strings. According to Michael Gray, the guitar work and melodic structuring in "Hollis Brown" are taken from the Appalachians, "where such forms and modes had evolved, in comparative isolation, over a period of almost two hundred years". More specifically, the chords, tune and verse-structure of "Ballad of Hollis Brown" are based on the ballad "Pretty Polly", a song Dylan performed at the Gaslight Club in New York City prior to recording "Ballad of Hollis Brown".
The album version of the song is performed as a solo piece by Dylan, with his vocals accompanied by an acoustic guitar in the flatpicking style. The guitar is in 'double-dropped D tuning': Both the first and sixth strings, which normally play two Es separated by two octaves, are tuned down a whole step, down to D. Also, Dylan uses a capo on the first fret. Therefore, while his fingers are positioned as if he were playing in the key of D minor, the song is actually in the key of E♭ minor.

Lyrics

Lyrically, this song consists of 11 verses that bring the listener to a bleak and destitute South Dakota farm, where a poor farmer, his wife, and five children living in abject poverty are subjected to even more hardships. In despair, the man kills his wife, children, and himself with a shotgun. Critic David Horowitz commented:

Live performances

Dylan played "Hollis Brown" live from 1962 to 1964, including on a Westinghouse television special in 1963 and at Brandeis University in May 1963. He also performed it in 1965, during the "comeback" Bob Dylan and the Band 1974 Tour, and at Live Aid in 1985. The song was regularly featured during the Never Ending Tour through 2012. Dylan has played it more than 200 times in total.

Recordings by other artists

Some of the prominent musicians and groups that have covered "Ballad of Hollis Brown" include: