"You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"

A Video Extra:

Whenever our old friend Paul Martin is back in the room — or, better still, on the bandstand with us, as he was for our big “Flood at 50” birthday bash on New Year’s Eve — we always get him to take us on a ride on his favorite Bob Dylan tune.

Here from that wonderful New Year’s night at Alchemy Theatre is Paul leading the way on “You Ain’t Going Nowhere,” which we have considered our Floodster emeritus’s signature song ever since he joined the Family Flood in 2015.

About the Song

Bob Dylan wrote “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” in 1967 in Woodstock, NY, during his self-imposed exile from public appearances following his July 29, 1966, motorcycle accident.

He recorded it with The Band in the famous “Basement Tapes” sessions.

Between June and October 1967, Dylan's writing and recording sessions with The Band in the basement of their Woodstock house, which they called Big Pink,” were the source of many new songs, including "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere” well as another of our favorites, “Down in the Flood.”

The Byrds

But actually the first time many of us heard “You Ain’y Goin’ Nowhere” was not from Bob but rather from a single released by The Byrds on April 2, 1968, which would be the lead track on the band’s famous country-rock album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo.

Although not as famous as the group’s 1965 cover version of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” The Byrds' recording of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is considered by many to be the band's best Dylan cover ever. In fact, the song became a staple of The Byrds' live concert repertoire all the way up until their last appearances in 1973.

Joan Baez included a gender-switched version of the song (Tomorrow's the day my man's gonna come) on her 1968 Any Day Now album. The tune also has been covered by Earl Scruggs, Maria Muldaur, Old Crow Medicine Show, Phish, Counting Crows and many other.

And these days the song is one of about two dozen Dylan compositions that make up the wonderful Girl from the North Country musical that currently is touring the country.

More Floodishness

“You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” also is featured on The Flood’s Live, In Concert album, which you can spin for free on our Radio Floodango music streaming service.

Click here to check it out.

More Song Stories?

By the way, some readers tells us their favorite part of Flood Watch is these regular pieces on the history of the songs the band plays.

If you’d like to read earlier musical backgrounders, check out the “Song Stories” archives by clicking here.