The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down Intro [ {sustain for 2 beats}, , , , ] Verse 1 Virgil Caine is the name and I served on the Danville train 'Til Stoneman's Cavalry came and tore up the tracks a-gain In the Winter of '65, we were hungry, just barely alive By May the tenth Richmond had fell, it's a time I re-member, oh, so well Chorus The night they drove Old Dixie down and the bells were ringing The night they drove Old Dixie down and all the people were singing They went, "La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la" Lead-in to verse 2 [, , , {sustain for six beats}, , , , ] Verse 2 Back with my wife in Tennessee when one day she called to me "Virgil quick come see, there goes the Robert E. Lee" Now, I don't mind choppin' wood and I don't care if the money's no good Ya' take what ya' need and ya' leave the rest But they should never have taken the very best Repeat chorus Lead-in to verse 3 [, , , ] , , [, , , {sustain for 6 beats} , , , ] Verse 3; repeat verse 2 chord progression Like my father before me, I will work the land Like my brother above me, who took a rebel stand He was just eighteen, proud and brave, but a Yankee laid him in his grave I swear by the mud below my feet You can't raise a Caine back up when he's in defeat (Repeat chorus) Lead-in to repeat chorus [, , , ] , , , (b5), /G, (Repeat chorus)