Precious Memories is the first song to appear here from Bob Dylan’s twenty – fourth studio album Knocked Out Loaded. Although I would consider this a lower-tier Dylan record, it still includes a few gems on it like today’s featured song Precious Memories. I have listened to this album since its release (1986), yet I never realised until researching this song that Precious Memories is a ‘cover’ of an old ‘hymn’; a traditional gospel song. It was credited to J. B. F. Wright in 1925 who was born in Tennessee on February 21, 1877. The hymn was first recorded by The Turkey Mountain Singers in 1928. Precious Memories has been covered by a plethora of outstanding artists including Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris and Waylon Jennings.
[Verse 1]
As I travel down life’s pathway
Know not what the years may hold
As I ponder, hopes grow fonder
Precious memories flood my soul
[Chorus]
Precious memories, how they linger
How they ever flood my soul
In the stillness of the midnight
Precious sacred scenes unfold
[Verse 2]
Precious father, loving mother
Glide across the lonely years
And old homes scenes of my childhood
In fond memory appears
[Chorus]
Precious memories, how they linger
How they ever flood my soul
In the stillness of the midnight
Precious sacred scenes unfold
I am perplexed how scantly known and underrated this song is from Bob Dylan. That might be because the album in which it appears (Knocked Out Loaded) was so poorly received. Precious Memories has just 18,000 views below since it was officially released on You Tube 5 years ago. I love hearing this song and have never grown tired of it.
On a more positive note regarding the record; the 11-minute epic Brownsville Girl (originally titled – New Danville Girl), co-written by Sam Shepard, has been cited as one of his best songs by many critics / fans. I’m not in accordance with that legion. I have, over the years, tried and tried to see what I may have been ‘missing’ in that song, but I remain at a loss to comprehend the ‘fuss’.
Knocked Out Loaded includes three cover songs, three collaborations with other songwriters and two solo compositions by Dylan. The cover art is a reworking of the January 1939 cover of Spicy Adventure Stories.
References:
1. Knocked Out Loaded – Wikipedia
2. Precious Memories (Hymn) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
I don’t recall hearing “Precious Memories” before. I think it does have churchy/gospely melody. I like the singing here in particular. I also think the slow reggae-like groove works well.
Yes, I really like the reggae percussion intermixed with the gospel like lyrics. I consider it a great song which even few Dylan fans are familiar with.
This one I knew! I’m spotty from the 70s on…but yes I like this one a lot. It has a slight gospel feel to it…. I also love that album cover.
I’m glad you were familiar with it Max. I think a lot of Dylan fans are not even aware of its existence. Yeh, the cover is great.
Great song and album, love that Brownsville Girl though Matt lol…
That means I have to hear it again when I get home.
Love the line about a movie starring Gregory Peck….and the movie is an awesome Western I’ve watched many times….
That’s the line I gell’d to most as well. I don’t think I’ve seen that movie, but I love Peck’s stuff.
Yeah he was cool.