Santa Fé (1967) – Bob Dylan

Santa Fé is a playful, improvisational and rollicking song recorded by Bob Dylan and the Band in 1967 in the summer or fall of 1967 in West Saugerties, New York (at a home of some of the Band members, known as Big Pink – see image inset). Decades later it was released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 which is how I first heard it. Interestingly, this intriguing, lesser known piece was copyrighted in 1973 with lyrics that differ noticeably from those on the recording itself.

Santa Fé was recorded during the sessions that would in 1975 be released on The Basement Tapes but was not included on that album. I do wish it had been fleshed out and given the proper studio treatment because its potential is really something. These music sessions by Bob Dylan and the Band in 1967 took place in three phases throughout the year, at a trio of houses, and Santa Fé was likely put on tape in the second of these. The song is whimsical and somewhat enigmatic, with Dylan’s lyrics painting a surreal and almost nonsensical picture. Lines like “Dear, dear, dear, dear, Santa Fe, / My woman needs it every day” suggest a mix of spontaneity and humor. It’s as if Dylan is less concerned with crafting a polished narrative and more interested in the joy of creation and collaboration.

In the decades following this collaboration, the over 100 tracks recorded at these sessions were at different stages obtained by collectors and released on bootlegs. The first batch of these leaked to the public beginning in the late 1960s; the second in 1986; the third, which included Santa Fé , in the early 1990s; and a fourth batch of Basement Tape tracks became public in 2014. Dylan biographer Sid Griffin has noted that, because no written records were kept of these 1967 recording sessions, “the world will have to live with the fact that it will never know exactly which Basement Tapes tune was recorded when and where“.

[Verse 1]
Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe
My woman needs it everyday
She promised this a-lad she’d stay
She’s rolling up a lotta bread to toss away

[Verse 2]
She’s in Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe
Now she’s opened up an old maid’s home
She’s proud, but she needs to roam
She’s gonna write herself a roadside poem about Santa Fe

[Verse 3]
Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe
Since I’m never gonna cease to roam
I’m never, ever far from home
But I’ll build a geodesic dome and sail away

[Verse 4]
Don’t feel bad, no, no, no, no, don’t feel bad
It’s the best food I’ve ever had
Makes me feel so glad
That she’s cooking in a homemade pad
She never caught a cold so bad when I’m away

[Verse 4]
Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe
My shrimp boat’s in the bay
I won’t have my nature this way
And I’m leaning on the wheel each day to drift away from

[Verse 5]
Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe
My sister looks good at home
She’s licking on an ice cream cone
She’s packin’ her big white comb
What does it weigh?

References:
1. Santa-Fe (Bob Dylan song) – Wikipedia