The Weight (1968) – The Band (The Last Waltz)

The Band’s The Weight, released in 1968, only reached No. 63 on the US charts, yet it has endured as one of their defining songs. It is also considered one of folk-rock’s most iconic tracks, shaping American popular music and earning lasting rock airplay. The song appeared as a single from their debut album Music from Big Pink– their first release under the name “The Band,” following earlier recordings as the Canadian Squires and Levon and the Hawks.

The Weight also found its way into The Last Waltz – the Band’s grand farewell concert that many call the best concert film ever made. Most of the show was staged at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom, which was transformed thanks to designer Boris Leven who borrowed lavish sets from the San Francisco Opera’s production of La Traviata, even chandeliers that once appeared in Gone With the Wind. Months later, United Artists gave Robertson and Scorsese the chance to polish things up, so the group reassembled on a soundstage to film a few extra numbers – including The Weight.

The Band’s soulful version, joined by the Staple Singers, stands out even among the countless shining moments of the concert. Beyond the fantastic performance, it’s the way it was filmed that makes it sublime. The camera slowly drifts away from Robbie’s double-neck guitar, glides between the singers as they trade verses, and then lands on that thrilling triple hand-off – Helm, Danko, and Robertson hitting their parts in perfect sync. Scorsese understood how to film rhythm.

From the beginning, the song mentions Nazareth, however, it is not the Nazareth everyone immediately thinks of in Israel. The Weight was written by Robbie Robertson, who found the tune by strumming idly on his guitar, a 1951 Martin D-28, when he noticed that the interior included a stamp noting that it was manufactured in Nazareth, Pennsylvania (C. F. Martin & Company is situated there). He began shaping the lyrics as he played, sketching a hazy picture of the wandering vagabond life. The result carries an almost ironic, relaxed anxiety – the melody feels pleasant, yet the words don’t quite align with that ease.

The inspiration for and influences affecting the composition of The Weight came from the music of the American South, the life experiences of band members, particularly Levon Helm, and movies of filmmakers Ingmar Bergman and Luis Buñuel.

[Verse 1]
I pulled in to Nazareth
Was feeling ’bout half past dead
I just need someplace
Where I can lay my head
“Hey, mister, can you tell me
Where a man might find a bed?”
He just grinned and shook my hand
“No” was all he said

[Chorus]
Take a load off, Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Fanny
And (And, and)
You put the load right on me (You put the load right on me)

[Verse 2]
I picked up my bag
I went looking for a place to hide
When I saw Carmen and the Devil
Walking side-by-side
I said, “Hey Carmen
Come on, let’s go downtown”
She said, “I gotta go
But my friend can stick around”

[Verse 3]
Go down, Miss Moses
There’s nothin’ you can say
It’s just ol’ Luke, and
Luke’s waitin’ on the Judgement Day
“Well, Luke, my friend
What about young Anna Lee?”
He said, “Do me a favor, son
Won’t ya stay and keep Anna Lee company?”

[Verse 4]
Crazy Chester followed me
And he caught me in the fog
He said, “I will fix your rack
If you’ll take Jack, my dog”
I said, “Wait a minute, Chester
You know I’m a peaceful man”
He said, “That’s okay, boy
Won’t you feed him when you can?” (Yeah)

[Verse 5]
Catch a cannonball, now
To take me down the line
My bag is sinkin’ low
And I do believe it’s time
To get back to Miss Fanny
You know she’s the only one
Who sent me here with her
Regards for everyone

References:
1. Why the Band’s ‘The Last Waltz’ Is the Greatest Concert Movie of All Time – Rolling Stone
2. The Weight – Wikipedia