Ain’t This a Top Ten: You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (#10)

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It’s time for my ten favorite songs that have “ain’t” in the title. Ain’t you glad this is almost over? You’re gonna hate next month, too, if you’re a grammar Nazi: it’ll be gonna songs. Thanks to @JudyEv for that suggestion! Meanwhile, let’s start the top ten. #10: You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere - The Byrds Oooh, eeeh! Right in the eye! (The line is actually “Woo-whee, ride me high.”) Well, Mr. Dylan is back as a songwriter. And this song makes no freaking sense whatsoever. Either version! Yes, there are two distinct versions of this. One, which Dylan recorded with The Band, talks about going “to see a movie called Gunga Din” and getting “a fish that walks and a dog that talks.” That version was released by Dylan in 1971. This version was, apparently, lyric version #2. (Picky Wedia quotes a Dylan source as saying that Dylan “never quite settled on a single set of lyrics.”) This one makes a little more sense, even if the verses are completely disjointed (the reference to Genghis Khan has nothing to do with them notion to “pack up your money, pick up your tent” earlier in the song). The Byrds frequently covered Dylan before Crosby and Clarke left the band, so the tradition continued. This time, though, they went more the Nashville Skyline country-ish sound, which was the prevailing feel to what’s become one of the classic albums of the 60s. Oh, and, Linda? Probably not. I mean, it’s the Byrds — a rock band — and Dylan — a rock songwriter — but it might be too country for you. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere Written by Bob Dylan Recorded by The Byrds From Sweetheart of the Rodeo, 1968 Get your mind off wintertime: