這首歌是由The Band（樂隊合唱團）的吉他手Robbie Robertson和鼓手Levon Helm所共同創作，並於1969推出。講述的是美國南北戰爭南軍被打敗的那一晚，回溯歷史，應該是在1865年的5月10日。而「Dixie」是南方十一州聯邦的暱稱。
 

此曲於1971被民謠歌后Joan Baez翻唱，並獲得了排行榜第五名的佳績。而Joan Baez所唱的版本，有幾句歌詞和原唱不同，據她告訴滾石雜誌的編輯Kurt Loder，說她在學唱這首歌時，只有聽The Band的唱片，而從未看過書面的歌詞，她只是就所聽到的來唱（顯然是她錯聽或是錯記的結果），但由此也可見其隨性不羈的性格。
 

有人認為，The Band的Levon Helm唱這首歌的南方腔很夠味（這個我不會聽）。我從一開始接觸的就是Joan Baze的版本，而且我認為她唱的聽起來有些滄桑味，比較符合歌曲所想表達的悲壯氣氛。哈，青菜蘿蔔各有所好。

Virgil Caine is my name
And I drove on the Danville train
'Til so much cavalry came
And tore up the tracks again
In the winter of sixty-five
We were hungry, just barely alive
I took the train to Richmond that fell
It's a time I remember
Oh, so well

The night they drove Old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringin'
The night they drove Old Dixie down
And all the people were singin'
They went
Laaaaaa, la-la-la-laaaaaa
La-la, la-la
La-la-la-laaaaaa

Back with my wife in Tenessee
And one day she said to me
Virgil, quick come see
There goes the Robert E Lee
Now, I don't mind I'm choppin' wood
And I don't care if my money's no good
Just take what you need and leave the rest
But they should never have taken the very best

The night they drove Old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringin'
The night they drove Old Dixie down
And all the people were singin'
They went
Laaaaaa, la-la-la-laaaaaa
La-la, la-la
La-la-la-laaaaaa

Like my father before me
I'm a working man
And like my brother before me
I took a rebel stand
Well, he was just 18, proud and brave
But a yankee laid him in his grave
I swear by the blood below my feet
You can't raise the Caine back up
When it's in defeat

The night they drove Old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringin'
The night they drove Old Dixie down
And all the people were singin'
They went
Laaaaaa, la-la-la-laaaaaa
La-la, la-la
La-la-la-laaaaaa