Boats: Golden Vanity / Female Ramblin´ Sailor

Bob Dylan: Golden Vanity

[alas, no purchase possible]

The fun of collecting Bob Dylan live recordings is plentyful. Versions of his old warhorses sometimes manage to surprise you all over again, because Bob suddenly finds new meaning in familiar lyrics and gets all inspired, has rewritten a certain verse, found a fitting new arrangement or phrases a line just so. Rarely performed songs - often covers - are fun to collect too. Take Golden Vanity. Dylan played the song just seven times in his long career. This delicately sung version was recorded in Waikiki on April 24, ´92. Golden Vanity is a take on Child ballad #286, which originates sometime in the early 17th century. These songs sure have a lifespan... The story in short: a cabin boy saves his galleon after being promised the hand of the captain´s daughter, but the captain leaves him to drown when his heroic deed is accomplished. You just can´t win, can you?

Bob Dylan - Female Ramblin´ Sailor

[no purchase possible either]

And here´s a second rare sea shanty as sung by Dylan. Female Ramblin´ Sailor only got an airing six times; this fine version was recorded in Perth on April 18, ´92. Another ancient traditional, it´s one of many ballads about ladies sailing out to sea - often dressed as men - to follow in their loved ones´ footsteps. "Her true love he was pressed away, and drowned in some foreign sea, which caused this fair maid to say, I'll be a ramblin´ sailor..." She´s doing just fine on board, until one fateful day her hand slips and she falls to her doom in the merciless waves. "When her lily white breast in sight it came, it appeared to be a female's frame, Rebecca Young it was the name of the female rambling sailor."

These songs have not been released officially, but as there´s a new volume of the Bootleg Series in the pipeline, that just might happen soon. Here´s hoping.