Robbie Robertson – Once Were Brothers

In 2019, a documentary (Once Were Brothers) about The Band was released. It took me years, but I finally watched it not long ago. Not that I didn’t want to, but it was one of those things where I didn’t get to it. I was going to write up about the documentary, but decided just to stick to this song. Yes, it’s a great documentary, and you should watch it when you get a chance. You see footage and hear things that you have never heard before. He tells the story of the Band in this song, and it’s both beautiful and sad.

This song was the theme and the soul of the documentary. Robertson always had characters in his songs. Virgil Kane, Crazy Chester, Fanny, and a certain drunkard’s dream. In this song, though, these are not just based on real people; they are real people. You don’t have to be a Band fan to enjoy this. We all have had long friendships that faded or ended on a misunderstanding.

This is Robertson looking back on The Band, not as legends, but as brothers tied together by music. As a longtime Band fan, the song hits hard for me. Robbertson acknowledges that what they created together was bigger than the fights and the silence. The Band would always be a part of him.

It just hit me recently why Robbie’s solo material didn’t sound much like the Band. I don’t think he went out of his way to be different. It took the 5 of them to make it sound like The Band.

The trailer to the documentary.

Once Were Brothers

When the light goes outAnd you can’t go onYou miss your brothersBut now they’re gone

Mm, uh…When the light goes outWe go our own wayNothing here but darknessNo reason to stay

Oh, once we’re brothersBrothers no moreWe lost a connectionAfter the war

There’ll be no revivalThere’ll be no one coldOnce were brothersBrothers no more

When that curtain comes downWe let go of the pastTomorrows another daySome things weren’t meant to last

When that curtain comes downOn the final actAnd you know, you know deep insideTheres no goin’ back

Once were brothersBrothers no moreWe lost our wayAfter the war

Can’t even rememberWhat we’re fighting forBut once were brothersBrothers no more

We already had it outBetween the north and southWhen we heard all the laughsComin’ out of your mouth

But we stood togetherLike we were next of kinAnd when the band played dixie(Dixie, dixie, dixie)Dixie marchin’ in

Once were brothersBrothers no moreWe lost our connectionAfter the war

There’ll be no revivalThere’ll be no encoreOnce were brothersBrothers no more

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

12 thoughts on “Robbie Robertson – Once Were Brothers”

  4. Pingback: Robbie Robertson – Once Were Brothers – MobsterTiger

  6. pretty decent tune, fittingly mournful really. Distinctively Robbie R. To me, at least with his first album, I could easily believe it could have been a Band album other than we’re not used to him singing. Granted it, and this song didn’t sound quite like ‘Cripple Creek’ or ‘…Dixie Down’ but I kind of think had they kept going and going their sound would have evolved or changed some and could’ve sounded just like this. The doc sounds pretty good, I will add that to the ‘watch list’

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  7. I think we discussed R.R. and his relationship with the other guys. He gets to give his side, which is, his side of things. Dealing with the workings of a creative relationship is not easy.When you add addiction it compounds it ten fold. I feel for Robbie on that side of things. The other issues I try to be unbiased but it’s hard. Musically you know how I feel about the Band. Second to none. Robertsons solo output? Absolutely love it.

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    1. CB… I know it was hard. I know this doesn’t mean a damn thing when I say this…but the reason I feel for Robbie is because I’ve been in enough bands to know…even not known bands…it is tough dude. I mean really tough. Our drummer had an addiction problem…so I can’t imagine 3 of them running wild and being famous on top of everything!
      That made it even worse…so yea…I do feel for him and I think it was wise for him to stay quiet for that long because it would have been a soap opera if not. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Not once in his book does he really dog any other members…and I respect that as well.
      This song though really got to me.

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