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About The Song
“Up On Cripple Creek” was released in November 1969, it is the fifth track on The Band’s eponymous second album. Written by Robbie Robertson, the song features Levon Helm on lead vocals. It was released as a single in November 1969, reaching No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Up On Cripple Creek” delves into the desire to escape a mundane life and pursue dreams. The narrator, tired of his mining job, sees his lover as a means of escape.
The song is narrated from the perspective of a truck driver who visits Lake Charles, Louisiana, to be with his lover named Bessie. The song is more than just catchy; it explores human emotions and the quest for love and belonging, resonating with listeners through its storytelling and melody. “Up On Cripple Creek” remains a timeless piece, capturing the essence of human experiences and showcasing the power of music.
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Lyrics
When I get off of this mountain, you know where I want to go?
Straight down the Mississippi river, to the Gulf of Mexico
To Lake Charles, Louisiana, little Bessie, girl that I once knew
She told me just to come on by, if there’s anything she could do
Up on Cripple Creek she sends me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don’t have to speak, she defends me
A drunkard’s dream if I ever did see one
Good luck had just stung me, to the race track I did go
She bet on one horse to win and I bet on another to show
The odds were in my favor, I had ’em five to one
When that nag to win came around the track, sure enough she had won
Up on Cripple Creek she sends me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don’t have to speak, she defends me
A drunkard’s dream if I ever did see one
I took up all of my winnings, and I gave my little Bessie half
She tore it up and threw it in my face, just for a laugh
Now there’s one thing in the whole wide world, I sure would like to see
That’s when that little love of mine, dips her doughnut in my tea
Up on Cripple Creek she sends me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don’t have to speak, she defends me
A drunkard’s dream if I ever did see one
Now me and my mate were back at the shack, we had Spike Jones on the box
She said, “I can’t take the way he sings, but I love to hear him talk”
Now that just gave my heart a throb, to the bottom of my feet
And I swore as I took another pull, my Bessie can’t be beat
Up on Cripple Creek she sends me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don’t have to speak, she defends me
A drunkard’s dream if I ever did see one
Now there’s a flood out in California and up north it’s freezing cold
And this living on the road is getting pretty old
So I guess I’ll call up my big mama, tell her I’ll be rolling in
But you know, deep down, I’m kind of tempted to go and see my Bessie again
Up on Cripple Creek she sends me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don’t have to speak, she defends me
A drunkard’s dream if I ever did see one