The Weight
The Band * Track #5 On Music from Big Pink
Download "The Weight"
Album Music from Big Pink
The Weight by The Band
Release Date
Performed by
The BandProduced by
John SimonWrited by
Robbie RobertsonAbout
“The Weight,” by the Band’s Robbie Robertson, appears on their album Music from Big Pink (1968).
Robertson tells a story about a traveler’s visit to a small town, but mixes biblical references into the story to create a modern parable.
This song rose to #63—the album climbed to #30.
Robertson tol...
The Weight Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I pulled in to Nazareth
Was feeling 'bout half past dead
I just need someplace
Where I can lay my head
"Hey, mister, can you tell me
Where a man might find a bed?"
He just grinned and shook my hand
"No" was all he said
[Chorus]
Take a load off, Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Fanny
And (And, and)
You put the load right on me (You put the load right on me)
[Verse 2]
I picked up my bag
I went looking for a place to hide
When I saw Carmen and the Devil
Walking side-by-side
I said, "Hey Carmen
Come on, let's go downtown"
She said, "I gotta go
But my friend can stick around"
[Chorus]
Take a load off, Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Fanny
And (And, and)
You put the load right on me (You put the load right on me)
[Verse 3]
Go down, Miss Moses
There's nothin' you can say
It's just ol' Luke, and
Luke's waitin' on the Judgement Day
"Well, Luke, my friend
What about young Anna Lee?"
He said, "Do me a favor, son
Won't ya stay and keep Anna Lee company?"
[Chorus]
And take a load off, Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Fanny
And (And, and)
You put the load right on me (You put the load right on me)
[Verse 4]
Crazy Chester followed me
And he caught me in the fog
He said, "I will fix your rack
If you'll take Jack, my dog"
I said, "Wait a minute, Chester
You know I'm a peaceful man"
He said, "That's okay, boy
Won't you feed him when you can?" (Yeah)
[Chorus]
Take a load off, Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Fanny
And (And, and)
You put the load right on me (You put the load right on me)
[Verse 5]
Catch a cannonball, now
To take me down the line
My bag is sinkin' low
And I do believe it's time
To get back to Miss Fanny
You know she's the only one
Who sent me here with her
Regards for everyone
[Chorus]
Take a load off, Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Fanny
And (And, and)
You put the load right on me (You put the load right on me)
The Weight Q&A
Who wrote The Weight's ?
The Weight was written by Robbie Robertson.
Who produced The Weight's ?
The Weight was produced by John Simon.
When did The Band release The Weight?
The Band released The Weight on Mon Jul 01 1968.
Who's "Fanny"?
The most popular interpretation – of which there are many – is that “Fanny” is the clap (formally known as gonorrhea).
…a Canadian musician swore to me in 1971 that ‘Take a load off Fanny’ was all about catching and disseminating the clap (= a load), and that there was a double take – ‘off’ could a...
What did The Band say about "The Weight"?
Robbie Robertson credited his inspiration to the films of the Spanish surrealist director Luis Buñuel:
He did so many films on the impossibility of sainthood. People trying to be good in Viridiana and Nazarin, people trying to do their thing. In “The Weight” it’s the same thing … Someone says, ‘Lis...
What does the song mean?
Read the annotationas!