3 of the Finest Folk Covers Performed by Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is one of, if not the, finest wordsmith in the history of music. That is his reputation, his name, and his brand. A songwriter whose poetry matches that of Walt Whitman, Lord Byron, or Robert Frost. Though amidst the hundreds of thousands of original words written and sung by Dylan, there are a couple that aren’t his. In a simpler form, Bob Dylan has performed covers.

Videos by American Songwriter

If you don’t know Bob Dylan that well, then you might be surprised by this fact. If you are familiar with him, then this isn’t anything new. Indeed, the best songwriter of the 20th century has released some work that’s not his own. Here are three of the finest folk covers performed by Bob Dylan.

“House Of The Rising Sun” by Unknown

“House Of The Rising Sun” is arguably the pillar cover song in folk music. A plethora of artists, both folk and otherwise, have covered the age-old folk ballad. So, of course, Dylan did, and he did so when he was a pure folkie in 1962.

Released in 1962, Dylan’s cover of the folk song is gritty, gravely, looming, haunting, and simply exquisite. We would argue that he was built to sing this song, as it caters to his artistic disposition perfectly. It’s not a deep cut Dylan tune, but one that gets lost amidst his laundry list of original music.

“He Was A Friend Of Mine” by Dave Van Ronk

Written and released by Dylan’s contemporary, Dave Van Ronk, “He Was A Friend Of Mine” is a folk dirge for a deceased friend. Dylan’s cover appears on several different bootleg albums, but the most notable one on which it resides is the Bob Dylan Finjan Club (Live, 1962) album.

Like every Dylan song, he makes this his own, as his distinguished voice articulates the lyrics in a manner entirely unique to him. The track is the epitome of early Dylan: musically melodramatic, melancholic, and tastefully sensible.

“Ira Hayes” by Peter La Farge

Released originally by Peter La Farge under the title “Ira Hayes”, Bob Dylan later covered the ballad in 1973. Dylan’s rendition is ultimately the same, but he did take some artistic liberties with some of the lyrical arrangement and the title. Which he retitled as “The Ballad Of Ira Hayes”.

Dylan turns this orthodox folk ballad into a different direction with his cover, as it is more of a folk rock song than a pure folk one. Regardless, Dylan tells the tale in full and pays tribute to the words of Peter La Farge and the story of Ira Hayes.

Photo by Everett/Shutterstock