Traditional / Arrangement Bob Dylan / 4:09
Musician: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar / Recording Studio: Bob Dylan Garage Studio, Malibu, California: May 1993 / Producer: Bob Dylan / Sound Engineer: Micajah Ryan
“Ragged & Dirty” originates from an old Memphis blues song, “Broke and Hungry,” recorded by Texan blues singer Blind Lemon Jefferson in 1926. Three years later, Sleepy John Estes cut a cover of this lament from the deep Delta under the title “Broken Hearted, Ragged and Dirty Too.” On July 16, 1942, Willie Brown, who played with Charley Patton and Robert Johnson, recorded “Ragged & Dirty” for the Library of Congress. In his book titled The Land Where the Blues Began (1993), Alan Lomax wrote, “If you’ve never heard the blues, get yourself a record and listen and then come back join us… William Brown’s song can last until the morning.”149
In the album liner notes, Dylan describes Willie Brown’s version as a “superior beauty.” The Delta bluesman did set a high standard, but Dylan won the challenge. His interpretation is up to the level of Brown’s version. Both express the same feelings of hopelessness, fatigue, and weariness, but both also exude dignity. Dylan uses the same hypnotic guitar riff and sometimes plucks a string to convey the essential meaning.