Bob Dylan / 6:53
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, piano; Stu Kimball: guitar; Denny Freeman: guitar; Donnie Herron: violin; Tony Garnier: bass, cello; George G. Receli: drums, percussion / Recording Studio: Sony Music Studios, New York: February 2001 / Producer: Jack Frost (Bob Dylan) / Sound Engineer: Chris Shaw
Initially, “Nettie Moore” was a ballad sung by slaves before the Civil War, and later by traveling minstrels during the late nineteenth century. It was known under the titles “In a Little White Cottage” and “Gentle Nettie Moore.” Dylan uses a part of the chorus, “I miss you, Nettie Moore / And my happiness is o’er” to express the loneliness and pain of a man who feels “[E]verything I’ve ever known to be right has proven wrong.” He goes on to tell another story: “I’m going where the Southern crosses the Yellow Dog.” By Southern, Dylan refers to the famous Southern Railway crossing, while “Yellow Dog” refers to the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad. Thus, the intersection of these two lines would be a kind of idealized South.
The climate of “Nettie Moore” is nondescript, and can be categorized as somewhere between a folk and an ethnic song. Each note Dylan reaches for and each word he sings is done calmly and sweetly, accompanied by a very creative arrangement, including a highly streamlined rhythm section (bass drum, tambourine, cymbals) and cello playing pizzicato as well as with the bow. “Nettie Moore” is one of the best songs on Modern Times.