Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues

Work status:

• Originally titled "Talking Bear Mt."
• First copyright date: 1962-05-07
• Copyright renewed in 1990
• The lyrics for this song were part of the "MacKenzie papers".
• The lyrics to this song were first published in Isis #45.
• This is one of the songs Bob Dylan listed in 1962 as his 'repertoire'. It has been suggested that this list was either a potential album tracklist, if he'd had a record deal at the time, or else a list of the songs to be played for John Hammond at an informal audition on or about 1962-09-10:

                 1. Dope Fiend Robber
                 2. Talking Bear Mt. (later retitled "Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues")
                 3. Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Blues
                 4. Over the Road I’m Bound To Go (later retitled "Sally Gal")
                 5. California Brown Eyed Baby
                 6. I Hear a Train A'Rolling
                 7. Rocking Chair
                      * An earlier version of the list shows B.U.P. instead of Rocking Chair.
                 8. Old Man (John Doe) (later retitled "Man on the Street")
                 9. Get Where I’m Going (aka I’ll Get Where I’m Going Some Day)
                 10. Woody’s Song (later retitled "Song to Woody")
                 11. Talking New York Town (later retitled "Talkin' New York")
                 12. Great Chicagonian