Covenant woman got a contract with the Lord
Way up yonder, great will be her reward
Covenant woman, shining like a morning star
I know I can trust you to stay where you are
Bob Dylan recorded the album version of “Covenant Woman” on February 15 in 1980.
Very good song from the album “Saved” (1980). The live versions from November 1979 & 1980 are GREAT.
Album version:
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
Sheffield, Alabama
15 February 1980
5th and last Saved recording session produced by Jerry Wexler & Barry Beckett.
- Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
- Fred Tackett (guitar)
- Spooner Oldham (keyboards)
- Tim Drummond (bass)
- Jim Keltner (drums)
Alt version – Take 3 – February 11, 1980 (released on “Trouble No More” (2017))
Live versions
‘Covenant Woman’ proved to be a rather delicate flower. Once plucked as a performance piece, its fragile hue began to fade real quick. It was the highlight of the November 1979 shows, but rapidly wilted upon its removal from its homegrown vineyard. By the time Dylan came to the Saved sessions, in mid-February 1980, any sense of intimacy had all but gone.
-Clinton Heylin (Still on the Road: The Songs of Bob Dylan Vol. 2, . 1974-2008)
Despite being one of the duller performances on the Saved album, ‘Covenant Woman’ was a significant song for Dylan himself. He put it on a single, and on the first gospel tour, months before Saved had even been recorded, he performed it live at all 26 concerts: and he always placed it first among those featured songs that were not drawn from Slow Train Coming. On the second gospel tour, in early 1980, he gave it the same prominence at all 24 concerts. Then he dropped it altogether for the April–May dates but brought it back in for that year’s fall tour.
-Michael Gray (The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia)
Fox Warfield Theatre
San Francisco, California
4 November 1979
–
Fox Warfield Theatre
San Francisco, California
16 November 1979
–
Civic Auditorium
Santa Monica, California
19 November 1979
Gammage Center
Tempe, Arizona
26 November 1979
–
Civic Auditorium
Knoxville, Tennessee
6 February 1980
–
Massey Hall
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
19 April 1980
Lyrics
Covenant woman got a contract with the Lord
Way up yonder, great will be her reward
Covenant woman, shining like a morning star
I know I can trust you to stay where you are
And I just got to tell you
I do intend
To stay closer than any friend
I just got to thank you
Once again
For making your prayers known
Unto heaven for me
And to you, always, so grateful
I will forever be
I’ve been broken, shattered like an empty cup
I’m just waiting on the Lord to rebuild and fill me up
And I know He will do it ’cause He’s faithful and He’s true
He must have loved me so much to send me someone as fine as you
And I just got to tell you
I do intend
To stay closer than any friend
I just got to thank you
Once again
For making your prayers known
Unto heaven for me
And to you, always, so grateful
I will forever be
Covenant woman, intimate little girl
Who knows those most secret things of me that are hidden from the world
You know we are strangers in a land we’re passing through
I’ll always be right by your side, I’ve got a covenant too
And I just got to tell you
I do intend
To stay closer than any friend
I just got to thank you
Once again
For making your prayers known
Unto heaven for me
And to you, always, so grateful
I will forever be
-Egil
Actually a lot of beautiful live recordings of the song. Despite what others say I love the recording on Saved very much.
“A delicate flower”. A beautiful description of a beautiful song.
I know I’m in the minority but I love the Saved recording of this song. Very underrated song.
Just a great song.