O’er railroad ties and crossings
I made my weary way,
Through swamps and elevations
My tired feet did stray
Until I resolved at sunset
Some higher ground to win.
‘Twas there I met with a Creole girl
By the lake of Ponchartrain.

The Lakes of Pontchartrain is an American (US) ballad about a man who is given shelter by a beautiful Louisiana Creole woman. He falls in love with her and asks her to marry him, but she is already promised to a sailor and declines.

According to BobDylan.com Dylan played it 18 times live from 1988 to 1991.
Bob Dylan sings fantastic on the two versions I managed to dig up (Neil Young was on stage with Dylan on both these occasions).

Paul Brady has done maybe the most known version of this traditional song. Here is a video where he talks about how he learned Bob Dylan to play The Lakes of Pontchartrain:

This is a great version from Bob Dylan in New Jersey 1988, June 24 :

Continue reading The Songs he didn’t write: Bob Dylan The Lakes of Pontchartrain →