Graham Nash: Back Home

Written by Graham Nash and Shane Fontayne, performed by Graham Nash
Album: This Path Tonight, 2016

Listen:

"Back Home" is a heartfelt tribute to Levon Helm, written by Graham Nash and guitarist Shane Fontayne on a tour bus after they got the news of Levon's passing. The song uses the line "take a load off" from "The Weight." It was officially released a few years later, on the 2016 album This Path Tonight.

From a Graham Nash, interview in Relix magazine, 2016:

"When Shane [Fontayne] and I heard that Levon was close to passing, we decided to celebrate his life with a song, as well as physically mourn his passing, because Levon Helm was an incredible singer and an incredible songwriter and an incredible drummer and an incredible person. He played drums on "Fieldworker," which was a song of mine from the past. Part of the art of being a songwriter is to take an incident–what was happening with Levon and what was happening in my life–and turn it into a song that everybody can understand."

Lyrics

Look inside, and you will find you
Take your time, 'cause time will take you
From your sky, the sun is falling
But Mother Earth will soon be calling you
Back home

Dust to dust, ashes to ashes
At the speed of light, time slowly passes
And at the end, I guess nothing matters
You lived your life before the wind
Scattered you back home

As the curtain is falling
And you sing your last song
May the circle be unbroken
As the band plays on and on

Take a load off
Lay your burden down

As the curtain is falling
And you sing your last song
May the circle be unbroken
As the band plays on

Take a load off
Take a load off
Lay your burden down
Lay your burden down

From your eyes, the light is fading
And no one knows what will be waiting
So take a breath and take another
And your soul will fly across the border
Taking you back home