Check it out: The Mighty Quinn

If you haven't listened to the video on the right, take a minute. I think you'll like it.

"The Mighty Quinn" was written by Bob Dylan (not his best work) and performed in the 1960's by Manfred Mann. This is apparently a video of one of their performances back then.

Somebody asked Dylan what the song was about and he said it's "just a nursery rhyme."

I always thought it was about drugs - every song was about drugs in the 60's.

I connect this song with my student teaching days in Erie Pennsylvania in 1969. I rode in to school with a neighbor and the radio station she listened to played this thing EVERY MORNING at the exact same time. I remember rounding a certain corner on our route as this song came on. By then we were about ten minutes from my school and my stomach was in knots.

I was afraid of the kids, afraid of my supervisor, afraid of failure. And I hated that song!

Now I think it's kinda cute. And funny.

Just goes to show.

So here's the lyrics (I still think it's about drugs):


Come all without
Come all within
You'll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn

Everybody's building ships and boats
Some are building monuments,
Others jotting down notes
Everybody's in despair, every girl and boy,
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
Everybody's gonna jump for joy.

I like to go just like the rest,
I like my sugar sweet
But jumping queues and making haste just ain't my cup of meat
Everybody's beneath the trees
Feeding pigeons on a limb
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
All the pigeons gonna run to him.

Let me do what I wanna do,
I can't decide 'em all
Just tell me where to put 'em
And I'll tell you who to call
Nobody can get no sleep
There's someone on everyone's toes
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
Everybody's gonna wanna doze

Come all without
Come all within
You'll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn


Oh, and here's another picture for you: