He Was A Friend Of Mine
There’s an old folk song called “He Was A Friend Of Mine”, the earliest version being from “Shorty George”. Many musicians have performed this song, perhaps most notably Bob Dylan starting in 1962.
It lamented the death of a friend. Part of it went:
He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
Every time I think about him now Lord I just can’t keep from cryin’
Cause he was a friend of mine
In 1963, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds rewrote this song to make it an eulogy for President Kennedy:
He was a friend of mine, he was a friend of mine
His killing had no purpose, no reason or rhyme
He was a friend of mineHe was in Dallas town, he was in Dallas town
From a sixth floor window a gunner shot him down
He was in Dallas townHe never knew my name, he never knew my name
Though I never met him I knew him just the same
Oh he was a friend of mineLeader of a nation for such a precious time
He was a friend of mine
This song actually caused a little bit of tension among the members of The Byrds. Before singing the song at a festival in 1967, David Crosby stated he did not accept the usual explanation of the shooting (which is to some degree affirmed in the song). The other members were upset at him for littering the performance with this conspiracy theory, at least partly because it resulted in less television coverage. This, along with other events at the festival, is probably at least partially an explanation for the split between Crosby and the rest of the group. Or at least part of the progression that led to that.
Anyways, just an interesting random history flashback.
