Bob Dylan - Who Killed Davey Moore? Lyrics






Who killed Davey Moore
Why an' what's the reason for?

"Not I," says the referee
"Don't point your finger at me
I could've stopped it in the eighth
An' maybe kept him from his fate
But the crowd would've booed, I'm sure
At not gettin' their money's worth
It's too bad he had to go
But there was a pressure on me too, you know
It wasn't me that made him fall
No, you can't blame me at all"

Who killed Davey Moore
Why an' what's the reason for?

"Not us," says the angry crowd
Whose screams filled the arena loud
"It's too bad he died that night
But we just like to see a fight
We didn't mean for him t' meet his death
We just meant to see some sweat
There ain't nothing wrong in that
It wasn't us that made him fall
No, you can't blame us at all"

Who killed Davey Moore
Why an' what's the reason for?

"Not me," says his manager
Puffing on a big cigar
"It's hard to say, it's hard to tell
I always thought that he was well
It's too bad for his wife an' kids he's dead
But if he was sick, he should've said
It wasn't me that made him fall
No, you can't blame me at all"

Who killed Davey Moore
Why an' what's the reason for?

"Not me," says the gambling man
With his ticket stub still in his hand
"It wasn't me that knocked him down
My hands never touched him none
I didn't commit no ugly sin
Anyway, I put money on him to win
It wasn't me that made him fall
No, you can't blame me at all"

Who killed Davey Moore
Why an' what's the reason for?

"Not me," says the boxing writer
Pounding print on his old typewriter
Sayin', "Boxing ain't to blame
There's just as much danger in a football game"
Sayin', "Fistfighting is here to stay
It's just the old American way
It wasn't me that made him fall
No, you can't blame me at all"

Who killed Davey Moore
Why an' what's the reason for?

"Not me," says the man whose fists
Laid him low in a cloud of mist
Who came here from Cuba's door
Where boxing ain't allowed no more
"I hit him, yes, it's true
But that's what I am paid to do
Don't say 'murder,' don't say 'kill'
It was destiny, it was God's will"

Who killed Davey Moore
Why an' what's the reason for?





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Bob Dylan Who Killed Davey Moore? Comments
  1. A.... P....

    The lyrics.

  2. R.... J....

    To all the fighers lost this yr in 2019, let's pray it's fewer next yr. . God bless these extreme men

  3. K.... S....

    Rip Patrick Day, Rip Boris Stanchov

  4. z.... ....

    The only reason I came to watch this song is because my class watch it in my English class when I had trip to learn about an inspector calls but I did not expect this song to be based on real event it really sad😢😢😢

    z.... ....

    i learned it in english class too

  5. D.... R....

    Excelente canção. Interessante notar que essa letra se aplica a muita coisa na vida: todos querem se safar de suas responsabilidades

  6. t.... ....

    The live version is unavailable, so I put this (demo?) In my "..bootleg series.." Playlist. Thanks for the upload!

  7. b.... ....

    Maxim Dadashev died today from a fight July 17, 2019.

    b.... ....

    Same reason I'm here.

  8. P.... K....

    "...Who came here from Cuba’s door
    Where boxing is not allowed no more"

    Not true; not in 1963 and not now: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_in_Cuba

  9. L.... 2....

    Alguien que la traduzca a español

  10. A.... M....

    The unlucky fall on the bottom rope did.

    A.... M....

    how could a rope kill a grown man? no way

  11. G.... B....

    Davey Moore took a savage beating during the fight. Why didn't the referee stop the fight, only God knows.

    G.... B....

    old days y'no

  12. U.... ....

    His bad health/condition after the fight killed him? Shouldn't have go fight if injured? Ramos sure looks buffer? Sometimes giving up one fight to win others/have another chance makes more sense?

  13. D.... G....

    People didn’t know about “El Tigre Blanco” who also died after his fight with “El Niño de Matanzas “ AKA Ultimino “Sugar” Ramos.

    D.... G....

    My grandfather was Sugar Ramos manager at that time.

  14. X.... ....

    so very very cool yo; thank you very much for posting this.

  15. F.... P....

    We killed Davey Moore.......anyone who's ever watched a fight.

    F.... P....

    Fractured Poet dave Moore killed Dave Moore, he knew the risk and willingly entered the ring.

  16. k.... ....

    Ive never heard this version...only the virtual acapella live version in Dylan's Bootleg Series...Ive always loved his guitar playing

  17. J.... S....

    Sugar ramos killed two boxers

  18. L.... ....

    what a stupid ass song

  19. E.... C....

    REF was SLOW to stop the fight. I don't think he stopped it at all, ended in K.O. What Dylan is saying is We're ALL guilty if we promote boxing

    E.... C....

    He didn't stop the fight

    E.... C....

    That’s Dylan’s take, doesn’t make it right. Daley knew the risks

  20. m.... p....

    This song to me humanises a psychological phenomenon known as “division of responsibility” were in a situation were multiple people can attempt to intervene each member of the group feels less responsibility and urgency to act for a number of reasons but ultimately because they all assume that the other members of the group would do something of it needed to be done. Simultaneously the group read each individuals absence of intervention and apparent complacency as evidence that no intervention is needed. Understanding this affect has practical application in that awareness of it may inoculate individuals from succumbing to the effect. i.e the point of the song is; “someone should have done something but no one did - and that’s a bit of a Greek tragedy”

    m.... p....

    @harleybrewer99 you're right it's very interesting point. what do you want to know about "division of responsibility"? i assume you know what he means but want to look further into it. and not just about feeding babies? lol

    m.... p....

    @Michael Power
    I wish someone would "pin" your comment. I think many miss Dylan's point, and think it's just him sitting in his high tower judging, when I feel he's doing just what you say here: trying to bring awareness of our actions, or in this case, inaction.


    Anyway, your comment's one of the more insightful I've seen on the internet for a while.

    m.... p....

    @harleybrewer99 it also goes by the name 'cocktail bias'

    m.... p....

    Dave Moore wasn’t forced into the ring, as tragic as the outcome he knew the risks.

  21. J.... D....

    And oddly enough, a second boxer by the name Davey Moore was killed back in 1988 at age 28 when his unoccupied car rolled over him in his driveway

  22. S.... ....

    the video does not run to 3:35

    S.... ....

    My mistake, 2:35. Description updated. Thanks

  23. f.... ....

    Somewhere in the universe exists a live version in a minor key giving the song a darker feel. Dylan plays it frenetically fast (similar to Hurricane) so there is barely a moment to reflect and react to the case he lays out. The interaction between he and the lustful audience response sounds like a fight. It was the second Dylan song I'd ever heard. I heard it once and it has never left me, but I've yet to find it.

  24. t.... ....

    This song is fucking fire.

  25. b.... ....

    Suger Ramos died the other day, September 10, 2017

  26. J.... T....

    Who killed Dave Moore?

  27. C.... T....

    I must break you

  28. B.... T....

    rest in peace Sugar

  29. j.... s....

    RIP Sugar Ramos, member of the Dylan pantheon.

  30. s.... ....

    Difficult to watch when you know the outcome.

    s.... ....

    After he gets back up after the fall and is out on his feet still fighting with an injured brain stem makes me cringe and look away. Thousands of fights are wars and the boxers don't die but I think Ramos probably helped loosen some shit in his head up before hitting his neck hard at a bad on angle on a rope. Very sad, he's from my hometown and we have a park named after him and a statue.

  31. N.... H....

    Great song from an unbelievable song writer!

  32. p.... j....

    el gran ultiminio ramos...

  33. m.... ....

    RIP Davey Moore and all the other warriors that have died in the boxing ring 🙏

  34. D.... O....

    Evidently Davey S. Moore did not die that day in the boxing ring, March 21, 1963.
    Wikipedia has his date of death listed as a few days later, March 25, 1963:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davey_Moore_(boxer,_born_1933)

  35. B.... L....

    Who killed Davey Moore? Dylan could have answered his own pretentious question. The ref, the crowd, his manager, etc.? Nope. It was the ring rope.
    And that's a perfect rhyme, unlike Dylan's ridiculous couplets herein. If the Nobel Committee ever hears this tripe, they'll rescind the prize ... A knockdown caused the back of Moore's head to hit the bottom ring rope, the core of which was a steel cable. His brain stem was injured but he fought on. And was cogent when being interviewed on tv afterward and then by print reporters. Collapsed much later in the dressing room and died three days later.

    B.... L....

    Someone tell me Is this trolling? sometimes i can't tell

    B.... L....

    Yes, no human would be this ignorant.

    Ignorance is so trendy. Buck the trend!

    B.... L....

    Bob Laughlin you are absolutely correct, only small minded imbeciles who can’t separate emotion from logic think differently. It’s so tragic these troglodytes are walking among us.

  36. 8.... ....

    What a fantastic song! He is stating that we, the audience, are killing the boxers - in our endless desire to consume violence. We all killed Davey Moore.

    8.... ....

    8dioproductions Dave Moore knew the risks, he entered the ring willingly.

  37. r.... ....

    I thought this song was going to be about the davey moore who fought duran

    r.... ....

    He died way too young as well, though not in the ring of course

  38. C.... S....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMcH2NhTYJc > Brought this song to life for me.

  39. A.... M....

    rly sounds awfull ,when he accelerates in refrain

    live record this song much preferably

  40. S.... L....

    he killed himself for not defending himself.

  41. D.... J....

    the song is much better in french.

    D.... J....

    @Mario Alvarez Ikr. English is such a Barbaric language.

    D.... J....

    That is so childish of you btw turning my words against me. What's next I know you are but what am i??lmao

    D.... J....

    @Mario Alvarez You sound like a caveman. I'm sorry I don't speak your language but If you really think that French is Barbaric then I gotta tell you that you should go to school instead of sitting that fat ugly ass of yours around here.

    Oooh ! I forgot. You are a caveman. No school.

    I hope you discover fire soon.

    D.... J....

    Dan Ju-87 French people are gross and cowards everybody in America and Europe knows it.

    D.... J....

    When I read comments like Cheese or Mr Alvares ones, I hope abortion would have ben democratized earlier. I know that it's kind of a routine to treat french people as cowards for a long tome but i rather think there is still some intelligent American people not to relay this shitposting, otherwise I would be glad to say myself a bunch of clichés on shitty American people like you, for example that you're all obese, bad dressed and uncultured (especially in geography) people whose only goal is to sit on your fat ugly ass to play video games all day long.
    Dan ju is true. I have a lot of respect for Dylan's stuff (mr tambourine man is my fav) but I rather like Graeme Allwrigh's version of this song, whose i perfectly understand Dylan sung in a folkier way.
    And to prove that we're not considering Allwright's version is better than dylan's one only because it is french and that we're not considering english language is as barbaric as you pretend for the french one, juste remember that Graeme Allwright is from NZ and that his slight accent is delicious to heard

    If you want to redim yourself you shitposter, just listen to that :

    https://youtu.be/R1q1WHqg9l4

  42. M.... j....

    man this is just brutal, i can see why people say ufc is much more fare and safe.

    M.... j....

    Mr j yup

  43. j.... ....

    I'll tell you killed him. It was the commissioners that let Ramos come in at least 20 lbs heavier than Moore the day of the fight.

    j.... ....

    You're missing the whole point. We all kill him by watching, paying for, and encouraging such a brutal sport....

    j.... ....

    actually what kills boxers are boxing gloves. believe it or not bare knuckle boxing is safer than gloved boxing. they made boxers where gloves to protect the fighters hands so they could fight longer and harder and make more money out of them. they're not used to protect the other fighter. in bkb you have to pick your shots a lot more carefully so you dont break your hand. if you where gloves you can hit as hard as you want anywhere on the head which causes brain damge. there are only a couple reported deaths in bkb in the past 150 years and around 20 boxers a year die

    j.... ....

    @Lucyfur that's cause bare knuckle boxing has not been an organized sport with amy meaningfukl participation for over a century.

    j.... ....

    Scott Shaffer, huh? It’s always been an organized and legal sport in the UK, your ignorance makes me assume you’re amernican, because it wasn’t legalized in the US until 2018

    And you realize boxers have died in the amateurs.

    j.... ....

    Lucyfur yes. the same is true about American Football, with all the helmets and armour. they slam heads together in a way that rugby players don't. the brain is then bounced around inside the skull.

  44. y.... ....

    RIP champ.....

  45. I.... ....

    On the classic game show t_v the other night davey more was on to tell the truth game where the panel have to guess who is the real davey. more . It's amazing in those days in the fifties and sixties television wasn't big enough that a world champion boxer could still be anonymous . and like everybody little did he know that he would die soon shortly after then. Sobering.

  46. t.... ....

    Where did this version come from? It's not the one on "Bootleg Series 1-3"...

    t.... ....

    +trfesok its the real version of the song

    t.... ....

    From where? I'm confused...

    t.... ....

    It might be from The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall , Dylan also performed this song on Live at Town Hall (1963) (it's not this version) , i can't confirm because i don't have the bootleg series complete here.

  47. T.... p....

    What a cool way to share this song-thanks!

  48. W.... J....

    this is great cultural history! thanx Justin!

  49. a.... d....

    this fight is much better than mayweather boring fights

    a.... d....

    +abdou didi
    Mayweather's defense is so impressive he barely been concussed in a fight. The reason why his defense is so great is to avoid being a Davey Moore. I'd much rather be a "boring" Mayweather who is impeccably skillful than a Davey Moore.

    a.... d....

    That kind of thinking is why Davey Moore is dead. Everybody wants a knockout. They call it "The ART of boxing" and "The sweet science" for a reason. It's the smart fighter who hits but does not get hit. There is no art or science in clubbing each other until someone drops,,,dead,

    a.... d....

    Fuck you

  50. J.... A....

    grande champion    

  51. j.... c....

    A master with a pen a master with the mic these songs will stand the test of time...........

  52. N.... ....

    It should be noted that Dylan is a longtime boxing fan.

    N.... ....

    NoGoodBoyo1000 he is?

    N.... ....

    And a long time drug user

    N.... ....

    +Paul Trigo : The whole world does drugs... 90% of the world population is addicted to coffee. The other 10% is because they are too poor to afford coffee.

    In America alone, there is about 68 million that drinks 3 cups of coffee per day, 30 million that drinks 5, and over 21 million that drinks 6 or more.

    The world is literally RUN on drugs. Caffeine, Cocoa, Alcohol, Pharmaceutical Pills such as Tylenol / Advil , etc etc... And as well as others addicting activity such as the Porn Industry, Shopping, etc etc.

    All of these are considered drugs. The way that companies run their business is always trying to push people to succomb to their desire, invent needs, and rip people off, exactly like drug dealers do.

    You would be blind to think our whole society doesn't thrive on drugs.

    N.... ....

    @Paul Trigo what does that have to do with anything? Who cares what Dylan did in his own time. He was a huge boxing fan.

  53. s.... ....

    Someone I love recently suffered an accidental brain injury. I've been a boxing fan but now I think it's irrational and irresponsible for people to trade impacts to the head. Yes boxers are 'willing participants' but when you consider their socioeconomic backgrounds do they have the same choices as the more privileged? How many white middle class British or American boxers have emerged in the last 40 years?

    s.... ....

    slocamel not many

    s.... ....

    So most "sports Living" are irrational and irresponsible... If you aren't dumb enough you knows that you can get brain damage playing soccer, hockey, football and even basktball... It's safe to say that all contact sports and even some without it can give us brain injuries. So, what are we suppouse to do???
    Live in a plastic bubble? Play cardboard games or chess? Living is take risk.

  54. M.... G....

    Sugar Ramos killed Davey Moore.

    M.... G....

    +Mac Green (Uberbunk) well there you go no need to listen to the song then

  55. S.... C....

    Davey Moore was a willing participant in the fight and died because he fell in a certain way along the ropes. This was not like the Paret fight the year before where the ref allowed Griffith to continue to pulverize a helpless fighter. it wasn't the ref or the fans or the money men, Bob. 

    S.... C....

    Random carver died in the ring due to illegal head butting from Kabary Salem

    S.... C....

    song is meant to evoke thought, I don't think bob really had a dog in the fight bud.

    S.... C....

    Yes perhaps but everyone is responsible. The fans, the writers, the cornermen, the ref, the opponent. Yes even me (because im a boxing fan). You say he decided to enter the ring/profession .....you just said it yourself.....why he entered it ....because fans, writers, promoters, opponents and refs all combine to make boxing possible as a living. Therefore they are all responsible, as is Moore himself.

    S.... C....

    If fighters are willing to fight, we have every right to watch. They want us to do so they can make money off of it. To blame the fans is to look in the wrong end of the telescope.

    S.... C....

    What are you fucking on about. Fighters are "willing" to fight for a living BECAUSE the fans demand fights and give them a living out of it. Your acting as if fighters have forced spectators to watch fights.
    As Max Kellerman says "kids playing marbles on one corner and another group skipping on the other corner and on the last corner theres a fight. Guess which one all the spectators are standing around."
    There is a natural human interest (slightly twisted you could say) in watching fights, so yes it the SPECTATORS who make the market not the fighters.

    You can't bay for blood all fight and then when someone dies say "well uh uh uh ummmm i didnt want that" really ? Half the retarded boxing fans I know want to see Gatti vs Ward = not a boxing match but just a prolonged street fight.

    Stop being a coward and running from the responsibility that you have to take if you gain enjoyment from something, you cant just drop it and pretend all of a sudden.
    Its like all the crazy supporters who wanted the US to blow Iraq to pieces then 5 years later....oh its the governments fault not my problem if I supported it. Pure ignorance.

  56. A.... M....

    It's cool he wrote a song and drew attention to this fight. But man... this song is terrible

    A.... M....

    Very true.

    A.... M....

    Phil Ochs wrote a song about this titled "Davey Moore" which I prefer to this song

    A.... M....

    this version is.

    A.... M....

    I heard a cover if this at a concert and it was wayyy better. I think he's a better writer than singer /the way he expresses it

  57. J.... ....

    according to th'docs,th'whiplash effect when Moore went down on th'bottom rope was wut killed him.This knockdown may not hav happened,certainly not in the area of th'ring it happened had th'ref not-incorrectly-unaccounted for a knockdown b4 th'1 he DID account for.He should've given Moore an 8-count after he-clearly-went down on a knee.If th'MDs ar correct,then th'ref killed Davey Moore."...coulda stop tit in th'8th"

  58. T.... ....

    First time hearing the song.
    Beautiful and sad.
    In the end Davey Moore is responsible for Davey Moore.
    RIP

    T.... ....

    Not quite. Everyone has to hold some responsibility when someone dies in the ring. The fans, the commentators, the boxing writers, the referee, his opponent, the corner-men and yes Moore himself. Saying "ah he died but it was his fault he stepped in the ring" is to ignore all the reasons he decided to step in the ring in the first place and the reasons why stepping in the ring is considered a profession.

    T.... ....

    i agree with you when you getting hit like that you mind could be messed up your ppl should stop it

    T.... ....

    Lewis C the only person you cant blame is his opponent ironically, he was just doing what he was supposed to do.

    T.... ....

    i think you are missing the whole point of the song..but that's all right tough evryone is entitled to etc..

    T.... ....

    someone didnt understand the song ...

  59. r.... ....

    Is this the real Davey Moore footage?

    r.... ....

    yes it is

    r.... ....

    Yes it is