Girl from the North Country (Duet)
Verse 1: Bob Dylan
If you're travelin' to the north country fairWhere the winds hit heavy on the borderlineRemember me to one who lives thereFor she once was a true love of mineVerse 2: Johnny Cash
See for me that her hair's hangin' downIt curls and falls all down her breastSee for me that her hair's hangin' downThat's the way I remember her bestVerse 3: Bob Dylan
If you go when the snowflakes fallWhen the rivers freeze and summer endsPlease see for me if she's wearing a coat so warmTo keep her from the howling windsVerse 4: Johnny Cash, Cash & Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan
If you're travelin' in the north country fairWhere the winds hit heavy on the borderlinePlease say hello (Remember me) to the one who lives thereFor she once was a true love of mineVerse 5: Johnny Cash & Bob Dylan
If you're travelin' in the north country fairWhere the winds hit heavy on the borderlineRemember me to the one who lives thereFor she once was a true love of mineOutro: Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan
A true love of mineA true love of mineA true love of mineA true love of mineA true love of mineA true love of mineShe once was a true love of mineWhat the song means
The song is a farewell to a former lover, delivered as a message to a traveler heading to a distant northern region. The singer asks the traveler to carry his greetings to the woman who lives there, a woman he still remembers fondly. The mood is gentle and wistful rather than bitter. He does not ask for a reunion, only for news of her and some acknowledgment of what they once shared.
The song develops from the general request to increasingly specific images. The singer first recalls her long hair and then imagines the harsh winter, with its falling snow, frozen rivers, and howling wind. Those images suggest his concern for her well-being in a hard landscape. The repetition of the opening verse at the end gives the song a circular, almost ritual feel, as if the memory keeps returning to the same point.
The key images are the north country fair, a faraway and somewhat mythical place, and the borderline, a harsh edge of the world that also suggests separation. The hair "hangin' down" is a tender, intimate detail that represents the way he prefers to remember her. In the duet version, Johnny Cash's voice adds a second perspective, as if the message is shared between two people who both know the loss. This version was recorded in 1969 for the album Nashville Skyline.
Key phrases explained
- north country fair
- a fair in a distant northern region, an idealized faraway place — The setting evokes a remote, harsh land where the lost love lives.
- borderline
- the edge or frontier, a harsh boundary — It suggests separation and the cold, exposed edge of the world.
- hangin' down
- dangling loosely, falling freely — A tender memory of her long hair, the way he prefers to remember her.
- Remember me to
- send my regards to, give my greetings to — The key request of the song, a polite but emotional message.
- a true love of mine
- my former sweetheart, someone I once deeply loved — The repeated phrase that closes the song and marks the lasting bond.
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