Katie’s Been Gone

The words

A man mourns a woman who has left, wondering how long he can stand her absence.

This is a Band track, not a Dylan performance: a gentle lament from a man whose love has gone away. He waits and wonders whether she will come back, his loneliness growing with each verse. The song is soft and unhurried, with a tender, almost fragile vocal. Its quiet piano and organ give it the feel of a late-night ballad.

Words by Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson