It’s no surprise that Bruce chose “Pay Me My Money Down” to be the leadoff single from his 2006 album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. See how much fun they’re having playing it?
That’s how much fun we had in the pit, too, every time.
Which is a little ironic, if you think about it, because “Pay Me” originates as a work protest song. In the liner notes, Dave Marsh traces its origins to black stevedores in the American south who were often stiffed by ship captains who employed them but escaped without paying them.
The “down” in the title/chorus means “now” — so the song is actually a demand to be paid on the spot. Because the lyrics alternate call-and-response with “Pay me my money down,” the lyrics are often misunderstood:
I thought I heard the captain say
Pay me my money down
Tomorrow is our sailing day
Pay me my money down
The captain isn’t saying “pay me my money down.” He’s saying “tomorrow is our sailing day”– in other words, promising that he’ll still be around tomorrow to pay them but fully intending to slip off in the night. The stevedores will have none of it, of course.
Given the title of the album, Bruce probably modeled his version after The Weavers’ rendition. Here’s a a great 1955 recording with Pete Seeger’s prominent vocals:
The lyrics are a bit different, of course–Bruce playfully changed the references to bosses Howard and Steven to “Mr. Gates” instead, keeping the song timely.
Bruce recorded his version on March 19, 2005, and we’re fortunate enough to have a video from the session.
In concert on the all-too-short Seeger Sessions Tour, “Pay Me My Money Down” was the reliable set-closer, and by the time it came around, the band was reliably loose as well. Hilarity often ensued, with the players mugging for the crowd, hamming up their solos, and refusing to leave the stage. The skits got sillier as the tour went on. Watch and see what I mean:
“Pay Me My Money Down” was also the reliable guest-star slot. If you were friend of Bruce, and you came to the show, odds were good you’d end up on stage during the set-closer. Over the course of the tour, “Pay Me” guest-stars included Roy Bittan, Nils Lofgren, Joan Baez, Southside Johnny, Joe Grushecky, Wolfgang Niedecken, Bruce’s nephew, and on TV: Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, and Thomas Haden Church.
“Pay Me” is one of the few Seeger songs that Bruce refuses to leave on the shelf. He played it frequently during the Wrecking Ball and High Hopes tours, and although it didn’t see an outing on the last tour, it’s too much fun for retirement. I’m confident we’ll see it again.
Update 1/1/2024: We did see it again! Eight times in fact, during Bruce’s World Tour 2023. Here’s one of them:
Pay Me My Money Down
Recorded: March 19, 2005
Released: We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006), We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions – American Land Edition (2006), Live in Dublin (2007)
First performed: April 20, 2006 (Asbury Park, NJ)
Last performed: May 15, 2023 (Nanterre, France)
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It was played at least once on the 2023 tour, something some found ironic given the cost of tickets.