The tune is taken from "St. James Infirmary". Dylan almost certainly alludes to this with the lines "I am staring out the window / of the old St. James Hotel" (but there also really is a St. James Hotel in Minnesota). St. James Infirmary has been recorded by many people, and is one in a long line of related songs. A 1960 Folkways LP, produced by Kenneth S. Goldstein for Folkways, documents the folk process for these song variations:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ AUTHOR: Goldstein, Kenneth S. TITLE: The unfortunate rake [sound recording] / Edited by Kenneth S. Goldstein. PUBLISHED: [New York] : Folkways Records, 1960. PUBLISHER NUMBER: Folkways: FS 3805. PHYSICAL DETAILS: 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm, stereo. ; 12 in. + 1 pamphlet. LOCATIONS: MUSI MUSI L2111 SYSTEM CONTROL NO.: (OCoLC)6161478 SYSTEM CONTROL NO.: (CU)GLAD67495565 LCCN: r 68-545 SUBJECTS: Ballads, English. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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