 But the song is not what it seems, or at least what it seemed when it was first loosed upon the world. The band's lead guitarist, Robbie Robertson, a Canadian, hadn't logged much time in the South when he penned The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down in 1969. But in the ensuing decades, some have claimed it as a neo-Confederate anthem. I do want to say before we start the song, it's kind of a scary song to play.