Drugs, you say? A high "swchool kid? Hmm, Who is the one on drugs here? 
This is a fascinating little double-zombie. 
I found it amusing to to re-read this thread and Upham’s original thread. All very nostalgic and fun.
Look, can we still have this revolution and can there still be cake, please?
Coming out in November, with 20 or 30 tracks that have never even been bootlegged. It’ll be interesting to see how many are real songs, and how many just fragments, but I’m sure I’ll get it whatever.
Oh, what the hell, I’ve told my kids (shrugs), a few friends (much the same), and even David Kinney of The Dylanologists, about 11 months ago (minus my evidence, which may be why he greeted my disclosure with dead silence). But he fact is that…
THE MIGHTY QUINN THE ESKIMO IS ACTUALLY JOHN LENNON!
But as I told Kinney, the evidence is far more fascinating than the fact itself.
Now awaiting the inevitable yawns… :dubious::dubious::dubious:
Well, if you slog thru the “respectable” scholarship, the explain-all of drugs is frequently employed or hinted at. The extensive wacky in Dylan’s Basement Tapes almost demands it. 
However, there is a more labor-intensive and literary interpretation: CULTURE MONITOR: Who is the "Mighty Quinn"?
Excuse my self-promotion…
cool:
Oh okaaay–my acutely-sensitive paranoia-hearing detects everyone muttering under their breath, “Yeaahhh, WHAT evidence?”
So, one SMALL kitten out of a large bag:
Only takes about 30 seconds to perceive: a) pigeons at 5-11 seconds, John Lennon at 12 seconds b) the melody over this is: lead-guitar playing the flute-melody from Manfred Mann's cover/hit of "Mighty Quinn" c) "Duquesne" is maybe a little suggestive of "Quinn" eh? And... the "whistle"...? =]Questions?
When we’re done with this, I’d like to understand more about “strawberry alarm clock” as well.
Just got it for my birthday, and haven’t listened to it yet. But I have read the liner notes. Especially good since I hadn’t realized that Robbie Robertson had fiddled with the first Basement Tapes release, adding drums etc. I have one of the many versions of Great White Wonder, and knew those versions were different, but assumed they were just different takes.
Besides the original material there are lots of covers as they warmed up the equipment, including Folsom Prison Blues.
Looks like Red Dragon posted some spam. Reported.
I heard it has about the same meaning as The Rhythm Of Life. It tells of the coming of a prophet of a new religion.
compare “There’s a million pigeons waiting to be hooked on new religions” to “All the pigeons gonna run to him”
Never mind, it’s only a northern song. And the “mighty queen” in Shakespeare’s Richard III? Just a curious coincidence. Pay no mind. 
So, my name is quinn, I’ve been hearing this song by all the artists for many many years, a friend of mine just said he thought it was about a drug dealer and if you use the right lyrics, some from different artists perhaps, but it all makes sense. For one, Eskimos like snow, or at least always have it around. In that culture, drug culture, everybody would jump for joy when he got there, all the pigeons would literally run to him, they all want a dose. Some are building monuments and others jotting down notes, busy busy mind’s of those on drugs, some write songs, clean their house, talk about grand ideas, monumental, seeming. I never understood any of it or how it went together but I have to say this makes the most sense. Damn, I hoped everybody jumped for joy when i walked in cause I was cool and funny but now i know it was just cause they hoped i had narcotics. Aloha, mahalo for reading, Quinn the hawaiian.
It’s simple really. Back in the 60’s, an experimental radioactive satellite crash landed in Missisippi next to the Tallahatchie river while Quin was visiting his good friend, Bilie Joe Mcalister. The resulting pollution caused the dead to rise from their graves and hone in on the radioactive magnetism of the wreckage. (that’s just basic science). In an effort to save the town, Bille Joe and Quin lured the undead onto the bridge and threw the wreckage over the side. However, the plan failed because Quin was exposed to the radioactive magnetism. Despairing, Billie Joe jumped off of the bridge, but Quin stayed and fought the horde. He won, but despairing for his friend, Quin returned to his home in the Great White North, but not before the news of the zombie battle spread far and wide earning him the “Mighty” nickname. Quin is still magnetically radioactive to this day, which will frequently cause a disruption in pigeon migration patterns causing the animals to flock to his location.
I never bothered to attribute any deep meaning to the song lyrics, but all these quite scholarly analyses might make me have to rethink that. 
I always thought the song was just some nonsense Dylan thought up while indulging in mind altering substances of the kind that also yielded yellow submarines, white rabbits, strawberry alarm clocks, and purple haze.
In any case, I owe Mr. Zimmerman’s mind on drugs a thank you. I named the Samoyed I had growing up Quinn and he was mighty indeed. Although he was better at scattering pigeons than getting them to run to him. 
People in all walks of life take drugs from wealthy to not so wealthy but once hooked they wait for the man like pigeons on a limb and when he comes they run to him take the drugs and everybody’s gonna doze nodding out on heroin.
That link no longer works, so here’s a current one.