"Inside Llewyn Davis" Soundtrack Lyrics

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"Inside Llewyn Davis (Original Soundtrack Recording)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

How do you bottle a whole folk revival into one week of bad weather and worse luck? With an album that sounds lived-in, not lacquered. Inside Llewyn Davis is a performance-forward soundtrack: Oscar Isaac sings live-to-camera in character, while the Coens and T Bone Burnett frame the set with period standards and a few sly originals that feel like they’ve always existed.

The official release (Inside Llewyn Davis: Original Soundtrack Recording) gathers traditional material (“Hang Me, Oh Hang Me,” “Fare Thee Well (Dink’s Song)”), field-adjacent staples (“The Death of Queen Jane,” “Five Hundred Miles”), a novelty original (“Please Mr. Kennedy”), and two archival bookends (Dylan’s “Farewell,” Dave Van Ronk’s “Green, Green Rocky Road”). Nonesuch/Warner issued it in late 2013; it plays like a night at the Gaslight—minus the clatter of beer glasses.

Questions & Answers

Who produced the soundtrack?

T Bone Burnett with Joel and Ethan Coen; key artist-producers include Oscar Isaac, Justin Timberlake, and Marcus Mumford.

What label released it and when?

Nonesuch/Warner, November 2013 (digital and CD), with vinyl editions following.

Are the songs period recordings?

Most are new studio takes by the cast; two archival tracks appear: Bob Dylan’s “Farewell” and Dave Van Ronk’s “Green, Green Rocky Road.”

Does the film use the performances diegetically?

Yes—club sets and sessions are performed in-scene; a few cues serve non-diegetically between locations.

What’s the comic studio number everyone quotes?

“Please Mr. Kennedy,” a novelty space-ditty tracked by Jim (Justin Timberlake), Llewyn (Oscar Isaac), and Al Cody (Adam Driver).

Is the music tied to a real figure?

The film is fiction, but its world borrows from Dave Van Ronk and the early-’60s Village folk scene.

Notes & Trivia

• The album closes with Bob Dylan’s “Farewell” and an archival Dave Van Ronk cut—two historical pins around a fictional week.
• “Please Mr. Kennedy” is new to the film yet styled after early-’60s novelty singles; the scene became the movie’s viral clip.
• “Another Day, Another Time,” a Town Hall concert celebrating the soundtrack, spun off its own live album.
• Several tracks are one-take or feel that way—tiny breaths and pick noise intact.

Genres & Themes

Traditional ballads → fate and recurrence. Old songs circle back; the week circles back. A folk loop, narratively and musically.

Coffeehouse laments → intimacy under pressure. Close-mic vocals and dry rooms keep mistakes (and truths) audible.

Novelty & harmony pieces → community… and compromise. Studio singalongs sell a hit that Llewyn can’t love—art versus rent in three minutes.

Tracks & Scenes

Representative placements with concise scene beats; diegetic status noted. Time marks vary slightly by cut.

“Hang Me, Oh Hang Me” — Oscar Isaac
Where it plays: Bookends the film at the Gaslight Café, Llewyn under a single bulb (diegetic).
Why it matters: Sets the loop—resignation without surrender, phrased like a confession.

“Please Mr. Kennedy” — Justin Timberlake, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver
Where it plays: NYC studio session; Jim grins through takes while Al Cody booms ad-libs (diegetic/in-session).
Why it matters: Comic gold that pays the rent; the catch: buyout money, no royalties.

“Five Hundred Miles” — Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan, Stark Sands
Where it plays: Gaslight harmony turn by Jim, Jean, and Troy as Llewyn watches from the crowd (diegetic).
Why it matters: A clean, marketable sound—warmth he can’t or won’t deliver.

“The Death of Queen Jane” — Oscar Isaac
Where it plays: Chicago audition for Bud Grossman (Gate of Horn) in an empty room (diegetic).
Why it matters: Stark, beautiful…and commercially hopeless. One song, one verdict.

“Shoals of Herring” — Oscar Isaac
Where it plays: Nursing-home visit with Llewyn’s father; a tender try at connection (diegetic).
Why it matters: The past won’t answer back; the performance lands on silence.

“Green, Green Rocky Road” — (film clip performance by Oscar Isaac; archival album cut by Dave Van Ronk)
Where it plays: Intimate apartment moment / promo clip; on album the Van Ronk version appears (diegetic in scene; archival on disc).
Why it matters: The film nods directly to Van Ronk—the spiritual template for Llewyn’s repertoire.

“Fare Thee Well (Dink’s Song)” — Oscar Isaac & Marcus Mumford (album)
Where it plays: On the record, it stands in for Llewyn’s lost duo act; fragments echo through the film (non-diegetic memory color).
Why it matters: A partnership that no longer exists—musically, he’s missing his other half.

Music–Story Links

The club numbers are x-rays: every choice audible, no strings to hide behind. The studio comedy hits a different nerve—harmony, overdubs, handclaps—the sound of compromise. In Chicago, the audition turns music into judgment. Back home, “Shoals of Herring” tries to bridge a life; the silence after is the answer.

How It Was Made

Sessions unfolded in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville with Burnett’s team; the cast tracked live on set where possible, then doubled in studios for the album. The soundtrack balances new recordings against two era pins—Dylan and Van Ronk—to place a fictional week inside a real scene (as noted by the label and album notes).

Reception & Quotes

Critics singled out the opening/closing symmetry and the studio gag’s precision; the soundtrack became a folk primer for a new audience.

“A coffeehouse time capsule curated with a collector’s ear.” album coverage

“The ‘Please Mr. Kennedy’ session is a perfect joke about art, commerce, and timing.” feature coverage

Additional Info

• Concert spin-off: Another Day, Another Time (Town Hall, NYC) with a multi-artist live album.
• Album sequencing anchors: opener “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me”; closer “Farewell” (Bob Dylan).
• The film’s last club cue crossfades to a young Dylan on stage—history arriving on cue.
• Gate-of-Horn audition scene was a late pick song-wise; the Coens tested options before landing on “Queen Jane.”

Technical Info

• Title: Inside Llewyn Davis (Original Soundtrack Recording)
• Year: 2013
• Type: Film soundtrack (new recordings + 2 archival tracks)
• Producers: T Bone Burnett; Joel & Ethan Coen; artist-producers on select tracks
• Label: Nonesuch / Warner
• Recording hubs: Avatar (NYC); Olympic & The Village (LA); Sound Emporium & House of Blues (Nashville)
• Selected placements: “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me” (Gaslight bookends); “Please Mr. Kennedy” (studio session); “Five Hundred Miles” (Gaslight trio); “The Death of Queen Jane” (Chicago audition); “Shoals of Herring” (nursing-home visit).

Canonical Entities & Relations

Subject	Relation	Object
Inside Llewyn Davis (film, 2013)	directed by	Joel Coen; Ethan Coen
Inside Llewyn Davis (Original Soundtrack Recording)	produced by	T Bone Burnett; Joel & Ethan Coen
Nonesuch Records / Warner Music	released	the soundtrack album
Oscar Isaac	performed	“Hang Me, Oh Hang Me”; “The Death of Queen Jane”; others
Justin Timberlake; Adam Driver	performed	“Please Mr. Kennedy” (with Oscar Isaac)
Justin Timberlake; Carey Mulligan; Stark Sands	performed	“Five Hundred Miles” (in-film)
Bob Dylan	archival track	“Farewell”
Dave Van Ronk	archival track	“Green, Green Rocky Road”

Sources: Nonesuch Records album page; Discogs & Apple/Spotify storefront listings; ScreenRant scene guide; Vanity Fair feature on the “Please Mr. Kennedy” scene; Rolling Stone clip note on “Five Hundred Miles”; Criterion/Reverse Shot essays; Vulture interview (Coens on the audition song); film pages & official trailers.

It is controversial film about hard days of a folk singer, depicted by Oscar Isaac. His screen partner, who loves him and hates him simultaneously, is depicted by Carey Mulligan – the same girl, who was the love of the entire life of Leo DiCaprio’s character in Great Gatsby. The film was represented at several Oscars & Golden Globes & was even named as one of the best films of 21st century, according to opinion of respected 170+ critics in the USA. Sure, it has be so – as it is profound, very touching & deep, masterfully shot by Coen brothers. Many observers hit it 5 stars of out 5, acknowledging its extreme perfection, embodied in gray colors of lives & surrounding landscape. Justin Timberlake is another actor here and he is also a singer – Five Hundred Miles and Please Mr. Kennedy are performed by him in co-authorship with other actors-singers of this movie. In addition to the fact that the most part of songs was performed live and written for this film and in this film, the cast is fully capable of singing and so the casting directors must have done a double job, by not only auditioning but also making hearings. The songs are what Mr. Isaac sings in the plot – folk. Therefore, the biggest part has the same down mood and gloomy lyrics, as the film and all its tree official trailers. In addition to actors’ singing, at least one professional is included in the soundtrack – Bob Dylan with his Farewell (unreleased studio version). This song depicts large grief, when a guy has to leave, though he has love here. He hopes he will hear from his lover about her laughter & tears in the future while he’ll be away. Actually, it is one of the most well known songs of this performer, which was covered by many and it is ideal for this film’s trailer, as it has all: folk nature, mood of sadness and lyrics of hope.

November, 11th 2025

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