My 2 cents FWIW.
It is a great tune. A very emotional melody. Joan Baez’s cover is enjoyable, but not because of her singing, but because it’s a great melody to begin with.
But no one could compliment the melody and lyrics better than Levon Helm. That’s the other half of the equation IMO.
Absolutely agree re. Levon Helm’s vocals. This song pairs really well with their Acadian Diftwood detailing the Acadian migration from Canada to Louisiana giving us our Cajuns.