Alex+Baiocco+-+Bob+Dylan


 * "The Times They Are A-Changin' "**

Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You'll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you Is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide The chance won't come again And don't speak too soon For the wheel's still in spin And there's no tellin' who That it's namin'. For the loser now Will be later to win For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call Don't stand in the doorway Don't block up the hall For he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalled There's a battle outside And it is ragin'. It'll soon shake your windows And rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don't criticize What you can't understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your old road is Rapidly agin'. Please get out of the new one If you can't lend your hand For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn The curse it is cast The slow one now Will later be fast As the present now Will later be past The order is Rapidly fadin'. And the first one now Will later be last For the times they are a-changin'.

“The Times They Are A-Changin’” is one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs because of the way it captures the social atmosphere of the time in which it was written. Dylan wrote this song in 1963, and as you all know, the times really were changing in a dramatic way in 1960s. In this song, Dylan seems to be almost warning people to prepare for these changes. In each of the first four stanzas, he addresses a different group of people. In the first stanza, he simply addresses all people. In this first stanza, Dylan uses water as a symbol for the changes which are taking place. He is telling the people that these changes are unavoidable and cannot be stopped (like rising water), and if they refuse to accept the emerging new society, they will simply “sink like a stone.” In the next three stanzas, Dylan specifically addresses the leaders of society. However, when I say leaders, I do not necessarily mean that in the positive sense of good role models or people who have accomplished great things for society. These people simply have authority, and Dylan is telling them to either hop on board or get out of the way. “Writers and critics” have the power to influence society as well as record the happenings of society. Dylan tells them to “keep [their] eyes wide” because they’ll soon have a lot to write about. “Senators, congressmen” have the ability to make and change laws, and Dylan is asking them to respond to the call for change. In the fourth stanza, Dylan addresses parents. During the 1960s, many teenagers rebelled against their parents and even ran away from home, and for many, their parents were a symbol of the backward society which they sought to change. Although Dylan seems to be calling out all of these people for hindering positive changes, he still invites them to participate in the movement. []


 * "My Back Pages"**

Crimson flames tied through my ears Rollin’ high and mighty traps Pounced with fire on flaming roads Using ideas as my maps “We’ll meet on edges, soon,” said I Proud ’neath heated brow Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now

Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth “Rip down all hate,” I screamed Lies that life is black and white Spoke from my skull. I dreamed Romantic facts of musketeers Foundationed deep, somehow Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now

Girls’ faces formed the forward path From phony jealousy To memorizing politics Of ancient history Flung down by corpse evangelists Unthought of, though, somehow Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now

A self-ordained professor’s tongue Too serious to fool Spouted out that liberty Is just equality in school “Equality,” I spoke the word As if a wedding vow Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now

In a soldier’s stance, I aimed my hand At the mongrel dogs who teach Fearing not that I’d become my enemy In the instant that I preach My pathway led by confusion boats Mutiny from stern to bow Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats Too noble to neglect Deceived me into thinking I had something to protect Good and bad, I define these terms Quite clear, no doubt, somehow Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now

I chose to write about “My Back Pages,” first of all because it is another of my favorite Dylan songs, but I also chose to write about it because, for me, it is one of his most puzzling songs. This song is not only confusing because the meanings of some of the lines are difficult to decipher, but also because Dylan seems to be speaking against the ideals for which he once fought. The first stanza is, to me, by far the most difficult to understand, and I look forward to finding criticism which might help explain some of the imagery in this stanza. Overall, I think that this song expresses Dylan’s disillusionment with the counterculture movement. Obviously, he did not give up on fighting for social justice. He is simply saying that he was once naïve, over-confident, and hypocritical, and he is now deciding to move in a new direction. He looked at things too simply and thought it would be easy. This song is a reality check for Dylan. The final two lines of each stanza, “Ah, but I was so much older then; I’m younger than that now,” are also rather confusing because it seems that the words younger and older should switch positions. I think that this is Dylan’s way of saying that although he is disillusioned, he is still a part of the movement. Typically, wisdom is associated with being older, but in this repeated verse, Dylan associates ignorance with being older. He is admitting that he had become too much like the older generation, too confident and firm in his beliefs, but now he has returned to the open-mindedness and less aggressive nature of youth. Maintaining a youthful outlook on life is obviously extremely important to Dylan, and this theme is present in several of his songs, most notably “Forever Young.” []


 * "All Along the Wachtower"**

There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief, "There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief. Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth, None of them along the line know what any of it is worth."

"No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke, "There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke. But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate,  So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late.

"All along the watchtower, princes kept the view While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.  Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,  Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.

“All Along the Watchtower” is one of my all time favorite songs and probably one of the most widely covered songs. In fact, when I say that it is one of my favorite songs, I am not talking solely about Dylan’s version. I enjoy renditions by Jimi Hendrix, Dave Matthews Band, and Grateful Dead equally as much as the original music by Dylan. However, each of these versions is completely different, which is part of the reason why I love the song so much. I have struggled for quite some time with coming up with the meaning of Dylan’s lyrics, and I have actually done a little research in the past to see others’ opinions on the meaning. The best interpretation that I could come up with is that “the Joker” is Jesus. In the first stanza, Jesus is talking to the thief next to him on the cross. The “Businessmen” are Jesus’ disciples, specifically the Apostles who drank his blood at the Last Supper. They do not realize the extraordinary significance of the wine they have drunk and what it, as well as his death on the cross, will do for all of humanity. In the second stanza, the thief tells Jesus that humanity will never truly appreciate what he has done for them because too many people take life for granted and live only for themselves. The third stanza could be referring to the guards standing at the foot of the cross and the women who came to visit Jesus’ hanging body. I have no idea what the last two lines mean except that they seem to be foreshadowing something bad that is about to happen. This interpretation of the song could be entirely different from Dylan’s original intention, and even if the song is actually about Jesus, Dylan was probably more concerned with relating the song to his current times. Also, if the song is about Jesus, why does Dylan call him a Joker? It could be because, in relation to the happenings of modern society, Jesus’ message of love seems almost laughable and entirely unrealistic. Dylan uses a basic AABB rhyme scheme, but I was unable to find any significance to this structure. Obviously, this song is up to much interpretation, and Dylan’s original intent may never be known. [] Bob Dylan [] Dave Matthews Band


 * "Like a Rolling Stone" **

Once upon a time you dressed so fine You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you ? People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall" You thought they were all kiddin' you You used to laugh about Everybody that was hangin' out Now you don't talk so loud Now you don't seem so proud About having to be scrounging for your next meal.

How does it feel How does it feel To be without a home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone ?

You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely But you know you only used to get juiced in it And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it You said you'd never compromiseWith the mystery tramp, but know you realize He's not selling any alibis As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes And say do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone ?

You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns When they all come down and did tricks for you You never understood that it ain't no good You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat Ain't it hard when you discover that He really wasn't where it's at After he took from you everything he could steal.

How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone ?

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made Exchanging all precious gifts But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe You used to be so amused At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.

How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone ?

“Like a Rolling Stone” is probably Bob Dylan’s most popular song. The most prevalent themes in the song are hypocrisy and false pride, which can be found in many of Dylan’s songs. Like many of his songs, “Like a Rolling Stone” has a lot to do with the turbulence and the movement of the 1960s. The song is extremely accusatory and is apparently about a woman who has lost all of her money and is now living on the streets. The woman used to laugh at the poor people and basked in her wealth and good fortune. She has lived a life of privilege and had no sympathy for those less fortunate than her and certainly never thought that she would be anywhere close to in the situation of the bums she used to pass on the street. In my opinion, this woman symbolizes the conservative upper class of the 1960s. Dylan is criticizing them for having little to no regard for those less fortunate than them. And more broadly, this song can relate to all of us. Often times, like the woman in the song, we are so content with our lives that we do not think about the people living on the streets or starving in other countries. Dylan essentially tells the listener to take a walk in their shoes. In fact, it could happen to any of us, just like it happened to this woman. For me, the most striking line in the song, which is repeated twice in the refrain, is “how does it feel.” Dylan is entirely unsympathetic to this woman who is now living as a beggar. He seems to be sticking a finger in her face saying now you know what it’s like. This is a very puzzling aspect of the song for me because Dylan is criticizing the woman for being unsympathetic while he himself is unsympathetic towards her.

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