Ringing True

Time passes slowly up here in the mountains,
We sit beside bridges and walk beside fountains,
Catch the wild fishes that float through the stream,
Time passes slowly when you're lost in a dream.

Time Passes Slowly - New Morning - 1970

I'm not usually one for flowery language that illustrates the setting - in music or literature - but with Dylan it all flows so naturally and contributes seamlessly to the picture of the song. In this case, that picture is a masterpiece as Dylan uses a bare bones arrangement to weave a powerful theme of love lost (what else with Dylan).

And who hasn't felt time passing slowly when they're searching for love, lost in a dream or living in the mountains?

The album sort of hits me as a Blonde on Blonde meets Nashville Skyline, but perhaps I'm giving it to much credit. Though I will contend it gets lost in the shuffle when talking about the great Dylan albums.

Same Old Rat Race

Insanity is smashing up against my soul
You can say I was on anything but a roll
If I had a conscience, well I just might blow my top
What would I do with it anyway
Maybe take it to the pawn shop

Highlands - Time Out of Mind - 1997

Although Dylan's career, in the qualitative sense, was revived in the early 90's with Good as I Been to You and World Gone Wrong both full of beautiful covers of traditional folk songs, this album really cemented Dylan's comeback and provided a kind of roadmap for his future endeavors.

In that vein these lyrics draw on my very favorite thing about Dylan. His talent for introspection. He's just wondering around the earth examining the world, looking for meaning and happiness, just like all of us - he just does it in the most beautiful and poetic way ever created. I can't imagine how much he was hurting writing this.

Highlands is over 16 minutes long but worth a full listen.

Mrs. Henry, I'm ready for the broom

"City's just a jungle, more games to play
Trapped in the heart of it, trying to get away
I was raised in the country, I been workin' in the town
I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down"

Mississippi - Tell Tale Signs (Time out of Mind Outtake) - 2008

I recall the first time I left DC, I let out a huge sigh of relief on the drive up 95 to my hometown. "Glad I'm out of that mess, think I left just in time" I said to myself. And then a few years pass and as life goes, maggie moved me out of the cozy confines of new york city and back into the dreaded swamp of the district.

Somehow foolishly I thought maybe a few years older I'd take a better shine to the fear and loathing of politics. No dice, the depravity down here is at a sinister level never to be tempted by any sane person with less then 2 masters degrees and more then a shtickel of asshole repellent. The Douchebags, of course, love the place.

It's where the term inorganic probably originated, the city streets themselves designed and placed just so, not a stop sign out of place. But like the swamp the city was formed upon, the place just stinks of inauthenticity. The people are very fake, very unoriginial and utterly obsessed with themselves and their gooberific fight for the smallest curmodgeon of self importance.

In a recent interview Dylan noted, "Politics is for the well heeled and well groomed. The immacuatly dressed." Well, I'm none of those things. I pine for the long dusty road home. Til then, just gonna keep on keeping on.

Bobby D

First post.  Thanks for the inclusion, Chach.  Believe it or not I am not listening to Bob as I type this here post.  Actually, Billy Joel's recount of recent history "We Didn't Start The Fire" blares from my apartment stereo bringing it all back home.

But more to the point--Bob Dylan.  What can I say?  Genius, reclusive hero, a gem in a barren pop cultural wasteland.  I posed a certain question to myself the other night drunk and more likely than not high.  Paul Simon or Bob Dylan?

Paul Simon's greatest hits careened from my midnight stereo at the time.  Funny, this is a Dylan blog so the answer is obvious in these friendly confines.

Billy Joel's "Down Easter Alexa" now off Storm Front.  Late 80s namesake of my sister.  I used to love this album.

Apologize I am slightly off the plot with this post.  Bob.  How can you blog about Bob?  Just the name itself calls to mind three legends.  Dylan (obviously), Marley, Deniro (in the acting realm).  Also not to be dismissed are Gibson, Feller and the inventor of the Delta blues himself, Robert Johnson.

In high school I actually played Bob Dylan in a history class mini-play.  I remember researching like a madman, trying to get into this elusive madman's head.  I remember distinctly that Bob would rummage through the newspapers, citing headlines, whatever, saying how the truth is crazier than fiction anyway and you couldn't make this stuff up.

Next post I'll throw on some Bob and dissect.  This is blogging warmups, preseason, hope I fit in and more to come.  Peace.

Simple Explanation

"I don't care about economy, I don't care about astronomy, 

But it sure do bother me to see my loved ones turning into puppets,

There's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend."

Album-Slow Train Coming

Song- Slow Train

1979

A few weeks ago I was driving around after work just clearing my mind. Slow Train came up on one of my weekly installments of mixtapes (cds) I make. The song is so relative on many levels. Of course vital lines elude to globalization and the wealthy diplomats, politicians, business men and royal families controlling the masses, especially the average citizen of the world. However, I believe the lines above are the best insight Dylan has ever given about his opinions and beliefs on his impact and legacy handed to him from the 1960's on. Simply put yet so in depth.

Many journalists, artists, educators and audiophiles obsess over the prophet like commentary Dylan has provided his whole career. Not many more guilty than myself. I ponder the question, " Is Dylan that intellectual in his analysis of current events? " I also ponder how aware he is of the specifics of events and situations that Dylan has been noted to be a spokesman for. 

I've starting to firmly believe that Dylan was not a genius for his commentary on life due to his knowledge, however the ability to observe and simplify human conditions. Over his career he's blown away many by philosophizing everyday occurrences into exceptional poetry and imagery. 

"I don't care about economy". Dylan eluding to the idea he's not educated on economics & social sciences ?

"I don't care about astronomy". Dylan eluding to the idea he's not educated in science?

"But it sure do bother me to see my loved ones turning into puppets" Dylan's loved ones are the human interaction and philosophical banter among souls.

"There's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend" Dylan's new phrase confirming the Times Are A' Changin' ... Again.

Is this Dylan's explanation of his severed relationship in the 60's with the media ? Finally stating that he's no expert and poetically explains what he observes in basic human nature?

Very few times in Dylan's career has he explicitly stated the meanings of his songs, in addition very few times its been easy to pinpoint the exact event, person or social issue his songs are about. I consider two tracks "Masters of War" and "Tangled Up In Blue". "Masters of War" trancends generations and will forever. Dylan never confirms a specific country, war or conflict during the song. Instead the commentary can be generally understood to describe any imperialistic notions of the past present and future. He is the outward conscience of the masses who feel disgusted, confused, disillusioned and effected by the war. 

"Tangled Up In Blue" is a classic example in which Dylan seems to be writing exclusively about a romance. However, I think the romance involves actually divorcing his past and moving forward to with a new love interest possibly identified as the next era of experimentation. It may also be a reflection of the transition from folk icon to rock icon.

I'm not assuming that Dylan is ignorant and oblivious to history. I'm assuming he is more interested in discussing points of view as a storyteller rather than discussing the timelines and outcomes of instances he has observed. 

The Golden Rule

"Don't wanna judge nobody, don't wanna be judged,
Don't wanna touch nobody, don't wanna be touched.
Don't wanna hurt nobody, don't wanna be hurt,
Don't wanna treat nobody like they was dirt."

"But if you do right to me, baby,
I'll do right to you, too.
Ya got to do unto others
Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you."

Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others) - Slow Train Coming - 1979


If you guys don't mind, I'll add one of my own.

Don't wanna to rule nobody, don't wanna be ruled.
Don't wanna to conquer nobody, don't want be conquered

Talking to me?

"While one who sings with his tongue on fire
Gargles in the rat race choir
Bent out of shape from society's pliers
Cares not to come up any higher
But rather get you down in the hole
That he's in."

It's Alright Ma, (I'm Only Bleeding) - Bringing it All Back Home - 1965

A friend asked me to send along some "angry" Dylan lyrics to help her escape and find some solace in a bitter twist of fate. Thankfully angry Dylan songs are like Dylan protest songs, that is, by his own account they're all protest songs (and I'd add they're all angry).

What hit me in unexpectedly was my second time reading through this verse and realizing it may just describe yours truly but perhaps that's just external pressure on all of us. Its OK to bend to society's pliers... just gotta make sure you don't break.

And The Locusts Sang

Its that time of the year again and here I am once again without a valentine, but its all good, as Bob would say, life sometimes must get lonely. Dylan provides some relief though, for anyone is ever felt that right feeling inside his words reignite that flame, and even if you don't feel towards someone at the moment you can capture the essence of love in your soul like a memory passed down from The Giver. Here's just two examples:

"If not for you,
Winter would have no spring,
Couldn't hear the robin sing,
I just wouldn't have a clue,
Anyway it wouldn't ring true,
If not for you."

If Not For You - New Morning - 1970


"To be alone with you
At the close of the day
With only you in view
While evening slips away
It only goes to show
That while life's pleasures be few
The only one I know
Is when I'm alone with you."

To Be Alone With You - Nashville Skyline - 1969

Desolation Row

After listening to "Desolation Row" about 6 times in a row I have concluded that I will never attempt to dissect, interpret, understand or decipher any part of this song because its way to heavy and sometimes it gives me nightmares of a freak show circus on acid in which Dylan is urinating on the "American Dream". Well I guess I just put one idea out there but that is it. For the sake of our sanity I think we should all leave it alone. Why am I so afraid of this song ? Am I sniffing drainpipes on...

Stop Pickin' on the Jews

After a long hiatus from society I am returning with a simple thought on a great tune. After being thrown into Ryan Adams complete catalog and solving and great dilemma by concluding "Wonderwall" by Oasis is my favorite song of all time, I feel it I can now refocus on Bob Dylan. Thank you.

Chach

Song-Neighborhood Bully

Album-Infidels

I won't lie, I never attempted to connect with this song until Al threw it out there one day. Interesting enough we are talking about the Jews here man. Leave them be. It will never cease to be an international debate and they will always be wrong.  Israel and Palestine are still in the gird lock they were in over 25 years ago when this record was dropped. Here we go again. Bob writing a timeless classic from a non-scholar point of view that will soak into the minds of any open minded human once they are exposed. I don't think the song is limited to just Israel. It's also a statement for Jews in the diaspora as well. Similar to Africans (which Bob also had incredible insight on) they have faced persecution no matter what they accomplish. Overcoming socio-economic and inherently racist and prejudiced institutions. Thanks to Bob for writing this tune. That's all I really have to say. I'll be getting back into the swing of things. Its "Blonde On Blonde" time again.

dignity was the first to leave

dignity is one of my favorite latter day dylan
songs. originally recorded in 1989 for oh mercy,
it's official release would wait five more years,
appearing in '94 on greatest hits vol.3, then a
live version from 1995's mtv unplugged set.
twenty years ago, bob dylan was on the verge.
to many he was on the verge of has been, what
was no longer, let alone what might be.
but there was something else in the wind, that
being the unexpected success of the traveling
wilbury's and oh mercy. while not a return to
any of the previous vintages, it could be called
a "brand new bob dylan."
dignity is a tune that draws you in with a driving
rhythm, and lyrics of world weary searching:

"I went down where the vultures feed
I would've gone deeper, but there wasn't any need
Heard the tongues of angels and the tongues of men
Wasn't any difference to me"

the vultures had tried to feed on dylan many times.
maybe that's part of the reason he kept moving,
changing, even keeping some of his best work from
release, perhaps sabotaging some of his later studio
recordings, to remain, in a way, under the radar.
dignity and the electric blind willie mctell(left off of
infidels) are only two prime examples. because even
in the 80's a new bob dylan album MEANT SOMETHING
to the critics and fans who wanted the most out of bob
every time, and probably expected a return to the glories
of past achievements. this kind of hunger was something
that the free man in bob dylan never wanted any part of.
it could be said that dylan had been looking for dignity
throughout his career, only to find that his art became
another thing entirely in the rabid hands of the public.
and i guess i'm just as guilty as anyone on that score.

"Someone showed me  a picture and I just laughed
Dignity never been photographed
I went into the red, went into the black
Into the valley of dry bone dreams

So many roads, so much at stake
So many dead ends, I'm at the edge of the lake
Sometimes I wonder what it's gonna take
To find dignity"

in other words,"name me someone who's
not a parasite, and i'll go out and say a
prayer for him."

if you want to read an excellent book on
the recordings of bob dylan, check out
"Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions" by
Clinton Heylin. it's still in print and was
recently updated into the new millenium.

ghost of anonymity

most casual dylan fans probably didn't know
"i'm not there" (the song), before the release
of the film of the same name,but this tiny gem,
hidden deep within the basement tapes(not the
officially released basement tapes), reveals its
beauty and passion quietly, while placing itself
firmly into the "haunted by love and confusion"
canon evidenced throughout bob's career.

"no i don't belong to her
i don't belong to anybody
she's my prize forsaken angel
but she don't care she cries
she's a lone-hearted mystic and she can carry on"

the idea that freedom has it's price in the hunger of
longing, all the while knowing that love is not possession,
and loss can make you both weak and strong , all themes
explored on blood on the tracks, time out of mind, desire,etc.

"now i'll cry tonight, like i cried the night before
and i'll feast on her eyes
but i'll dream about the door
so long, jesus, savior, blind faith worth to tell
it don't have consolation she's my fair thee well"

much like the narrator(s) of don't think twice and isis,
the storyteller wanders once again through time
and space and mind, knowing that loneliness
and emptiness can be self-imposed, and choices
are not always bad or good, right or wrong, coupled
with the hope that he'll get back there one day, and the
next time it will work out, or at least work out differently.
as in "like a rolling stone" the question is directed inward,
"how does it feel?"

"and i'm also hesitating by temptation lest it runs
which it don't follow me
but i'm not there, i'm gone"

in other words,"the only thing i knew how to do..."

if you have yet to rundown a copy of the five disc
genuine basement tapes, make it a priority. if you
love dylan, it's absolutely essential.

Captain Arab's Pick

Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drownin' in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothin' but affection for all those who've sailed with me

Mississippi - Love and Theft - 2001

Many iconic artists are great for a decade or two and legendary artists are great for three, but Dylan crafted this gem in his fourth decade (nearly his fifth!).

His much maligned late career voice is clear and expressive and really I don't think he could make this song work earlier in his career. It has that feeling of infinite experience, of a man who's been through it all and just keeps on keeping on. Its the best explanation of why he keeps performing at such a breakneck speed with so little to accomplish, like MJ in basketball, its his element, where things makes sense and he can communicate who he is and what he believes in.

As for this lyric, it encapsulates my place in life right now perfectly. For better or worse I'm in the District of Columbia (moving from the east village), a place I don't really belong but I feel light and free for I can see the depth of possibility ahead of me and the friends I have are as good as it gets. If I'm going to go down, I'm atleast happy with the boat I'm on.

Rebellion Continued

And if my thought-dreams could be seen
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine
But it's alright, Ma, it's life, and life only.

It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) - Bringing it All Back Home - 1965

Haha. Enough Said.

Let Him Be

I don't want to fake you out,
Take or shake or forsake you out,
I ain't lookin' for you to feel like me,
See like me or be like me.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

All I Really Want To Do - Another Side of Bob Dylan - 1964

The lyrics here resonate with me on a daily basis. Its not so much leave me alone, as it is let me be who I am. There is so much pressure (direct and indirect) applied from work, friends, family and society to conform in every possible way. We're only allowed to be "different" in ways that are pre-screened and safe to express to the world. Why do we allow ourselves to be so conveniently boxed and sold?

Its not that I'm all that radical or crazy but my method of doing things differs from time to time and the judgment of those differences is so maddeningly constant, I can count on one hand the amount of people in this world I can express a thought to without having to think twice how they'll interpret that thought and how it will reflect upon me.

Worse yet, some days I find myself boxing people.

Serve Yourself

You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Gotta Serve Somebody - Slow Train Coming - 1979

I'm sure many people take this in the religious sense or just in the general sense that everyone has a boss or someone they have to report to at the end of the day. This interpretation makes sense but not what I see. I think if we read deeper we see the idea that even those seemingly perfect people (the socialite with the pearls) in life are dealing with their own sets of demons.

Sometimes the world can seem overwhelming, especially when your someone who is very self-aware about their own weaknesses and shortcomings. But lets not forget the doctor, the lawyer, the businessman all have their demons too.

Parents Just Don't Understand

"Although the masters make the rules,

For the wise men and the fools,

I got nothing, Ma, to live up to"

It's Alright Ma, (I'm Only Bleeding)-Bringing It All Back Home-1965

Of course this is one of Dylan's most complex and discussed poems/songs. So many symbolic interpretations and political analysis can be ripped out of every line, however for me this song reflects a personal struggle in satisfying the generations before me. Every time I am asked the golden question "What will you do with your life?", these lines are my response. In fact its the only response that will keep people off my back because for a moment they realize and agree with me that we are all fucked in the end so you should live your life the way you want to. Being under the radar is simply the way to go, though it may break your mother's heart you never became a doctor or lawyer, at least you have control of your own soul, something Americans have sacrificed to be one of the Jones'.  I will not be a pawn, and if I have to I will destroy the system before destroying myself.

That Makes No Sense at All

"She knows there's no success like failure
And that failure's no success at all."

Love Minus Zero/No Limit - Bringing It All Back Home - 1965

I've been turning this phrase over in my head for the last two weeks and like many Dylan lyrics it sounds right but it just doesn't hit me quite square yet. My thesis at the moment is that Dylan is saying that perhaps there is no such thing as true success for we are only successful when we push ourselves to the point where we fail in our achievements. And, at that point, you are not succeeding but merely able to comprehend your own shortcomings. Not sure I agree or even that Bob agrees but interesting thought on a dreary day.

Kissing and Telling

Though we kissed through the wild blazing nighttime,
She said she would never forget.
But now mornin's clear,
It's like I ain't here,
She just acts like we never have met.

I Don't Believe You - (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) - Another Side of Bob Dylan - 1964

Sometimes you encounter a moment of transcendence and you know something is happening at the time but its not until about 20 minutes or 20 hours or 20 days later when the full bounding magnitude of the thing hits you.

I got kissed by a girl on New Years Eve and it was without a doubt one of the top-5 kisses of my life. I don't mean to brag or boast but I've had my share of kisses but if there was ever a kiss that defined the word "spark" this kiss was it.

It was a hungry kiss that sent shivers down my spine, the kinda kiss someone saves up for awhile and just unleashes with stunning feracity. She just unloaded on me and I may have been just as hungry to receive it. I'm not sure how else to describe it except here I am 48 hours later thinking about it - so it must have been damn good.

I hope I see that girl again because if she's bringing that to the table, I want more then one.

Reborn

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'.

- The Times They Are A-Changin' - The Times They Are A-Changin' - 1963

Its time that we stopped talking about change and started achieving it. I'm not really talking about political or social change but rather what we want to do in the world. I'm kind of sick of this existential funk I've been in since the end of college and yes, I realize the irony of posting Dylan lyrics as being exactly that kind of mental masturbation but, I think I've turned that corner. If its grad school or a new job or a new girl I'm just gonna stop asking why or how come and just do. Whats the worst that can happen, we flame out? We reach rock-bottom? So be it. Let's at least go down swinging.

Bobstradamaus ?

"All that foreign oil controlling American soil,
Look around you, it's just bound to make you embarrassed.
Sheiks walkin' around like kings, wearing fancy jewels and nose rings,
Deciding America's future from Amsterdam and to Paris
And there's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend."

Slow Train - Slow Train Coming - 1979

Written in 1979 it remains timeless in discussing our current situation. Very difficult to choose a great set of lyrics from this tune...