Agreed, this song is amazing. I just relistened to Hurricane and once again was struck by the power of his story telling. There is a young artist named Ren who may come to be known as the modern Bob Dylan. WATCH his song, “Hi Ren” to see why I say that.
Ever since Dylan won the Nobel Prize I joked that he could have won it just for 'leopard skin pillbox hat.' But this song, Desolation Row, Visions of Johanna, etc. Is really why he won it.
@@jasonmccluskey3623 The greatest creator of songs ever and the most important artist on the planet, Singer, songwriter, lyricist , Poet, Sculptor welder, Painter,author ,Dj, actor, he has many hands, oh and he makes A decent drop of bourbon,
The old country and western swing performers were reciting and rapping long before this came out .I assume Dylan was influenced by that when he was young
Yes, there is much that can be said about these lyrics. I'll touch on 2 things. First, the rhyming scheme is rather complex. Each line within a stanza rhymes and also the last lines of each stanza rhyme. Check out the lyrics to see what I mean. Second, Bob gave an interview to Ed Bradley around 2004 for the CBS show, 60 Miinutes. Here is some of the dialog: Those early songs were almost magically written,” says Dylan, who quotes from his 1964 classic, “It’s Alright, Ma.” “Try to sit down and write something like that. There’s a magic to that, and it’s not Siegfried and Roy kind of magic, you know? It’s a different kind of a penetrating magic. And, you know, I did it. I did it at one time.” Does he think he can do it again today? No, says Dylan. “You can’t do something forever,” he says. “I did it once, and I can do other things now. But, I can’t do that.”
I like that you mentioned Marcus Aurelius, the same concerns that he had 2000 years ago, are the same as Bob Dylan had 60 years ago, and that you struggle with today...There are some Truths that are Universal and are Real in All , Places and Times , for all Women and Men....
I love it when people get Dylan. You do, a lot don't when you get into Dylan you go deep, my family think I'm insane coz I'm so in to the greatest creator of songs ever
Dylan is one of the few, if perhaps the only, artist who has a monster catalogue of different versions, takes and outtakes from various albums and periods of his life that those who follow him eagerly seek.
There can be no doubt that Dylan was a master lyricist . When some of his 60s stuff came out nobody had ever heard anything like it. One of my favorite musicians of the time was guitar icon Jimi Hendrix, who was absolutely obsessed with Dylan's songs. If you were some sort of literature professor you could devote several semesters to Bob Dylan and not even cover it all and if someone wanted to know what Dylan was about, this song would be a great place to start. Simply incomparable.
This song is probably the single greatest lyrical achievement in modern popular music. It is an incredible tour de force. When it and the album came out it , it stunned everyone. No one had ever heard anything like it. Dylan had already established himself as a great songwriter, he invented the singer-songwriter genre, but this was something else. This was a man already great elevating his game to unfathomable heights. The mid 60's trilogy has never been matched. What a treasure he gave us.
I saw him twice But when I heard his music in the 60s It was so easy to become an addict for his stuff He had a lot to say and said like no one ever has or will again ✌️
The poet Allan Ginsberg said at one time that if you understand one quarter of Dylan's lyrics then you're doing good, or something to that effect. Get what you can from it, but don't try too hard, just dig it. "Gates of Eden" is another masterful song worth hearing that i see no-one reacting to..
Great that you call him a "watcher". In another song the chorus refers to "my warehouse eyes" - which, to me, means that they're looking at EVERYTHING, and storing it up for later. I think this is one of his top five songs (along with Desolation Row, Visions of Johanna, and a couple of others). Good job!!
I always viewed this as a counter culture anthem for the late 60's. It speaks out against the status quo... In fact, it was part of the soundtrack for the movie , "Easy Rider", which you might enjoy watching, Biz.. One of Jack Nicholson's earliest acting roles...
It's a topical song straight out of the headlines which we 60 years later can't draw meaning from in the immediate way listeners of 1965 could. This song was recorded the day that I was born. He was literally singing about me busy being born while everyone around me was busy dying.
There's so much there that you'd have to make an awfully long video to discuss it all. To oversimplify things, I feel like this is just a young man assessing the world he's entering, observing how fucked up it is, and saying "I think I've got this. It's just life." Edit...my favorites are Tombstone Blues and Desolation Row. Tons of funny and ponderable lyrics. Tombstone Blues in particular makes me laugh every time, and I've known the song for 30 years.
I hear you man! There´s always a lot of stuff even in a single line of Dylan´s but you touched some interesting points.There´s a live version of this one in the Before the flood LP from the early 70es where he sings like he was hollering the lyrics at your face.So impressive.
I am in awe of this song because of the lyrics. This one put me mind of Beat poetry and also, strangely enough, of certain rap songs. I also like the fact that is was minimal in the singing - I'm one of those who cant stand Bob's singing voice. However, I do have very deep respect for this iconic songwriter and performer. If you wish to do a deeper dive into this song, I would happily watch it. BTW, I like the fact that you are including more background info on the reviews you are doing lately. I really love rock history and learning the stories and background of artists and the inspriration for the songs they write and perform. If some one else is bored by that, they can just tune it out.
Sometimes a poetic image is so potent that it stays with you the rest of your life, like the way “bent out of shape by society’s pliers” entered my vernacular over 50 years ago, only I shortened it to “bent out of shape”. Fantastic metaphor,Bob - it applies to so many people !
I've been listening to this song (and all other Dylan) since I was young child. My father was a huge Dylan fan... hated it in my younger years, probably because the old man played it when coming home drunk. Was in high school when I became a 'convert'... and it was this song. I've seen Dylan 13 times since 1986... 8 times with my dad. Thanks dad... and rest well, all is forgiven, you were a good man. And I would love to hear your take on 'the ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest'... that song has haunted me since I was little, would love to hear your take.
Spot on man Bob is epic and his cryptic hard arse commentary hits the mark ! He hints at them strikes out profound truths . He has an enormous catalog and genres from political to personal gospel reggae folk rock country jazz So many vocal styles . Lyrically he is without peers . Do ‘ Blind Willie McTell ‘ or ‘ Slow Train Coming ‘ or his later work like ‘ Mississippi ‘ or ‘ It’s Not Dark Yet ‘ or ‘ The Early Roman Kings ‘
It’s rather amusing when black reactors hear this and say “Hey, Bob Dylan invented rap???” Well, no, he didn’t; back in his acoustic period he did lots of “talking blues,” and they were just modernizations of Woody Guthrie’s “talking blues.” There was undoubtedly lots of folk poetry going on in southern culture, black and white, long before the phonograph was invented. Dylan was really a very traditional artist, and was proud of it. Look on the cover - on the coffee table there’s a record by Robert Johnson.
I'm a Dylan fella and I love your shaky perspective of his words. Up to interpretation. As he kinda said.....if I picture a house, I see red and blue but you may see it as yellow and green. It's about perspective. His words may identify with you today with this meaning but tomorrow it may mean something else. It's a perspective point in time. What you decide the words may mean today and their connotations tomorrow are significantly different tomorrow. Up to you!
An amazing song for sure...no one could write lyrics and songs like this...there is only one Bob Dylan...please give "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol" from the Times they are a changing album...painful song about racism and injustice...
Everybody does it’s all right ma I’m only bleeding, but there’s so many more you could do, here’s a list: Like a Rolling Stone Desolation row, William Zanziger Up to me( version 2 ) A hard rains gonna fall We’ll start with those….
Pretty Saro (Unreleased from "Self Portrait" Sessions) Song by Bob Dylan best Dylan voice ever if people think that he can sing just listen this song :)
I don't think bob even knows what he means , i like what you said about a brain dump , there seems like a lot of nonsense and then he dumps a phenomenal line , pretty sure its the holy spirit in charge of his pen
I thin k Dylan knew quite well what he meant in the songs he writes and wrote. All that "it's just songs" is a myth he created tom get people off his back.
Cam I suggest not reading the lyrics while listening for the first time. Just focus on what you're hearing and let the words and music absorb into your soul.
There's a reason Dylan won a Nobel Prize for literature. There has never been a lyricist like him.
Agreed, this song is amazing. I just relistened to Hurricane and once again was struck by the power of his story telling.
There is a young artist named Ren who may come to be known as the modern Bob Dylan. WATCH his song, “Hi Ren” to see why I say that.
People never talk about Dylan's guitar playing enough.
This is song a perfect marriage of lyrics, vocals, and an exquisite acoustic guitar riff.
It's alright Ma...
It's life and life only.....
This line has underpinned my life.
At 70 years old these words are so prescient.
Good work young man.
Ever since Dylan won the Nobel Prize I joked that he could have won it just for 'leopard skin pillbox hat.'
But this song, Desolation Row, Visions of Johanna, etc. Is really why he won it.
Desolation Row & Visions are pure genius. Not a week goes by that I don’t listen to both.
One of the Greatest writers of all time
@@jasonmccluskey3623 The greatest creator of songs ever and the most important artist on the planet, Singer, songwriter, lyricist , Poet, Sculptor welder, Painter,author ,Dj, actor, he has many hands, oh and he makes A decent drop of bourbon,
Dylan had bars before bars were a thing ❤🔥
So true...the first rap song ever....people should recognize that.
The old country and western swing performers were reciting and rapping long before this came out .I assume Dylan was influenced by that when he was young
@@dougieyouJimmy Dean's 'Big Bad John' from 1961 might be the first rap song.
@@musiclover9361 never thought of it that way but you might be right...thanks
@@VIDSTORAGE never thought of that but "Iv'e been Everwhere" by hank snow could be what your talking about
Yes, there is much that can be said about these lyrics. I'll touch on 2 things. First, the rhyming scheme is rather complex. Each line within a stanza rhymes and also the last lines of each stanza rhyme. Check out the lyrics to see what I mean.
Second, Bob gave an interview to Ed Bradley around 2004 for the CBS show, 60 Miinutes. Here is some of the dialog:
Those early songs were almost magically written,” says Dylan, who quotes from his 1964 classic, “It’s Alright, Ma.”
“Try to sit down and write something like that. There’s a magic to that, and it’s not Siegfried and Roy kind of magic, you know? It’s a different kind of a penetrating magic. And, you know, I did it. I did it at one time.”
Does he think he can do it again today? No, says Dylan. “You can’t do something forever,” he says. “I did it once, and I can do other things now. But, I can’t do that.”
Thanks, I never thought of the rhyme scheme that way.
It's called channeling. It comes from a higher source and flows through you.
I miss hearing artists that have a great vocabulary and wield it . Poets are so necessary to a society
no need to miss it, it is there in front of you just a click away
Listen to billy woods
IMHO, this is the wisest song ever. Pure brilliance. God bless you Bob Dylan and everyone else!
I like that you mentioned Marcus Aurelius, the same concerns that he had 2000 years ago, are the same as Bob Dylan had 60 years ago, and that you struggle with today...There are some Truths that are Universal and are Real in All , Places and Times , for all Women and Men....
He made our generation think. Thank you Bob.
When intelligence still ruled in the world of pop- Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, The Band, Neil Young, Pink Floyd etc.
Bob Dylan is unique, a one off, irreplaceable, the likes of whom we will never see again
Dylan's voice: songs that fit the throat.
I love it when people get Dylan. You do, a lot don't when you get into Dylan you go deep, my family think I'm insane coz I'm so in to the greatest creator of songs ever
Dylan is one of the few, if perhaps the only, artist who has a monster catalogue of different versions, takes and outtakes from various albums and periods of his life that those who follow him eagerly seek.
It’s a rare joy seeing the spark of life in someone’s eyes when a Dylan line lands in their mind for the first time. ❤
"Money doesn't talk, it swears"
This song is like Christmas morning for those of us who love lyrics.
There can be no doubt that Dylan was a master lyricist . When some of his 60s stuff came out nobody had ever heard anything like it. One of my favorite musicians of the time was guitar icon
Jimi Hendrix, who was absolutely obsessed with Dylan's songs. If you were some sort of literature professor you could devote several semesters to Bob Dylan and not even cover it all and if someone wanted to know what Dylan was about, this song would be a great place to start. Simply incomparable.
This song is probably the single greatest lyrical achievement in modern popular music. It is an incredible tour de force. When it and the album came out it , it stunned everyone. No one had ever heard anything like it. Dylan had already established himself as a great songwriter, he invented the singer-songwriter genre, but this was something else. This was a man already great elevating his game to unfathomable heights. The mid 60's trilogy has never been matched. What a treasure he gave us.
I saw him twice
But when I heard his music in the 60s
It was so easy to become an addict for his stuff
He had a lot to say and said like no one ever has or will again
✌️
Long live the greatest of all time! A true Nobel Laureate.
With me all of my days through all good, and the worst times .
Those lines, those lines--each one like a flaming arrow straight to the heart. And the reference to Marcus Aurelius was genius. 🔥💓🏹
The poet Allan Ginsberg said at one time that if you understand one quarter of Dylan's lyrics then you're doing good, or something to that effect. Get what you can from it, but don't try too hard, just dig it. "Gates of Eden" is another masterful song worth hearing that i see no-one reacting to..
That's because he has so many.
Greatest song lyrics ever^
Great reaction. This song was featured in the final episode of The Soprano’s .
"It's life and life only"
One of my favourite songs of all time
There's Bob Dylan...then there's everyone else.
Dylan!
Iconic brillance
Great that you call him a "watcher". In another song the chorus refers to "my warehouse eyes" - which, to me, means that they're looking at EVERYTHING, and storing it up for later. I think this is one of his top five songs (along with Desolation Row, Visions of Johanna, and a couple of others). Good job!!
I always viewed this as a counter culture anthem for the late 60's. It speaks out against the status quo...
In fact, it was part of the soundtrack for the movie , "Easy Rider", which you might enjoy watching, Biz.. One of Jack Nicholson's earliest acting roles...
💖BOB💖
One of his best song among plenty.
Love this song so much.
Great reaction. love it. Thanks so much.
Thank you so much for looking into this master.
"Money doesn't talk, it swears" is a hell of a line.
Bob is a poet. Seen him live in 1985 and 1990. (85 with The Band) ❤🫡 Semper Fi brother. (From a 1964 Boomer)
"so much to unpack"....lol.....Iv'e been trying that since 65 and still trying to digest it all...funny how much of it still applies to today huh?
Saw Dylan in March of this year. He's still got it. If you get the chance, jump at it. Try hitting up I Feel A Change Comin On.
At this time Dylan wrote quite a few songs inspired by his experience of being "embraced" by the "establishment."
Rodger McGuinn did a good cover of this song in the movie Easy Rider.
Definitely. It's a heavy song! 🎤💥
It's a topical song straight out of the headlines which we 60 years later can't draw meaning from in the immediate way listeners of 1965 could. This song was recorded the day that I was born. He was literally singing about me busy being born while everyone around me was busy dying.
This is brilliance by Bob and a favorite of mine. I would watch that video Biz! Thank You!
There's so much there that you'd have to make an awfully long video to discuss it all. To oversimplify things, I feel like this is just a young man assessing the world he's entering, observing how fucked up it is, and saying "I think I've got this. It's just life."
Edit...my favorites are Tombstone Blues and Desolation Row. Tons of funny and ponderable lyrics. Tombstone Blues in particular makes me laugh every time, and I've known the song for 30 years.
I hear you man! There´s always a lot of stuff even in a single line of Dylan´s but you touched some interesting points.There´s a live version of this one in the Before the flood LP from the early 70es where he sings like he was hollering the lyrics at your face.So impressive.
Thank you for covering this. It’s my favorite Dylan song and has been one of my favorite songs for at least 20 years. Welcome aboard!
I am in awe of this song because of the lyrics. This one put me mind of Beat poetry and also, strangely enough, of certain rap songs. I also like the fact that is was minimal in the singing - I'm one of those who cant stand Bob's singing voice. However, I do have very deep respect for this iconic songwriter and performer.
If you wish to do a deeper dive into this song, I would happily watch it. BTW, I like the fact that you are including more background info on the reviews you are doing lately. I really love rock history and learning the stories and background of artists and the inspriration for the songs they write and perform. If some one else is bored by that, they can just tune it out.
Sometimes a poetic image is so potent that it stays with you the rest of your life, like the way “bent out of shape by society’s pliers” entered my vernacular over 50 years ago, only I shortened it to “bent out of shape”. Fantastic metaphor,Bob - it applies to so many people !
Dylan was with me in ‘68 in Vietnam
I've been listening to this song (and all other Dylan) since I was young child. My father was a huge Dylan fan... hated it in my younger years, probably because the old man played it when coming home drunk. Was in high school when I became a 'convert'... and it was this song. I've seen Dylan 13 times since 1986... 8 times with my dad. Thanks dad... and rest well, all is forgiven, you were a good man.
And I would love to hear your take on 'the ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest'... that song has haunted me since I was little, would love to hear your take.
In 1965, the Viet Nam war was escalating, and so was opposition to the war. Lots of late 1960s popular music has an anti-war sentiment.
Spot on man Bob is epic and his cryptic hard arse commentary hits the mark ! He hints at them strikes out profound truths . He has an enormous catalog and genres from political to personal gospel reggae folk rock country jazz
So many vocal styles . Lyrically he is without peers . Do ‘ Blind Willie McTell ‘ or ‘ Slow Train Coming ‘ or his later work like ‘ Mississippi ‘ or ‘ It’s Not Dark Yet ‘ or ‘ The Early Roman Kings ‘
You REALLY need to hear his ephos on the JFK assasination, ”murder most foul”
...."Desolation Row" is equally gripping...
❤this one
Dylan, the greatest poet and the first rap artist.
It’s rather amusing when black reactors hear this and say “Hey, Bob Dylan invented rap???” Well, no, he didn’t; back in his acoustic period he did lots of “talking blues,” and they were just modernizations of Woody Guthrie’s “talking blues.” There was undoubtedly lots of folk poetry going on in southern culture, black and white, long before the phonograph was invented. Dylan was really a very traditional artist, and was proud of it. Look on the cover - on the coffee table there’s a record by Robert Johnson.
Once upon a time this song was considered Pop music. 🤔
we’re all gonna be there at the end. Thanks for being you. Keep on
I'm a Dylan fella and I love your shaky perspective of his words. Up to interpretation. As he kinda said.....if I picture a house, I see red and blue but you may see it as yellow and green. It's about perspective. His words may identify with you today with this meaning but tomorrow it may mean something else. It's a perspective point in time. What you decide the words may mean today and their connotations tomorrow are significantly different tomorrow. Up to you!
The important part is how we see it together. It's up to us
A Marcus Aurelius reference? Nice!
Yes dude. Dylan is my man. Would love to see more Dylan reactions from you man
Love love love watching you soaking it all in! Thank you so much for sharing! 😽🎶💕
💙💙
songwriter unmatched simple as that he is a genius with words
Appreciated your insight and commentary to this great Dylan tune 🔥
Spitting lines about the times the 1960s❤
Spitting bars in 65.!!!
Great review of a great song. Thanks.
An amazing song for sure...no one could write lyrics and songs like this...there is only one Bob Dylan...please give "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol" from the Times they are a changing album...painful song about racism and injustice...
Everybody does it’s all right ma I’m only bleeding, but there’s so many more you could do, here’s a list:
Like a Rolling Stone
Desolation row,
William Zanziger
Up to me( version 2 )
A hard rains gonna fall
We’ll start with those….
I am 64 years of age British man bob Dylan and gill Scot heron poets and before I forget Leonard coehn😮😮😮
Great, very respectful reaction 👍 Do "from a Buick 6" - you'll dig it. Let's talk about it.
Jeepers, you're on fire:)
I consider this the first Rap
Bob Dylan was a REwriter.
I'll watch if you print out the lyrics and discuss them in a video - I'm nobody." 🙃
Yep, I would watch it, too.
I would enjoy a deep dive discussion on these lyrics.
..Have you covered "Gates of Eden"? If not, might want to.
So glad to see you discover and appreciate this great poet/song writer. Is this not basically RAP? By a white boy from Minnesota? In 1964?
Somebody probably has done a doctoral thesis on that.
I'm old!, I'm so old I knew Bobby when he went by a DIFFERENT NAME..
Now it's up to you to find out what that was. ( It's worth looking into!) 😅
Gates of Eden?
"Ballad of a thin man"
hitting me where it hurts brother 65 i get it is getting up there. but damn it's the year i was born!!!! Oh well beats the alternative 8 ).
Bob Dylan had more bars than San Quentin
Dylan is Eminem's Papa!
Way before Hip-Hop.
Get Schooled young brother.
Knowledge is Power!
Try blind Willie McTell of the bootleg Vol 1-3 , i guarantee you will not be disappointed.
Pretty Saro (Unreleased from "Self Portrait" Sessions)
Song by Bob Dylan best Dylan voice ever if people think that he can sing just listen this song :)
Speaking of writing, when will you get busy on a new rap record? You need to put those writing skills to use! 😁
I don't think bob even knows what he means , i like what you said about a brain dump , there seems like a lot of nonsense and then he dumps a phenomenal line , pretty sure its the holy spirit in charge of his pen
I thin k Dylan knew quite well what he meant in the songs he writes and wrote. All that "it's just songs" is a myth he created tom get people off his back.
He’s almost rapping but without all the profanity.
Cam I suggest not reading the lyrics while listening for the first time. Just focus on what you're hearing and let the words and music absorb into your soul.
Far too much to talk about on this one - it would take a day or two
Eminem’s writing reminds me of Dylan’s.