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In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need
When the pool of tears beneath my feet floods every newborn seed
There's a dying voice within me reaching out somewhere
Toiling in the danger and the morals of despair
Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake
Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break
In the fury of the moment I can see the master's hand
In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand
Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear
Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer
The sun beams down upon the steps of time to light the way
To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay
I gaze into the doorway of temptation's angry flame
And every time I pass that way I'll always hear my name
Then onward in my journey I come to understand
That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand
I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night
In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light
In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space
In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face
I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand
When the pool of tears beneath my feet floods every newborn seed
There's a dying voice within me reaching out somewhere
Toiling in the danger and the morals of despair
Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake
Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break
In the fury of the moment I can see the master's hand
In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand
Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear
Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer
The sun beams down upon the steps of time to light the way
To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay
I gaze into the doorway of temptation's angry flame
And every time I pass that way I'll always hear my name
Then onward in my journey I come to understand
That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand
I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night
In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light
In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space
In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face
I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand
Lyrics submitted by Joekubrick, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Every Grain Of Sand Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I am from India. I was raised in a Hindu family. I love Bob in general and I love this song specifically. Though I didn't know the Christian connotations that the lyrics of this song have, I could still relate to the generic meaning of the words, lines and the emotions and thoughts and ideas expressed by the protagonist of this song. After reading about the Biblical references the song was enriched further more for me.
The sense of despair the protagonist tells about is so rich in its understanding of the big picture of this world. Just the recognition, realization of 'Master's hand' in every grains of sand, every trembling leaf is the realization of the silent watcher within us, the one who suffers is someone else that our true consciousness and that we are all one, we are the consciousness experiencing itself subjectively through various forms.
Melody is soothing, the arrangement is calming. Bob's voice so deep and believable. I want to cry now.