| Bob Dylan – Desolation Row Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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Personally, when I hear this song I get the feeling that he's trying to take the rose colored glasses off of the listener. It's like he's bitter and tired of playing along with the delusions of those around him. I'd like to describe it as a bitter, long-winded rant of disgust the country that everyone seems to glorify while turning a blind eye to reality right in front of them. Similar, perhaps to Blowin' In The Wind??? I get the feeling that the last verse is the culmination of his rant... "All these people that you mention, Yes, I know them, they're quite lame. I had to rearrange their faces, And give them all another name. Right now I can't read too good. Don't send me no more letters no, Now unless you mail them From Desolation Row" ... he can't take dancing around the obvious any longer, and maybe that's why he "can't read too good" simply out of pure disgust. He's the one that's on desolation row, where he feels that he's alone, hence the word "desolation", and at the end of this rant or speech, he doesn't want to have to read through the delusion anymore... no more letters "unless they're from desolation row" a.k.a. reality. I think it's very theatrical in that he presents relatable characters acting in familiar situations to portray his idea. Like I mentioned earlier, I feel this song is similar to Blowin' In The Wind, but I've just recently fallen in love with Dylan, and am not sure about whether the two songs were on the same album or written around the same time. |
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