| Bob Dylan – Shelter from the Storm Lyrics | 9 months ago |
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There is a tendency to assign some vast metaphorical meaning to this song as a whole. While there are a number of metaphors in the lyrics themselves overall I believe the song is nothing but a mostly linear recitation of events and circumstances in the life of Jesus imagined and narrated by Dylan using first-person perspective. I am of this opinion given that a great deal of Dylan’s songs do just this-tell a story. I will give a plausible explanation of this line of thought verse by verse that will apply pertinent meanings to the most relevant of the verses. Along with this I will delineate the idea of a changing definition of “she” which I feel applies to differing entities as the song plays out. Dylans usage of the feminine pronoun for all entities shows the importance of women in Jesus’s life. To be clear as I see it Dylan wrote these lyrics expressing the events and circumstances of Jesus life as well as his associated thoughts and feelings as Dylan saw them, real or imagined. My explanation interprets what Dylan meant by his lyrics, not what Jesus did or thought. At least I hope I am clear. It was in another lifetime, one of toil and blood When blackness was a virtue the road was full of mud I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form "Come in," she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm" This verse opens the song with a reference point to the time in which it takes place. In the second line “Blackness” defines the absence of Christianity and its “light”. Also describing blackness as a virtue could point to the troubles Christians had later. “Void of form” would describe Jesus before placement in the womb. This was not a normal conception and the “embryo” at this point is a spiritual being. This makes the “she” in this verse and the next two the Virgin Mary. And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word In a world of steel-eyed death and men who are fighting to be warm "Come in," she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm" This is an acknowledgement of the torment and pain Mary felt as Jesus was persecuted. Dylan portrays Jesus as remorseful and promising to do differently during a possible “next time”. Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved Everything up to that point had been left unresolved Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm "Come in," she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm" The first line states that Jesus did not communicate with Mary before the Incarnation and it would seem a normal pregnancy to outsiders. This makes sense because of the Annunciation. The second line implies the totality of Gods plan was yet to be completed. But the next line is most telling. What is more safe and warm than the womb and at this point he is placed there. Although implicit this is a defining statement to the explanation of the song as a telling of the life of Jesus as it is an actual event. I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail Poisoned in the bushes and blown out on the trail Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn "Come in," she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm" Much time has passed before the story continues with this verse and when it does continue the persecution, pain and suffering have begun. Taken together these first three lines have to be one of the most expressive descriptions of a thought while at the same time using the least amount of wording possible. Only a wordsmith of the highest level could convey the persecution of Jesus so forcefully in a song. And then how does Jesus assuage his torment according to Dylan? With his faith. While staying consistent within the song Dylan changes this occurrence of “she” to be the faith of Jesus. Another defining statement. Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns "Come in," she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm" Immediately Dylan has introduced a new personage as “she”. Who is this “she”? Does the silver imply wealthy? Do the flowers imply carefree? Both of these have been used as descriptive of Mary Magdalene. Given the closeness of their relationship I believe she is “she” in this verse. Supposedly she was of great comfort to Jesus. Also she has been the subject of controversy. What happened between her and Jesus? Was it more than a friendship? I won’t weigh in on that but it would allow “took my crown of thorns” to give a new meaning to ‘“Come in” she said’. Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost I took too much for granted, I got my signals crossed Just to think that it all began on an uneventful morn Come in, she said I'll give ya shelter from the storm Here Jesus has been arrested, I.e. the ‘wall between us’ with us being he and Mary M and other apostles. Somehow the relationship between Jesus and the apostles has been lost as most of the apostles have scattered, not to mention the betrayal and the denial. In the second line Jesus begins self-reflection determining himself to have misunderstood his situation and continuing the same from the beginning. “She” is now the process of self-reflection. Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn Come in, she said I'll give ya shelter from the storm Any attempt by me to assign meaning to these individual lines would be plagiaristic. But this is definitely the time of the crucifixion(nails, mount, undertaker, doom) and the “she” is the anticipation of salvation. I’ve heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove And old men with broken teeth stranded without love Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn Come in, she said I'll give ya shelter from the storm This one is above my pay grade….I’ve got nothing. In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes I bargained for salvation and she gave me a lethal dose I offered up my innocence I got repaid with scorn Come in, she said I'll give ya shelter from the storm Another actual event depicted in the first line-explicit and documented in the Bible. This can only be the life of Jesus. The next two lines are a little more murky but seem to denote the exclamations by Jesus of “My God! My God! Why have thou forsaken me!”. At this point Jesus feels abandonment and the loss of Gods presence. Nothing left but….death(“she”). Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born Come in, she said I'll give ya shelter from the storm The first two lines here describes Jesus after the Resurrection but before the Ascension with the knowledge he is going to heaven(Beauty) soon. Next are wistful thoughts of having a second chance with “her” (Mary M, ”she”) who he wishes could again offer him “shelter from the storm”. |
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