Don't Think Twice, It's All Right

A few days ago I listened to this song about 9000 times in a row and realized that I've been in a situation almost exactly like this. He loves her so much, but the relationship just isn't working out. She won't commit. She won't call out his name, turn on her light, et cetera. He really really loves her, but she wasted his time, she wouldn't take what he could give but only wanted what he couldn't give. He wants to stay, and he wants her to be able to commit so that he can, but she won't. He says the really hard stuff in here. Even though he loves her, he's willing to tell her that she really screwed up a good thing. - I absolutely love this song. So much.

So long, honey, babe Where I'm bound, I can't tell Goodbye's too good a word, babe So I'll just say fare thee well I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind You coulda done better but I don't mind You just kinda wasted my precious time But don't think twice, it's all right

this is one of the greatest verses ever written--there's so much meaning in this last part of the song. "you coulda done better but i don't mind, you just kinda wasted my precious time." those are some intense words right there. dylan rules

I think this song is one of the best ever written.

i looked at it today from a seperate angle when i read dylan's comments in the album's liner notes. i took "dont think twice, its alright" to be a reminder of yourself. dylan mentioned something about how sometimes its hard to get up in the morning and he visions himself saying this to himself. "everything's gonna be ok." "dont worry, dont think twice." i think the whole girl thing could be easily flipped into a metaphor for life and circumstance. but as moods allow it could always be a post-love song.

I think two lines in this song can sum up all the feelings of resentment felt by anyone and everyone who has every listened with their heart and not just their ears. These two lines also portray how (I think) Dylan truly feels about the situation which lead him to write this song and how he is going to handle it / move on.

"But goodbye's too good a word, babe So I'll just say fare thee well"

The first line is pretty straight forward and self explanatory, he doesn't want to use the word "goodbye" because that would be a wrongful and misleading word to sum up their relationship (Dylan and Suze). Mainly because the fact that there was never any true "good" intentions of Suze leaving, I feel as though she always knew she would stay in Italy indefinitely. And then the second line is pure genius - "So I'll just say fare thee well". "Fare thee well" sounds almost exactly like "fairly well" and there is no doubt in my mind that the creative genius who is Dylan, did not do this on accident. That line was meant to sum up in a whole what those two had. It could have been "good" but it turned out to be "fairly well". "Fairly well" is also a synonym for "all right" which is how Dylan thinks of how things will turn out --> not good, not bad...just all right.

This song is about the true reality of lost love, with little hints hidden here and there about what could have been. Pure genius.

a mutual split. we both were wrong. let's just leave it at that and hold no grudges?

one of my Dylan faves, was covered by Mike Ness of Social Distortion.

I definetely agee with the cynical thing.

The lines

Goodbye's too good a word, babe So I'll just say fare thee well

and

I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind You coulda done better but I don't mind You just kinda wasted my precious time

among others definetely support that case. In the first lines I quoted, he's basically saying that she doesn't even deserve to be told good bye; thus he only states fare thee well, a lesser farewell statement. In the second set of quoted lines he's basically saying she was unkind (even to an extent if you consider the meaning literal) and then goes on to say she wasted his time. A wasting of time isn't something to be taken lightly, it's a serious attack on their relationship.

I definetely think this is a bitter break-up between Dylan and his ex, and that she was mainly in the wrong.

I agree with the breakup idea as well but also have another theory. For me it sounds like he loves someone who didn't love him back, maybe a friend who wouldn't know what they could have got before it was too late.

Well, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe If you don't know by now

^ Wonder why he has left? Because she didn't like him and he couldn't take it?

And it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe That light I never knowed

^ Turning on your light could refer to loving him or pretending to love him to make him stay - or perhaps realising too late that she might love him

But I wish there was somethin' you would do or say To try and make me change my mind and stay

^ He still loves her and if she would say the right things he definately could be pursuaded to stay but he knows that she won't

So it ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal Like you never did before

^ No point saying that she lvoes him to make himstay because he has realised that she never will love him the way he loves her

I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind You coulda done better but I don't mind You just kinda wasted my precious time

^ She probably knew how he felt but tried to ignore it cause she liked him as a friend and nothing more and didn't want to hurt that

I think the title isn't meant to be malicious, he genuinely loves her but realises she doesn't love him so has to get away - he holds no grudges though.

That's how I've always seen it!

I've love the line.

“I'm thinking and wandering walking all the way down the road. I once loved a woman, a child I am told. I gave her my heart but she wanted my soul. “

I believe even though the song is about Dylan leaving her behind, he is saying that he did dearly love her & gave her everything he could.

""I gave her my heart.""

but that wasn’t enough for her. She wanted more than he could give.

""she wanted my soul""

i looked at it today from a seperate angle when i read dylan's comments in the album's liner notes. i took "dont think twice, its alright" to be a reminder of yourself. dylan mentioned something about how sometimes its hard to get up in the morning and he visions himself saying this to himself. "everything's gonna be ok." "dont worry, dont think twice." i think the whole girl thing could be easily flipped into a metaphor for life and circumstance. but as moods allow it could always be a post-love song.