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Queen Jane Approximately Lyrics

When your mother sends back all your invitations
And your father, to your sister, he explains
That you're tired of yourself and all of your creations,
Won't you come see me Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me Queen Jane?

Now when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you
And the smell of their roses does not remain
And all of your children start to resent you,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

Now when all the clowns that you have commissioned
Have died in battle or in vain
And you're sick of all this repetition,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

When all of your advisers heave their plastic
At your feet to convince you of your pain
Trying to prove that your conclusions should be more drastic,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

Now when all the bandits that you turned your other cheek to
All lay down their bandanas and complain
And you want somebody you don't have to speak to,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
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Cover art for Queen Jane Approximately lyrics by Bob Dylan

First off, I'd like to agree that I don't think it's about pot. But in going with what someone said earlier that it's about Dylan himself, it does seem to be a pretty good fit.

The song is about someone who has grown distasteful to those around them. They long for someone to speak to, and the singer is the one person they can turn to. Maybe Dylan is just wishing he had someone there to speak to.

He had a lot of people that weren't there for him anymore, and seemed to feel alienated from:

He basically ran away from home very early in his life and changed his name.

He made a lot of friends in The Village, some of whom felt betrayed or that Dylan put on a false persona.

His first major love left to study art in europe which he was obviously hurt...it shows in some of his earlier work.

Also, a great amount of his earlier work was based in political protest and as he moved away from that basis, many of the folk singers and a great deal of his earlier fan base felt betrayed.

Basically, he was sick of the repetition (such as that of creating the same songs over and over in his protest years). His children (fans) were beginning to resent him...although he obviously made a lot of new fans with this album. The clowns, or businessmen (from the sounds of it), probably got in the way of just being able to make music as did the advisors. The bandits could also be the protest singers or his acquiantences from the village.

It makes sense to me anyways. Just one interpretation among many though.

Cover art for Queen Jane Approximately lyrics by Bob Dylan

Dylan Said Queen Jane is a Guy, to a reporter a long time ago. And It is probably about himself.

@FreeWheelin It was in a Nora Eprhon interview that Dylan said Queen Jane was a man. That was the finishing touch on my analysis that Queen Jane was Andy Warhol. See my write-up:

https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858503093/?specific_com=73016196602#comments

Cover art for Queen Jane Approximately lyrics by Bob Dylan

You know guys, not everythign has to be about pot, nor is this song "obviously" about pot. In all of his verses, Dylan is speaking to Queen Jane. He references situations "Queen Jane" is oging thourgh, and then offering a cynical solution to come see him. I thin kthe interpretation of Queen Jane ebign someone he knows and is currently in disappro val of his/her current situation is more accurate. Chew on this: If Queen Jane was pot, the nwhat do any of the verses mean:

  1. Mother and father returning invitations to an assumed gathering/wedding due to queen Jane's personal dissatisfaction with her life. Why is weed not happy with it's life:
  2. Second verse is referencing society and their apparent nonsubstantiated promises existence. So weed was promised a fake and fleetign lifestlye with the upper crust of society. Hardly.
  3. Third verse...the commmisioned clowns. Could be fake friends, yes-men, employees hired for various support. These people again ahve failed her and are not what they seem to be. Why is Queen Jane (or weed as you infer) surrounding itself with these people. Weed is not a perosn, and the use of weed is also not as concrete as tosuggest Bob is talking to it.
  4. Fourth verse: The advisours/therapists/doctors are thowing plastic (prescrioption pills/medication) at Queen Jane, looking for a quick fix ,and a way to justify her failings. Again, weed makes no sense.
  5. Fifth and final. THe laying down of her adversaries. now that the drama is over, she let these bad guys do what they did, ofrgave them and now is left feelign empty. What now? Kinda a verse refering to the revelation that taking her higher road is not as satisfying as it shiould have been.

Queen Jane approximately is a reference to a person Bob knows, a person caught up in his/her lifestyle of misplaced morals and pursuits. A person Bob wishes better for and hopes she will see the light.
Maybe I am wrong, but weed makes no sense here.

Cover art for Queen Jane Approximately lyrics by Bob Dylan

Hm.. i do think this song is autobiographical. my interpretation does make it seem that queen jane is marijuana though..

verse 1: When your mother sends back all your invitations And your father, to your sister, he explains That you're tired of yourself and all of your creations, Won't you come see me Queen Jane? Won't you come see me Queen Jane? -this verse seems to be about dylan going electric, and the "mother" "father" "sister" figures may be people close to dylan who dont support the idea of him going electric.

verse 2: Now when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you And the smell of their roses does not remain And all of your children start to resent you, Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? -"flower ladies" are all of the physically appealing women that dylan has spent time with, but none of them have left a mental impression on him. i cant quite explain the line about children, but again this verse has a nuance of being unwanted, unappreciated.

verse 3: Now when all the clowns that you have commissioned Have died in battle or in vain And you're sick of all this repetition, Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? -in this verse i think clowns he has commissioned are band members he's teamed up with over the years. the line about repetition clearly states that he was tired of acoustic stuff and just wanted a change.

verse 4: When all of your advisers heave their plastic At your feet to convince you of your pain Trying to prove that your conclusions should be more drastic, Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? -Hm. i believe advisors are the people who sign dylan to musical contracts and get him record deals. they "heave their plastic"--(cd's, tapes, records). the other part of this verse means that producers and fans wanted dylan to have all of this turmoil and sadness in his life that he may not have had at the time.

verse 5: Now when all the bandits that you turned your other cheek to All lay down their bandanas and complain And you want somebody you don't have to speak to, Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? -i have no reasonable explanation for this last verse.. but that's just what i got out of the song

hope it wasn't hogwash to all of you

The family in the first verse are the folk "family" who doesn't want him to go electric and thereby abandon them.

"Flower ladies" is Joan Baez, queen of the folk movement, and the children are the folk fans? The flower ladies feel resentful that they gave him help in climbing up to the fame of the folk movement, and now he has tossed it all away.

I agree w/ his boredom of the folk movement, but I don't think he would consider his bandmates "clowns," plus he didn't have any when he was solo (folk), only...

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Cover art for Queen Jane Approximately lyrics by Bob Dylan

You all are correct about the song.

Bob Dylan's songs and every song in the world means something different to each and every person.

What does it matter what Bob Dylan intended the message to be? I think if he really gave 2 shits about that he would have written a book about all meanings.

I guess if your a "music know it all" and must know the reason the song was written and the meaning, then your not really experiencing the point of this music.

Dont get me wrong, I love song history but no need to debate what the song is about. Unless you enjoy doing that, but seems like a waste of time to me.

Just post what this song means to you and carry on. yeah?

finally! i like ur post :)

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Cover art for Queen Jane Approximately lyrics by Bob Dylan

I always thought it was about some girl that Dylan was infatuated with, but she thinks she is too good for him because she is too popular (hence the irony in the title).

Basically Dylan is saying that when all her worshippers desert her and she learns the transience of popularity then she can still turn to him. He comes across as rather pathetic now that I think of it.

Still, this is my favourite Dylan song after Desolation Row. I love the imagery.

Cover art for Queen Jane Approximately lyrics by Bob Dylan

possitevely, aproximetely, obviously five believers. By that time I think he was just playing with the names of their songs

absolutely

(:-P)

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Cover art for Queen Jane Approximately lyrics by Bob Dylan

this song is almost certainly entirely about joan baez, and definitely isn't even slightly about pot. beyond the simple jean/jane similarity, lines like...

"Now when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you And the smell of their roses does not remain"

"Now when all the bandits that you turned your other cheek to All lay down their bandanas and complain"

"And you're sick of all this repetition"

...make it abundantly clear. if it's not about joan baez, it certainly is a remarkable coincidence that this song is completely consistent with bob dylan's attitude towards joan baez at about exactly the time he wrote and recorded this song.

i agree Pato this is all about Joan and his dissafection with the Newport Folkies..."all your children start to resent you" I believe is about the younger generation forced to go to the festival and listen begrudgingly to the same old songs. Queen Jane...Queen Joan of Folk!!!

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Cover art for Queen Jane Approximately lyrics by Bob Dylan

Of course this song is about Joan Baez! definately not about pot. and he only says things like 'its about a man' to make it sound more interesting and like everyone has actually missed the point entirely. but whatever its about it is an awesome song, one of my favourites!

Cover art for Queen Jane Approximately lyrics by Bob Dylan

i agree with the idea that its about a girl he liked but turned him down because she thought she was too good for him and the "Queen" part is ironic. just listen to the harshness and bitterness in his voice when he sings "Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?"

people who say Dylan couldn't sing are WRONG.