All Along the Watchtower Lyrics
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief
Businessmen, they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth
There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late
While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl
It's cool that a 35 year old song can still get people to think and more, to discuss meaning. That's the power of poetry. I've been listening to this song since 1968 and have a few thoughts. Back then Dylan was not writing or talking about Jesus at all, certainly not in any way that foreshadowed his conversion experience ten years later. But he had written poetry for a long time about the meaning of life and our dilemmas as thinking beings. What is there to believe in? What has real meaning? is there anyone we can trust? What is the risk of stepping outside the norms and commonplace meanings of things and looking at ourselves directly? This song, I think, borrows a mythical style and setting to set up the problem of meaninglessness in our existence. The two personalities are both outsiders, a joker who lacks conventional dignity and a thief who lacks conventional morality. They are outside of the walls of psychological safety, where the regular social order still holds, despite the threats from wolves and howling winds. I read these as metaphors for the psychological dangers one must face when throwing off easy explanations of life's meaning. One must be very brave to be outside those walls. But there is no going back once you have cast off conventions -"You and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate, let us not talk falsely now the hour is getting late." This is a crisis, he's saying, a crisis of existence itself.
So, it's the opposite of an endorsement of Christianity or any other religion. It's a description of the land where a seeker of truth must find his own way, whatever the dangers may be.
This song, in its three little stanzas, is wonderful writing and courageous personal philosophy. This is why Dylan was and still is considered one of our culture's great voices.
What an insightful comment!
What an insightful comment!
It's funny, I've been searching all over for someone who interpreted the song the way I did. Not to toot our collective horns, but I think this is right. This is an existential song. It's a song about two thinking beings confronting the existential questions of existence.
It's funny, I've been searching all over for someone who interpreted the song the way I did. Not to toot our collective horns, but I think this is right. This is an existential song. It's a song about two thinking beings confronting the existential questions of existence.
"There must be some way out of here, "there's too much confusion --The joker is having an existential crisis. He's saying "Holy shit, I'm really alive in the world, I'm a suffering human being, how do I get out of here?" There's also something suicidal about this, I think--in asking "There...
"There must be some way out of here, "there's too much confusion --The joker is having an existential crisis. He's saying "Holy shit, I'm really alive in the world, I'm a suffering human being, how do I get out of here?" There's also something suicidal about this, I think--in asking "There must be some way out".
"Businessmen they drink my wine." Then the Joker comments on the ignorance-is-bliss blindness of average people, who never ask "Why are we alive?" They drink wine and plow the earth, but they don't know what it's worth--that is, they don't ask why they're doing what they're doing. "No reason to get excited" -- The thief, who's a bit saltier and wiser than the Joker, says "Listen, there's no reason to get excited about all this "existing" stuff. A lot of people have wondered why we exist. "There are many here among us...life is just a joke" Many people who ask existential questions become nihilists--they no longer think that life has any meaning. "But you and I we've been through that" But you and I are not going to think of life as a joke, we're going to keep searching for meaning. We're not going to commit suicide, either. "Let us not talk falsely" So let's not bullshit about accepting meaninglessness or commiting suicide... "Hour is getting late" ...Because life is short and our deaths are coming, buddy.
The third stanza shows the context in which this conversation takes place. Basically, it describes the world of men.
"All along the watchtower"
Not sure what the watchtower is, sadly.
"Princes kept the view"-- In life, some men rule over other men, like kings.
"All the women came and went, barefoot servants too"-- Women and barefoot servants, just like princes, come and go--that is, they're Born, and then they Die.
"Outside in the cold distance a wildcat did growl"
Beyond the walls of man, nature is out there, wild and infinitely mysterious.
"Two riders were approaching"
Death. Death is coming for the princes, the servants, the women, the joker and the thief...and even the wildcat.
It could be (but that is just a supposition) that the joker and the thief are the two people who were condemed at the same that Jesus. Being oppressed Jews from romans occupants for too long they did rebel and commited violents crimes. This ought to be then a methaphore discuusion of the 2 of them before the romans come to bring the execution up. There are other possibilities of course since the imaginary language allow the listene/reader to open his/her imagination....Perhaps we should ask Bobby himself what he meant, if he really had something precise in mind...(: )
It could be (but that is just a supposition) that the joker and the thief are the two people who were condemed at the same that Jesus. Being oppressed Jews from romans occupants for too long they did rebel and commited violents crimes. This ought to be then a methaphore discuusion of the 2 of them before the romans come to bring the execution up. There are other possibilities of course since the imaginary language allow the listene/reader to open his/her imagination....Perhaps we should ask Bobby himself what he meant, if he really had something precise in mind...(: )
I remember reading an article about this song when it first came out (I believe 1968) by Paul Williams in Crawdaddy magazine, which was a cheaply produced, but very serious, intellectual magazine published by Williams. The thing that stuck with me from the article was that Williams compared the structure of the song to a moebius strip (because the starting point of the lyrics is actually in the middle of the song & the song opens with the middle part of the lyrics) & felt it gave the song a claustrophobic feel (because you come into it & leave it in the middle). The starting point would be "All along the watchtower" & then after the line "Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl", the next line would be "There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief", the joker & the thief being the two riders who were approaching, of course. This makes perfect sense to me & seems right. As far as the actual meaning, my own opinion is that it's a philosophical piece about how one finds meaning in a chaotic & very imperfect world. The joker sees this world & can't take it seriously because it's so false & is depressed because he can't find a way to make sense of it. The thief has come to this same realization in his past, but has found a way to move beyond it & create his own meaning. So it is, in effect, a parable about existentialism. Or maybe I'm totally wrong...
Think you're on the right track with the joker's feelings, but do you realize you're trusting the thief to be honest? Lot more goin on here.
Think you're on the right track with the joker's feelings, but do you realize you're trusting the thief to be honest? Lot more goin on here.
Wow, eyeland! You are so close as Bob Dylan has mentioned in an interview that he had written the third verse first. It got mucked up in the studio. He stated that he intended to re record the song with the verses in the correct order. As you have said, this solves the problem of who the two riders are. From that starting point the song meaning unravels fairly easily. (The joker is a Jungian archetype, even present in most of Picasso's early cubist works...just look for the harlequin costume.) I do see it as a philosophical piece. The final words...
Wow, eyeland! You are so close as Bob Dylan has mentioned in an interview that he had written the third verse first. It got mucked up in the studio. He stated that he intended to re record the song with the verses in the correct order. As you have said, this solves the problem of who the two riders are. From that starting point the song meaning unravels fairly easily. (The joker is a Jungian archetype, even present in most of Picasso's early cubist works...just look for the harlequin costume.) I do see it as a philosophical piece. The final words now become apocopalyptic, "...the hour is getting late".
@eyeland What you say makes a lot of sense and is the truth because your analysis is based on the scientific, and that this song is not about the religious. This song is about life, about the origin and how life works for each person.
@eyeland What you say makes a lot of sense and is the truth because your analysis is based on the scientific, and that this song is not about the religious. This song is about life, about the origin and how life works for each person.
Ok, we should put some things in contest. The song is written in 1967,a year before the great social uprising throughout the world. Dylan was obviously left oriented but was also raised in a religious enviorment, thus the biblical imagery. The joker and the thief represent two sorts of social outcasts. The joker represents the class of people which denounce the system because they realise it's flaws and find it unjust. This is probably a more middleclass and intelectual stand. The thief on the other hand is also an outcast but he is not an outcast by choice. Thievery is in most cases a result of poverty. The majority of those who steal do it because they need to eat and feed their families so the thief here represents the more down-to-earth proletarian ,working class side of the social outcasts. They are obviously the two riders approaching the watchtower. It is suggested here that they are in a silent march towards something which symbolises the capitalist/social darwinist society. The princes are concerned. They observe the situation from their watchtowers, the princes being the capitalist, those who own the wine and the earth mentioned in the first verse. That is a reference to the unjustness of private property. The land and its fruits should be for everyone, including the jokers and the theives of the world. So,the princes are concerned,yet not that much,here Dylan realises that the social movements only managed so far to stir the structure, the watchtowers,but not yet to endanger it. Yet the last verse is essential. It somewhat gives a glimpse of things to come. The wildcat growl and the wing that howls give you an unsettling sentiment,it sends goosebumps up your spine. You can feel a tension. The two riders are approaching. And when they come too close to the wathctowers there will be conflict.
Great! So, you're basically saying that this song anticipates the great social uprising of 1968... that makes sense and in this case, Dylan is much more than a genious, he is a visionary! and this song (with all its biblical references) is prophetic! "The wind began to howl" definitely suggests that an uprising is coming!
Great! So, you're basically saying that this song anticipates the great social uprising of 1968... that makes sense and in this case, Dylan is much more than a genious, he is a visionary! and this song (with all its biblical references) is prophetic! "The wind began to howl" definitely suggests that an uprising is coming!
Not that you could in any way compare Dylan with James Joyce (who put so many allusions in Ulysses that it is truly unimaginable how much one man could be familiar with so many phrases in language, and passages in so many books).
Anyway, this is what Joyce wrote: "I've put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant, and that's the only way of insuring one's immortality."
Shakespeare's "Hamlet" opens on the tower of the watch. Joyce's Ulysses opens in a watch tower. Dylan's song, when taken in it's logical order in with the third stanza actually is the first, also opens on a watch tower (it is aslo the only song on the recording that begins with it's title). The original biblical reference was obviously known by all three, but that knowledge is probably coincidental, a mere simple twist of fate.
I've read in many places this song is about government. The Thief and Joker represent the middle and lower classes, they stand over looking the castle (the upper class). They know that the upper class takes advantage of everything and looks down upon these two men. There must be some way out of here represents the struggle that these men put forward to break the cycle at hand. It all leads up to them standing outside the castle trying to figure out how to bring them down. But their is no reason to get excited cuz we don't know what they do in the end but we know this is not their fate!
@tayzha26 Your interpretation is very interesting!! This comment change my mind. I thought this song is about the God and the Human who doesn't think thankful about earth.
@tayzha26 Your interpretation is very interesting!! This comment change my mind. I thought this song is about the God and the Human who doesn't think thankful about earth.
@tayzha26 I have recently came across this song and i can see how you interpret the song about having to do with the government however i strongly feel that it is talking about Jesus. In my English class many decide that perhaps the song concludes to saying that at the end the "joke is on us" because we think life is a "joke" and perhaps it is true that many of us see life is a joke but as humans we all need a purpose to live and sometimes we lose track of that purpose and realize there's really...
@tayzha26 I have recently came across this song and i can see how you interpret the song about having to do with the government however i strongly feel that it is talking about Jesus. In my English class many decide that perhaps the song concludes to saying that at the end the "joke is on us" because we think life is a "joke" and perhaps it is true that many of us see life is a joke but as humans we all need a purpose to live and sometimes we lose track of that purpose and realize there's really no reason to keep going or keep trying because eventually you will die and it's all for nothing. Many people have this mentality! In the song the joker is symbolizing Jesus and the thief can be symbolizing us humans. The joker claims that humans take from him by saying "they drink my wine" and "dig my earth" . Eventually the thief says that they should stop "talking falsely" because it's no joking matter and in all truths we can joke about life and see it as a joke but at the end of the day god has the last word when it comes to judging day and that is if you believe in religion.
@tayzha26 I have recently came across this song and i can see how you interpret the song about having to do with the government however i strongly feel that it is talking about Jesus. In my English class many decide that perhaps the song concludes to saying that at the end the "joke is on us" because we think life is a "joke" and perhaps it is true that many of us see life is a joke but as humans we all need a purpose to live and sometimes we lose track of that purpose and realize there's really...
@tayzha26 I have recently came across this song and i can see how you interpret the song about having to do with the government however i strongly feel that it is talking about Jesus. In my English class many decide that perhaps the song concludes to saying that at the end the "joke is on us" because we think life is a "joke" and perhaps it is true that many of us see life is a joke but as humans we all need a purpose to live and sometimes we lose track of that purpose and realize there's really no reason to keep going or keep trying because eventually you will die and it's all for nothing. Many people have this mentality! In the song the joker is symbolizing Jesus and the thief can be symbolizing us humans. The joker claims that humans take from him by saying "they drink my wine" and "dig my earth" . Eventually the thief says that they should stop "talking falsely" because it's no joking matter and in all truths we can joke about life and see it as a joke but at the end of the day god has the last word when it comes to judging day and that is if you believe in religion.
It has been said that Bob Dylan visited the Crossroads and could've potentially made a deal with the devil.
"There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief, "There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief. Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth, None of them along the line know what any of it is worth."
The first verse could be him basically regretting the deal he made him being the joker/fool the devil being the thief (of his soul) and how the people enjoy what he does but none of them understand what he is going through to give them it.
"No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke, "There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke. But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate, So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late."
This verse could go back to when he made the deal. The Thief/Devil tells him not to get excited about the fame he just sold his soul for. The people around him don't know how lucky they are not to be in his position. But the Devil and him know more than the others know, and a regular safe life is no longer his fate. So let's not drag on the conversation, we both know what you just did.
All along the watchtower, princes kept the view While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too. Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl, Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.
The final verse as expected is the end of his life, the princes are the Devils guards keeping watch because Bob doesn't want to go to hell. The second line once again refers to his euphoric lifestyle that he's locked in. The last to lines seem to allude to Robert Johnson's "There's a hell hound on my trail" only this time it's a wild cat and two riders.
Of course this is just my opinion :)
It has been said that Rovert Johnson did a deal with the devil at the Crossroads, not Dylan.
It has been said that Rovert Johnson did a deal with the devil at the Crossroads, not Dylan.
Robert Johnson was the original person known for the Deal with the devil, but there have been a few people throughout musical history who have been said to have made the same deal. Bob Dylan seems to hint this in a few interviews but never states it outright.
Robert Johnson was the original person known for the Deal with the devil, but there have been a few people throughout musical history who have been said to have made the same deal. Bob Dylan seems to hint this in a few interviews but never states it outright.
@brendangarofalo Bob believes totally 100% in God, follows his Jewish faith, is grateful beyond measure for all God has granted him, and did not make a pact with the devil, okay. That is utter preposterous nonsense.
@brendangarofalo Bob believes totally 100% in God, follows his Jewish faith, is grateful beyond measure for all God has granted him, and did not make a pact with the devil, okay. That is utter preposterous nonsense.
Interesting post, but Dylan converted in 1977 and this song was written several years before. I don't know when Dylan wrote the song, but Hendrix covered it in 1968 so it's at least 9-10 years earlier. :)
@SeungtaekOH I believe @tsb2rxn means Dylan converted to Christianity in 1977.
@SeungtaekOH I believe @tsb2rxn means Dylan converted to Christianity in 1977.
OKAY, HERE IS THE STRAIGHT DOPE!
The song is about The Record Industry. That is why other recording artists always want to record it. When explained correctly, all artists can identify with this track.
The Joker is the Artist--In This Case Bob Dylan The Thief is his Manager-Agent-Label Contact...etc.--In This Case Albert Grossman (Dylan's manager at the time this song was penned)
In the first verse, the Joker is going to his confidant and pleading to get him out of his current lot in life. 'Businessmen Drink His Wine, Ploughmen Dig His earth means--but none of them along the line know what any of it is worth' means that the recording artist is unhappy with the standard businessperson's approach towards selling art. They bottle it like Coca Cola, and it hurts the creative artist.
Then in the Second verse, the Thief talks the Artist into not thinking about things so deeply (for to remain a Thief (or a leach, really), the Joker must continue to work). The Theif basically talks the Joker into getting back on Stage or in the Recording Studio or what have you. The Hour is Getting late means go be a professional and do your job, no matter what you think on a personal level.
The last verse is about the decadence of being a Pop Star. Barefoot Servants and all that, it ends with a reflection that someday all this decadence must end. Dylan reflects on this a lot (Slow Train Coming comes to mind). The 2 Riders are kinda like the horsemen of the coming apocalypse. And The Wind began to howl...
Get it?
in the first verse the joker is talking to the thief. FAIL -_-
in the first verse the joker is talking to the thief. FAIL -_-
@blthompson I think this song has a much deeper meaning than that. In my opinion the joker in this song is actually Jesus Christ and yes I know it may sounds dumb but here's my explanation. In the first stanza the joker refers to the wine and earth as "my wine" and "my earth" (businessmen, they drink my mine. Plowmen dig my earth) which is why I think that the joker is Jesus because according to the bible Jesus turned the water into wine. So that's my explanation
@blthompson I think this song has a much deeper meaning than that. In my opinion the joker in this song is actually Jesus Christ and yes I know it may sounds dumb but here's my explanation. In the first stanza the joker refers to the wine and earth as "my wine" and "my earth" (businessmen, they drink my mine. Plowmen dig my earth) which is why I think that the joker is Jesus because according to the bible Jesus turned the water into wine. So that's my explanation
@blthompson A few years back,"ja734 corrected stated "in the first verse, the joker is talking to the thief". That is true. Dylan (the joker) is talking to his manager Albert Grossman (the thief). I incorrectly said Priest because this is Dylan's first work after becoming enamored with The Bible. [To whit: other titles include The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest and I dreamt I saw St Augustine]
@blthompson A few years back,"ja734 corrected stated "in the first verse, the joker is talking to the thief". That is true. Dylan (the joker) is talking to his manager Albert Grossman (the thief). I incorrectly said Priest because this is Dylan's first work after becoming enamored with The Bible. [To whit: other titles include The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest and I dreamt I saw St Augustine]
I'd also venture to say that this general religious imagery of the period is why the song is open to Hafidzarrazyon's religious interpretations.
I'd also venture to say that this general religious imagery of the period is why the song is open to Hafidzarrazyon's religious interpretations.
I'm not quite clear on the meaning...but I've been told the song is about Jesus. On Taroh cards, the Jesus is depicted by the Joker card. Jesus was also crussified next to two thieves---hence the line, " 'There must be some way out of here,' said the joker to the thief."
The line "Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl." can be compared to the passage from the bible:
"I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! It's rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. THey were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." -- Death and Hades being the two riders.
As far as the title is concearned, the only thing I can think of are the watchtowers of Babylon...
.....then again, I can be entirely wrong on all of this.
I'm sorry, but this analysis is only correct in the sense that the song uses certain archetypal characters like that of Jesus.
I'm sorry, but this analysis is only correct in the sense that the song uses certain archetypal characters like that of Jesus.
If you'd like a more logical interpretation, I'd recommend going to this site:
If you'd like a more logical interpretation, I'd recommend going to this site:
I think any thing you can think of would be a perfect fit for this song. Whether is be gov oppression of indians and just people in general or the reference to the bible and the crucifixion of Jesus. This has to be one of my favorite songs of all time just for that reason. The meaning can be anything Bob Dylan nailed the lyrics perfectly and I think this song will for sure will live on through the ages because people will always try and figure it out and never be able to get it just right. To be...
I think any thing you can think of would be a perfect fit for this song. Whether is be gov oppression of indians and just people in general or the reference to the bible and the crucifixion of Jesus. This has to be one of my favorite songs of all time just for that reason. The meaning can be anything Bob Dylan nailed the lyrics perfectly and I think this song will for sure will live on through the ages because people will always try and figure it out and never be able to get it just right. To be honest Bob Dylan might not even know the true meaning behind it its just one of those masterpieces.
saidthejoker you have a point but I'd found that site in searching this song and I think their interpretation is also a bit too literal, in that they assumed a guarding position of the castle.
saidthejoker you have a point but I'd found that site in searching this song and I think their interpretation is also a bit too literal, in that they assumed a guarding position of the castle.
It would be good to approach interpretation of something like this as almost like a mathematical formula, understand the terms involved (the archetypes of joker and thief) as well as the known biblical influence and go from there.
It would be good to approach interpretation of something like this as almost like a mathematical formula, understand the terms involved (the archetypes of joker and thief) as well as the known biblical influence and go from there.
Given all these elements and the fact that the princes keeping watch is just that, to beware, (as Jimi adds in his cover, though easily missed) it...
Given all these elements and the fact that the princes keeping watch is just that, to beware, (as Jimi adds in his cover, though easily missed) it is more appropriate to simply regard the two riders as a duality - whether you want to think of it as separating the wheat from the chaff or in some other basic fundamental sense I leave for you to interpret, but there again to equate them with the joker and the thief as the reasontorock site article does is too much of a leap.
As for the joker and the thief as archetypes, it is fairly self explanatory and anyone can look it up, but consider the part "businessmen they drink my wine - ploughmen dig my earth" it is reminescent of the blood and wine of the mass, and in this case the flesh and blood of the earth itself if we think of oil, and in a less literal sense wine of course intoxicates. Further "none will level on the line - nobody of it is worth" indicates a kind of deception, which of course is also in line with the Joker archetype but here he is saying he can get no relief. The Thief of course distinguishes "us" (that is, he and the Joker) from those who thinks that "life is but a joke." He notes "you and I have been through that, and this is not our fate - so let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late." So the play of appearances that is the function of the Joker is coming to an end, and again in a biblical context it reminds one of the day of judgement coming "as a thief in the night."
This song is pure poetry, I love the symbolism in it and I agree that probably the contest in which was written was of political or social turmoil. I love the last line, my personal interpretation is that as they were trying to change the system that was there before them, things began to become difficult (the wind began to howl).
@birba.mozz I don't think it has to do with politics or social turmoil but more with religion because based on the songthe Joker says",Businessmen, they drink my wine, Plowmen dig my earth. None of them along the line know what any of it is worth". The Joker speaks as if he owns the entire earth, therefore he must be a God. He is trying to say that people just take but don't acknowledge what he gives to the people.
@birba.mozz I don't think it has to do with politics or social turmoil but more with religion because based on the songthe Joker says",Businessmen, they drink my wine, Plowmen dig my earth. None of them along the line know what any of it is worth". The Joker speaks as if he owns the entire earth, therefore he must be a God. He is trying to say that people just take but don't acknowledge what he gives to the people.
@birba.mozz I don't think it's talking about the system, it is talking about Jesus. The joker is symbolizing Jesus and the thief can be symbolizing us humans. The joker claims that humans take from him by saying "they drink my wine" and "dig my earth" . Eventually the thief says that they should stop "talking falsely" because it's no joking matter and in all truths we can joke about life and see it as a joke but at the end of the day god has the last word when it comes to judging day and that is if you believe...
@birba.mozz I don't think it's talking about the system, it is talking about Jesus. The joker is symbolizing Jesus and the thief can be symbolizing us humans. The joker claims that humans take from him by saying "they drink my wine" and "dig my earth" . Eventually the thief says that they should stop "talking falsely" because it's no joking matter and in all truths we can joke about life and see it as a joke but at the end of the day god has the last word when it comes to judging day and that is if you believe in religion.