This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Lyrics submitted by oofus, edited by CrimsnEdge, Dartman, Backstage
All Along the Watchtower Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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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!
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. <br /> <br /> "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".<br /> <br /> "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.<br /> "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. <br /> "There are many here among us...life is just a joke"<br /> Many people who ask existential questions become nihilists--they no longer think that life has any meaning.<br /> "But you and I we've been through that"<br /> 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.<br /> "Let us not talk falsely"<br /> So let's not bullshit about accepting meaninglessness or commiting suicide...<br /> "Hour is getting late"<br /> ...Because life is short and our deaths are coming, buddy.<br /> <br /> <br /> The third stanza shows the context in which this conversation takes place. Basically, it describes the world of men.<br /> "All along the watchtower"<br /> Not sure what the watchtower is, sadly. <br /> "Princes kept the view"-- In life, some men rule over other men, like kings.<br /> "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.<br /> "Outside in the cold distance a wildcat did growl"<br /> Beyond the walls of man, nature is out there, wild and infinitely mysterious.<br /> "Two riders were approaching"<br /> Death. Death is coming for the princes, the servants, the women, the joker and the thief...and even the wildcat. <br /> <br />
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...(: )<br />
@Backstage Dylan is a great Song-Writer ...but boy did his voice absolutely SUCK !!! If only he put aside his personal ego and step outside 'his walls' and let other people with the gift of voice sing his songs. :P
Ten years ago I made these comments, but the song is still a great one. There is more confusion than ever sounding in our ears, especially if you spend much time with the Internet and other media. I would suggest to fans of the song that they consider who is talking falsely now, and who is making the greatest effort to get us overexcited in an effort to turn our attention from our precious existential crisis. It is precious because facing it-and staying strong-can lead you to understanding, compassion and action. Ride out own your crisis with your ear attuned to universal truth and see what kind of strength you can gain.
@Backstage I love this interpretation. Well done.
@Backstage @jasonuvq I am pretty sure a few other artists had hits with his songs ... I even think another artist may have sung this song and made it even more popular than the original ...<br /> <br /> Some people may not like his vocals, others may find them unique. Music is art and art is down to an individuals tastes.
@Backstage i disagree with you my understanding offf te lyricd is that Bob Dylan song was that even thugh it was firs talking about the joker you dont really see a comparison of christianity until you keep on reading further down into his lyrics the comparison strts in paragraph 1 line 4 it states "they drink my wine plowman dig my earth none of them along the line know what ny of it is worth." from here you start getting the idea that the joker is jesus idk im just in the clouds<br />
@Backstage I completely agree with your interpretation, I think that nobody is sure of what life is based on, and the author is not exactly talking about Jesus and about a joker because it would not make sense and they do not keep any relationship.
@Backstage <br /> I personally agree yet disagree with this theory, A large chunk of the original thoughts and theories I had for this song were largely based on the a more religious point view. For example, the main idea on the identity of the Joker was that he was actually Jesus, loosely based on the comments he's made such as "Businessmen, they drink my wine." Possibly referring to the how Jesus turned water into wine and then when he says "Plowmen dig my earth" Referring to the world which God created. Now, while those parts still make a bit of sense to me, I can see what you mean in your own interpretation. Though, your argument is largely lacking certain parts of the poem such as the Joker feeling trapped. If the joker truly does represent Jesus then the joker's feeling of being trapped could be presented by Jesus when he met his demise, trapped in a cross, surrounded by two thieves.
@Backstage I believe the Thief is Gestas and the the joker is God. I know think this because the song says "two riders approached the watchtower" and they can only be godly beings because they are only two and they cant over take a watchtower like this. I know the thief is gestas because he says "there are many here among us" and he must be human because he calls the rest of the humans "us". I also know the joker is jesus because he says the wine is his and that the earth is his as well.
wwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssssssssss ggggggggggggggggooooooooooooooooooooooooooddddddddddddddddd
@Backstage The reference where bob Dylan says "There are many here among who feel that life is but a joke<br /> But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate<br /> So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late." It suggests that people keep making the wrong decisions and when they run out of time to fix it they will not be able to. <br />
@Backstage Well at the end when the two characters at the end and in the bible it says that Jesus will return one day to judge the living and the dead. When the riders approach the Watchtower and these characters have the intent to attack the Watchtower you have to realize that these two characters have to be supernatural beings because it is only 2 of them versus anyone in the Watchtower willing to fight. No 2 people in their right minds would every go and fight against a whole army essentially if they weren't supernatural.
@Backstage i have to do this cause of my teacher who thinks the joker is Jesus and the thief is death and how the joker is talking about how their taking his land and all of his belongings and yeah.
To follow up on my previous comment ( because i posted it by accident lmao )<br /> <br /> Now, while the joker himself could possibly represent Jesus, the thief that the joker is talking to could represent Dismas, the Penitent thief who joined Jesus in paradise once they both passed away in the cross. This is due to to the thief kindly speaking to the joker, referring to how Dismas truly was the kinder to Jesus in the cross, contrary to the impenitent thief. While that theory does not have as much evidence to back it up, it may still be plausible. Something else that you failed to mention are the two riders who are nearing the city. Once again, it could be insisted that the two riders could possibly Hades and Death itself, bringing the incoming apocalypse as Revelation 6:8 states. To top it off, the joke, who represents Jesus, can be seen as Hades because they both judge the dead and the thief, who represents Dismas, can be seen as Death because they steal life from people.
@Backstage <br /> I am agree with Zurielventura because he explained his quotes and I got his point of view that the joker is Jesus and because many people know about that he convert the in wine etc.
that he converted the water in wine.
@Backstage k
@Backstage excellent interpretation. I, personally, lack the courage to even try to interpret most of Dylan's obscure songs, I just let the words flow thru my ears, to tingle and astonish whole swaths of neurons in their passage. I worked with a technologist who absolutely hated it when I played Dylan,..he'd actually get mad: how can you listen to that garbage?! No one knows what the F he's talking about!!!
@Backstage That\'s good effort, brother. It\'s is line with what I had in mind, and then a little more. Thanks for opening my mind to other aspects of it. Greetings from Brazil.