In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime,
Didn't you?
People'd call, say "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
They thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't walk so proud
Now you don't talk so loud
About having to be scrounging
For your next meal
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
A complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?
You've went to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
Nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
But now you're gonna have to get
Used to it
They said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you
Realize
That he's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
A complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?
Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're drinkin', thinkin' that they
Got it made
Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts
You'd better take your diamond ring,
You'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags with the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?
You threw the bums a dime in your prime,
Didn't you?
People'd call, say "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
They thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't walk so proud
Now you don't talk so loud
About having to be scrounging
For your next meal
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
A complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?
You've went to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
Nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
But now you're gonna have to get
Used to it
They said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you
Realize
That he's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
A complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?
Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're drinkin', thinkin' that they
Got it made
Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts
You'd better take your diamond ring,
You'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags with the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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This is a Bob Dylan song, and i don't think the Stones ever did a cover of this, so if the mods could remove this song somehow, that would probably best
Actually the Stones DID cover this song. I can't remember what album it's on or if it's even on an album, but they covered it. In fact when I saw the Stones a couple months ago, they played it.
It was on the album Stripped...
"As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes And ask him do you want to make a deal?"
The song is about making a deal with the devil I think.
of course the stones covered this song !!! what are you talking about?! and you MUST watch the video, everything you need to understand is in it.
Not sure why they covered this. Not that it's a bad song--just a little too obvious. I think it's about a spoiled little rich debutante whose pampered way of living crumbles when reality sets in. So, in that way it does fit in with the attitude Mick Jagger had towards these brats back in the 60s. Dylan once told Keith "I could've written 'Satisfaction' but you guys couldn't have written 'Like a Rolling Stone'. Keith's response while telling the story was "he was lucky he walked away with all of his teeth still in his head. He was right--but lucky"
I don't think they did it for "obvious" reasons (i.e. I guess you are saying that the band's name is in the song). They did it because it is a brilliant song and nobody BUT the Stones could cover this song and rival Dylan's version.
The song has been covered by the Stones for years, even before the release of Stripped. Mick Jagger usually introduces the song with "This is a song Bob Dylan wrote for us." It's one of the Stones' best covers to be added to their live sets.
I'm gonna say this is a song about how you can be livin large one day and the next, be on the streets.In your prime you threw the bums a dime, when you're on top. Now you don't walk so proud now you don't talk so loud. About scrounging for your next meal. When your not doin so hot.
some of the official video for the song seems to be eluding to Edie Sedgwick. People say Dylan originally wrote the song about her, but that's not true because he hadn't met her until after the song was released. But anyway in the video for the Stones' cover, there's the blonde girl. Being followed around by a tall white blond guy with thick rimmed glasses. When she's riding in the convertible and on the bed, it's very similar to scenes in Ciao Manhattan. Just thought i'd mention it =p
Picking the obvious choice is... obvious. Why not? Love this song. It's message is only perceptible through life experience. No other medium can truly convey its meaning. Live 20-30 years (or 20-30 years worth of life in a briefer epoch) and you can then analyze this song.