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 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."
Sorry I forgot to say, the reason I think they take too much of a leap for the guarded position idea is because of Isaiah 21:5-9 which is noted on Wikipedia.
Sorry I forgot to say, the reason I think they take too much of a leap for the guarded position idea is because of Isaiah 21:5-9 which is noted on Wikipedia.
This song is all about the abolition of the slave trade back in America in 1833
This song is all about the abolition of the slave trade back in America in 1833
with this in mind listen again and all will become clear
with this in mind listen again and all will become clear
If you listen to the live version by Jimi Hendrix he says this before he starts the song and how the song is still appropriate today (being the early seventies)
If you listen to the live version by Jimi Hendrix he says this before he starts the song and how the song is still appropriate today (being the early seventies)
Dylan himself says a lot of things about his songs and quite frequently changes his version of meanings to make a statement about whatever trip he's on at the time or who his audience is. The Mojave desert observation is relating to a large...
Dylan himself says a lot of things about his songs and quite frequently changes his version of meanings to make a statement about whatever trip he's on at the time or who his audience is. The Mojave desert observation is relating to a large american camp/fort in the mojave where the slaves were secretly taken to for selling to rich farmers.
@mass I agree with you on Jesus being the joker. Because the joker refers to the whine and the eart as "my wine" and "my earth", and in the bible God gives Jesus the earth and Jesus makes wine in one of the stories. I think that this may be happening during jesus's crucification, cause like you said he was next to two theives so he conversating with one of them. So i think that they're getting ready to judge the living and the dead since chaos is beginning to happen.
@mass I agree with you on Jesus being the joker. Because the joker refers to the whine and the eart as "my wine" and "my earth", and in the bible God gives Jesus the earth and Jesus makes wine in one of the stories. I think that this may be happening during jesus's crucification, cause like you said he was next to two theives so he conversating with one of them. So i think that they're getting ready to judge the living and the dead since chaos is beginning to happen.
@mass the Joker is Jesus an he is explaining to the thief on the cross how people just like to take what he gives but don't really appreciate it. The Joker says," So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late".
@mass the Joker is Jesus an he is explaining to the thief on the cross how people just like to take what he gives but don't really appreciate it. The Joker says," So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late".
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:
http://www.reasontorock.com/tracks/watchtower.html
http://www.reasontorock.com/tracks/watchtower.html
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."
Sorry I forgot to say, the reason I think they take too much of a leap for the guarded position idea is because of Isaiah 21:5-9 which is noted on Wikipedia.
Sorry I forgot to say, the reason I think they take too much of a leap for the guarded position idea is because of Isaiah 21:5-9 which is noted on Wikipedia.
This song is all about the abolition of the slave trade back in America in 1833
This song is all about the abolition of the slave trade back in America in 1833
with this in mind listen again and all will become clear
with this in mind listen again and all will become clear
If you listen to the live version by Jimi Hendrix he says this before he starts the song and how the song is still appropriate today (being the early seventies)
If you listen to the live version by Jimi Hendrix he says this before he starts the song and how the song is still appropriate today (being the early seventies)
Dylan himself says a lot of things about his songs and quite frequently changes his version of meanings to make a statement about whatever trip he's on at the time or who his audience is. The Mojave desert observation is relating to a large...
Dylan himself says a lot of things about his songs and quite frequently changes his version of meanings to make a statement about whatever trip he's on at the time or who his audience is. The Mojave desert observation is relating to a large american camp/fort in the mojave where the slaves were secretly taken to for selling to rich farmers.
@mass I agree with you on Jesus being the joker. Because the joker refers to the whine and the eart as "my wine" and "my earth", and in the bible God gives Jesus the earth and Jesus makes wine in one of the stories. I think that this may be happening during jesus's crucification, cause like you said he was next to two theives so he conversating with one of them. So i think that they're getting ready to judge the living and the dead since chaos is beginning to happen.
@mass I agree with you on Jesus being the joker. Because the joker refers to the whine and the eart as "my wine" and "my earth", and in the bible God gives Jesus the earth and Jesus makes wine in one of the stories. I think that this may be happening during jesus's crucification, cause like you said he was next to two theives so he conversating with one of them. So i think that they're getting ready to judge the living and the dead since chaos is beginning to happen.
@mass the Joker is Jesus an he is explaining to the thief on the cross how people just like to take what he gives but don't really appreciate it. The Joker says," So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late".
@mass the Joker is Jesus an he is explaining to the thief on the cross how people just like to take what he gives but don't really appreciate it. The Joker says," So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late".