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.
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.