I like the way e4x interprets it. I think this song is a good example of Dylan's style. If I was trying to explain Bob Dylan to someone who had never heard of him, I'd include this song (as well as at least half a dozen others, becuase he couldn't just make it easy and stick to one style--not that I would have wanted him to).
All of the people and images--the guilty undertaker, the dancing child, the cracked bells, the drunken politician-- what is all that about? They show up for a line or two, or even just half a line, and then that's it. You don't hear of them again. But in spite of their short appearances, they still somehow manage to add a lot to the song. Dylan says a lot about these characters in just a couple of words. But he also leaves so much out that you can't help but wonder. There's next to no facts about them, but you intuitively know all about them and what they're like. Bob Dylan is a mind f***. And that's just one more reason why he's so great.
I like the way e4x interprets it. I think this song is a good example of Dylan's style. If I was trying to explain Bob Dylan to someone who had never heard of him, I'd include this song (as well as at least half a dozen others, becuase he couldn't just make it easy and stick to one style--not that I would have wanted him to).
All of the people and images--the guilty undertaker, the dancing child, the cracked bells, the drunken politician-- what is all that about? They show up for a line or two, or even just half a line, and then that's it. You don't hear of them again. But in spite of their short appearances, they still somehow manage to add a lot to the song. Dylan says a lot about these characters in just a couple of words. But he also leaves so much out that you can't help but wonder. There's next to no facts about them, but you intuitively know all about them and what they're like. Bob Dylan is a mind f***. And that's just one more reason why he's so great.