I'm sorry to say I think most of these comments frankly have been insults to Bob Dylan. I personally love this song and believe there is a lot more to it, as is the case with many of Dylan’s songs. In a history class I am taking, we actually had a discussion about this song and came up with two very possible interpretations of it.
My professor, who is a huge Dylan follower, told us that this song was written during a time when Dylan was going through a religious phase in his life. The idea of the song is that, according to the Bible, Man was given the power to give names to all of the animals in Eden, and this power gives Man an elevated sense of entitlement and arrogance. However, Man’s power is nothing compared to God’s power, and that realization is what hits Dylan at the end of the song, in other words, the insignificance of Man. The symbol of the serpent, if you look past its connection to the emergence of sin in the world, represents the moment of consciousness that Man has in his relationship to God. So Dylan’s use of the snake in the final verse is what leads him to his own epiphany about God, and the reason he stops the song so abruptly and unsatisfactorily is because of his amazement at the power of God and his realization of his own insignificance. The tiring repetition of the chorus and verses is a tribute to how man’s inflated sense of self is so deeply engrained in the human psyche, almost to the point of brainwashing. Another point worthy of note is that man’s power to name things stems from his ability to influence his environment with his words, a concept central to professions such as writing poetry and songs (like Dylan.) Thus, Dylan’s realization is even more groundbreaking for him, because he discovers that his music and lyrics, the thing that he is passionate about, that he has influenced millions of people around the world with, that he has devoted his whole life to, is meaningless compared to what God is capable of.
Another idea that my fellow classmates came up with is that Dylan was commenting on the concept and abundance of stereotypes in society. All of the animals he names are very simple–the sort you learn about in kindergarten. There is no depth to them. He could have written a verse about a Ornithorhynchus anatinus (a platypus)–they must have had those in Eden too–but instead he chooses very common, very inane animals. Also the lyrics themselves are extremely simple, the observations about each animal based solely of physical characteristics. This shallowness of perception and understanding characterizes the stereotypes that humans place upon one another as well. Again the repetition signifies the level in our minds to which these stereotypes have penetrated, so that we don’t even think about them or hesitate to look deeper. Then the snake, again, represents Dylan’s moment of consciousness, in which he realizes the inaccuracy and ignorance of believing stereotypes, and the final chord embodies both his disgust at the widespread use of stereotypes as well as his refusal to believe them anymore.
So hopefully, people will find these two interpretations interesting and will think twice about the song and about trashing Dylan is general.
I'm sorry to say I think most of these comments frankly have been insults to Bob Dylan. I personally love this song and believe there is a lot more to it, as is the case with many of Dylan’s songs. In a history class I am taking, we actually had a discussion about this song and came up with two very possible interpretations of it.
My professor, who is a huge Dylan follower, told us that this song was written during a time when Dylan was going through a religious phase in his life. The idea of the song is that, according to the Bible, Man was given the power to give names to all of the animals in Eden, and this power gives Man an elevated sense of entitlement and arrogance. However, Man’s power is nothing compared to God’s power, and that realization is what hits Dylan at the end of the song, in other words, the insignificance of Man. The symbol of the serpent, if you look past its connection to the emergence of sin in the world, represents the moment of consciousness that Man has in his relationship to God. So Dylan’s use of the snake in the final verse is what leads him to his own epiphany about God, and the reason he stops the song so abruptly and unsatisfactorily is because of his amazement at the power of God and his realization of his own insignificance. The tiring repetition of the chorus and verses is a tribute to how man’s inflated sense of self is so deeply engrained in the human psyche, almost to the point of brainwashing. Another point worthy of note is that man’s power to name things stems from his ability to influence his environment with his words, a concept central to professions such as writing poetry and songs (like Dylan.) Thus, Dylan’s realization is even more groundbreaking for him, because he discovers that his music and lyrics, the thing that he is passionate about, that he has influenced millions of people around the world with, that he has devoted his whole life to, is meaningless compared to what God is capable of.
Another idea that my fellow classmates came up with is that Dylan was commenting on the concept and abundance of stereotypes in society. All of the animals he names are very simple–the sort you learn about in kindergarten. There is no depth to them. He could have written a verse about a Ornithorhynchus anatinus (a platypus)–they must have had those in Eden too–but instead he chooses very common, very inane animals. Also the lyrics themselves are extremely simple, the observations about each animal based solely of physical characteristics. This shallowness of perception and understanding characterizes the stereotypes that humans place upon one another as well. Again the repetition signifies the level in our minds to which these stereotypes have penetrated, so that we don’t even think about them or hesitate to look deeper. Then the snake, again, represents Dylan’s moment of consciousness, in which he realizes the inaccuracy and ignorance of believing stereotypes, and the final chord embodies both his disgust at the widespread use of stereotypes as well as his refusal to believe them anymore.
So hopefully, people will find these two interpretations interesting and will think twice about the song and about trashing Dylan is general.
@chillax16 Great theories/explanations. It´s good to find people who really tries to analize deeper the songs. Thanks!!
@chillax16 Great theories/explanations. It´s good to find people who really tries to analize deeper the songs. Thanks!!