I'm a little surprised not a singl person has commented yet. Oh well, buy the ticket, take the ride.
Anyways this piece was originally done by Bob Dylan off the album OH MERCY, but remade by Mark Lanegan for the "I'm Not There" soundtrack. There's quite a bit of speculation on who the man in the long black coat is.....some say it's death, some say its a man who killed his wife, some even say it's like an incubus-like demon coming to women to whisk them away. I personally go along with THE MAN being death. People can romanticize about death, when death to the human eyes is really the cruel personification of destruction of natural form.
In the first verse we're given a slight taste of the destruction by the imagery of the african trees bent over backwards. The next verse is the romanticism of THE MAN, and after that the third verse is your everyday preacher explaining how thing can look glorious but be devilish as well, the proverbial "Wolf In Sheep's Clothing." I personally feel unsettled with the lines "every man's conscience is vile and depraved, You cannot depend on it to be your guide When it's you who must keep it satisfied. Brutal. Anyways, the last verse gives an idea of widespread destruction in the end, even as far as a man beating on a dead horse. In the end, we all go with The Man In The Long Black Coat.
Anyways, that's my interpretation. I could be wrong, but it's a start. I hope others will comment on this version.
I'm a little surprised not a singl person has commented yet. Oh well, buy the ticket, take the ride.
Anyways this piece was originally done by Bob Dylan off the album OH MERCY, but remade by Mark Lanegan for the "I'm Not There" soundtrack. There's quite a bit of speculation on who the man in the long black coat is.....some say it's death, some say its a man who killed his wife, some even say it's like an incubus-like demon coming to women to whisk them away. I personally go along with THE MAN being death. People can romanticize about death, when death to the human eyes is really the cruel personification of destruction of natural form.
In the first verse we're given a slight taste of the destruction by the imagery of the african trees bent over backwards. The next verse is the romanticism of THE MAN, and after that the third verse is your everyday preacher explaining how thing can look glorious but be devilish as well, the proverbial "Wolf In Sheep's Clothing." I personally feel unsettled with the lines "every man's conscience is vile and depraved, You cannot depend on it to be your guide When it's you who must keep it satisfied. Brutal. Anyways, the last verse gives an idea of widespread destruction in the end, even as far as a man beating on a dead horse. In the end, we all go with The Man In The Long Black Coat.
Anyways, that's my interpretation. I could be wrong, but it's a start. I hope others will comment on this version.