Brilliant. This song is a masterpiece. A story of confusion and the path that life takes you on. A path that you have no say in. The line, "Way down in Mexico you went out to find a doctor and you never came back. I would have gone on after you but I didn't feel like letting my head get blown off" is particularly troubling to me. The Kerouac-On the Road comparison is dead on, a book and man that proved to be a significant influence on Dylan in his early years. I actually think there's more Ginsberg in this than Kerouac. Great lines like "You always said people don't do what they believe in, they just do what's most convenient, then they repent. And I always said, "Hang on to me, baby, and let's hope that the roof stays on" and "But I'm too over the edge and I ain't in the mood anymore to remember the times when I was your only man. And she don't want to remind me. She knows this car would go out of control" depict struggles in life and confusion when looking back on the past. Time has always been troublesome to Dylan (and Cohen alike) and this song brings out the same themes seen in earlier ones like Simple Twist of Fate. The feeling of having fallen in love but not realizing it until after, when it's too late. All in all this song shows that Dylan never 'lost it', rather his expansion to greater themes and multiple types of music have led him to areas that devoted Dylan fans aren't necessarily impressed by. It was like when Dylan went electric and pissed off all his earlier fans, but most Dylan fans are fans of albums like Highway 61 and Blood, so it shows that ppl shouldn't be excommunicating Dylan for his various eras (Reborn) and should be appreciating all of the prophet's music. Bit of a rant.
Brilliant. This song is a masterpiece. A story of confusion and the path that life takes you on. A path that you have no say in. The line, "Way down in Mexico you went out to find a doctor and you never came back. I would have gone on after you but I didn't feel like letting my head get blown off" is particularly troubling to me. The Kerouac-On the Road comparison is dead on, a book and man that proved to be a significant influence on Dylan in his early years. I actually think there's more Ginsberg in this than Kerouac. Great lines like "You always said people don't do what they believe in, they just do what's most convenient, then they repent. And I always said, "Hang on to me, baby, and let's hope that the roof stays on" and "But I'm too over the edge and I ain't in the mood anymore to remember the times when I was your only man. And she don't want to remind me. She knows this car would go out of control" depict struggles in life and confusion when looking back on the past. Time has always been troublesome to Dylan (and Cohen alike) and this song brings out the same themes seen in earlier ones like Simple Twist of Fate. The feeling of having fallen in love but not realizing it until after, when it's too late. All in all this song shows that Dylan never 'lost it', rather his expansion to greater themes and multiple types of music have led him to areas that devoted Dylan fans aren't necessarily impressed by. It was like when Dylan went electric and pissed off all his earlier fans, but most Dylan fans are fans of albums like Highway 61 and Blood, so it shows that ppl shouldn't be excommunicating Dylan for his various eras (Reborn) and should be appreciating all of the prophet's music. Bit of a rant.