Lyrically and in terms of words, this must be one of Dylan's most complex songs. Only a few of his songs are precise, and it is songs such as this one which really establish Dylan as a puzzle maker as much as they establish him as a brilliant songwriter. Every Dylan song has meaning. That is the first point to note. He simply obscures it, to the extent that his songs seem to be open to interpretation, which they are. Every listener must therefore form his own understanding of it. Dylan, like all great artists, detests the need to explain his work, his objectives with it and his success with these objectives but one reason for remaining elusive is that everyone must figure the puzzle out for himself. It is like any beautiful epigram by Wilde, or a short prose of Khalil Gibran. Once you start sorting things out with a Bob Dylan song, such as this one, the curiosity is half the joy.
Khalil Gibran was a master. Anyone unfamiliar with his work really needs to at least pick up The Prophet. Even if you're not a Christian (or a believer period), the compassion and clarity found within the pages is still a worthy read.
Khalil Gibran was a master. Anyone unfamiliar with his work really needs to at least pick up The Prophet. Even if you're not a Christian (or a believer period), the compassion and clarity found within the pages is still a worthy read.
Lyrically and in terms of words, this must be one of Dylan's most complex songs. Only a few of his songs are precise, and it is songs such as this one which really establish Dylan as a puzzle maker as much as they establish him as a brilliant songwriter. Every Dylan song has meaning. That is the first point to note. He simply obscures it, to the extent that his songs seem to be open to interpretation, which they are. Every listener must therefore form his own understanding of it. Dylan, like all great artists, detests the need to explain his work, his objectives with it and his success with these objectives but one reason for remaining elusive is that everyone must figure the puzzle out for himself. It is like any beautiful epigram by Wilde, or a short prose of Khalil Gibran. Once you start sorting things out with a Bob Dylan song, such as this one, the curiosity is half the joy.
Khalil Gibran was a master. Anyone unfamiliar with his work really needs to at least pick up The Prophet. Even if you're not a Christian (or a believer period), the compassion and clarity found within the pages is still a worthy read.
Khalil Gibran was a master. Anyone unfamiliar with his work really needs to at least pick up The Prophet. Even if you're not a Christian (or a believer period), the compassion and clarity found within the pages is still a worthy read.