Bob apparently wrote this while at Baez\'s place in Carmel in late November 1964. Like with "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" written there a year before, he seems to have nicked a trad melody from her record collection; here "The Wagoner\'s Lad". \n\nHistory-wise, this would have been the week the US announced the escalation of the Vietnam War. \n\nThe holocaust idea is interesting, but seems like Bob more generally kicking at unpleasant parts of human nature: close-mindedness, unnecessary violence (and enjoyment of it), superstition. \n\nA sort of halfway point between his 1964 writing style with imagery of weather (like Mr. Tambourine Man, Chimes of Freedom) grotesque, circus-ish characters (Gates of Eden, MTM again) and playing cards (Jack of Diamonds) and his 1965 style where the characters get more absurd and specific (Rolling Stone, Tombstone Blues, Highway 61, Desolation Row) and the settings more urban. \n\nProbably gave it to Joan because he\'d written It\'s all over now, baby blue by the recording sessions, and it and Love Minus Zero did what he wanted from acoustic tunes better.
Bob apparently wrote this while at Baez\'s place in Carmel in late November 1964. Like with "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" written there a year before, he seems to have nicked a trad melody from her record collection; here "The Wagoner\'s Lad". \n\nHistory-wise, this would have been the week the US announced the escalation of the Vietnam War. \n\nThe holocaust idea is interesting, but seems like Bob more generally kicking at unpleasant parts of human nature: close-mindedness, unnecessary violence (and enjoyment of it), superstition. \n\nA sort of halfway point between his 1964 writing style with imagery of weather (like Mr. Tambourine Man, Chimes of Freedom) grotesque, circus-ish characters (Gates of Eden, MTM again) and playing cards (Jack of Diamonds) and his 1965 style where the characters get more absurd and specific (Rolling Stone, Tombstone Blues, Highway 61, Desolation Row) and the settings more urban. \n\nProbably gave it to Joan because he\'d written It\'s all over now, baby blue by the recording sessions, and it and Love Minus Zero did what he wanted from acoustic tunes better.