I Pity the Poor Immigrant Lyrics
Who wishes he would've stayed home
Who uses all his power to do evil
But in the end is always left so alone.
That man who with his fingers cheats,
And who lies with every breath
Who passionately hates his life,
And likewise fears his death.
Who's strength is spend in vain,
Who's heaven is like ironsides,
Who's tears are like rain.
Who eats but is not satisfied,
Who hears but does not see.
Who falls in love with wealth itself,
And turns his back on me.
Who tramples through the mud
Who fills his mouth with laughing
And who builds his town with blood.
Who's visions in the final end
Must shatter like the glass,
I pity the poor immigrant
When his gladness comes to pass.
it is surely not about stereotyping immigrants... i think it is plain to see, but the main metaphor is "immigrant", an outsider, specifically an outsider who has no respect for and does not integrate himself into his new home.
"Who passionately hates his life, And likewise fears his death." That reminds me a bit of the book Steppenwolf. I KNOW it's probably completely off the real meaning, but this whole song reminds me of someone like Harry Haller...an outsider who "eats but is not satisfied, Who hears but does not see", who doesn't feel at home with his own life. As I said my interpretation is probably completely wrong, but I am pretty certain it's not literally about immigrants.
It's amazing what can think of somebody, before you ever get to know them. I think is a wonderful song about steretyping people, in this case immigrants. This man is looked upon as being anything but good, but in the end is left alone, struggling to make it.
You should listen to the song "Tramps and Hawkers". It's an Irish folk song (or possibly Scottish?)... The Dubliners do a good version.
Dylan basically steals the tune, then adds his own lyrics. In my opinion he did a really good job. The narrative of "Tramps and Hawkers" is an old man telling the tale of his travels. I think "the poor immigrant" is about an actual immigrant, not a metaphor.
It took me ages to figure out where the tune was from. Drove me crazy
The first time I heard this song, i just thought straight away it was an ironic description of the white American... the title leads us to believe it's about the "poor immigrant" who has a hard time living in the U.S for instance, and the words in fact describe the white man as an immigrant who stole the land he lives in and whose life is a blind lie etc. ("built his town with blood" and so on)
Am I the only one to think that? It would fit in pretty well with Dylan's usual themes...
Very good take.
Very good take.
I always thought it was a song about an immigrant who was, because of need, to become a member of the Mafia. He "uses all of his power to do evil". He cheats and he lies. He hates his life and he fears his death because he knows it will be violent. He "eats" but is never satisfied. He loves wealth more than those around him. He tramples through the mud (burying a body?). He builds his town with blood (self-explanatory). When he is finally taken out, he is glad that his wicked life is over...."his gladness comes to pass".
I like this take. It is very good and a somewhat more specific than the comment by Clevernickname relating the song to white Americans. Dylan wrote a timeless commentary on the American white “conservative” who in the age of Trumpian politics cannot be satisfied. We built the country by trampling on the American Indian (there’s another good comment on this subject), trampled through the mud in Viet Nam, the war we fought when Dylan wrote it, and now in numerous other countries. Cannot ever be happy with the greatest country ever built. “Wishes he would have stayed home” does not...
I like this take. It is very good and a somewhat more specific than the comment by Clevernickname relating the song to white Americans. Dylan wrote a timeless commentary on the American white “conservative” who in the age of Trumpian politics cannot be satisfied. We built the country by trampling on the American Indian (there’s another good comment on this subject), trampled through the mud in Viet Nam, the war we fought when Dylan wrote it, and now in numerous other countries. Cannot ever be happy with the greatest country ever built. “Wishes he would have stayed home” does not really fit modern day Americans, but where is home? I’ll answer that with a question: when was America great?
what's A.Grossman's heritage? could Bob have just been pissed at him one day? If so, what a way to vent your steam. this is a brutal, beautiful song.
I've always thought this song was sang from the viewpoint of native Americans looking at the "white men" settling in. Great one for me in any case.
@disfunktor Yours is the best theory I have heard. The line "Who fills his mouth with laughing" is built on the classic Native American syntax of their native tongue. Well done.
@disfunktor Yours is the best theory I have heard. The line "Who fills his mouth with laughing" is built on the classic Native American syntax of their native tongue. Well done.
@disfunktor Spot on, I'd say!
@disfunktor Spot on, I'd say!
@disfunktor best interpretation, imo; (nearly) everything falls in its right place!
@disfunktor best interpretation, imo; (nearly) everything falls in its right place!
Good tune. I know some people like this. And I have absolutely no hatred for them (it's not in my makeup).