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Bob Dylan at 80 - favourite song?

Petcha

Well-Known Member
Based on this excellent Guardian piece..


What's your fav? I confess I've always preferred him as a poet rather than a singer, although well. He's incomparable at both really.. This is mine.

Ballad Of A Thin Man​

Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
You walk into the room with your pencil in your hand
You see somebody naked and you say, "Who is that man?"
You try so hard but you don't understand
Just what you will say when you get home
Because something is happening here but you don't know what it is
Do you, Mr. Jones?
You raise up your head and you ask, "Is this where it is?"
And somebody points to you and says, "It's his"
And you say, "What's mine?" and somebody else says, "Well, what is?"
And you say, "Oh my God, am I here all alone?"
But something is happening and you don't know what it is
Do you, Mr. Jones?
You hand in your ticket and you go watch the geek
Who immediately walks up to you when he hears you speak
And says, "How does it feel to be such a freak?"
And you say, "Impossible!" as he hands you a bone
And something is happening here but you don't know what it is
Do you, Mr. Jones?
You have many contacts among the lumberjacks
To get you facts when someone attacks your imagination
But nobody has any respect, anyway they already expect you to all give a check
To tax-deductible charity organizations
Ah, you've been with the professors and they've all liked your looks
With great lawyers you have discussed lepers and crooks
You've been through all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books
You're very well-read, it's well-known
But something is happening here and you don't know what it is
Do you, Mr. Jones?
Well, the sword swallower, he comes up to you and then he kneels
He crosses himself and then he clicks his high heels
And without further notice, he asks you how it feels
And he says, "Here is your throat back, thanks for the loan"
And you know something is happening but you don't know what it is
Do you, Mr. Jones?
Now, you see this one-eyed midget shouting the word "Now"
And you say, "For what reason?" and he says, "How"
And you say, "What does this mean?" and he screams back, "You're a cow!
Give me some milk or else go home"
And you know something's happening but you don't know what it is
Do you, Mr. Jones?
Well, you walk into the room like a camel, and then you frown
You put your eyes in your pocket and your nose on the ground
There ought to be a law against you comin' around
You should be made to wear earphones
'Cause something is happening and you don't know what it is
Do you, Mr. Jones?
.
 
I saw Bob Dylan live in 1993 and he was so shit me and my mate couldn't stop laughing. But I have always loved Nina Simone's version of I Shall Be Released so I would vote for that.
 
At a gig in Finsbury park about 2005 I tried to piss into a coke bottle as Bob was just coming on stage. I got knocked and lost control of my knob and pissed all the way up this guys back. He span round and went absolutely fucking berserk. Still shudder at the memory. Very embarrassing

I should have come out with "A hard rain's a-gonna fall"
 
Dunno. Most personal resonance for me would something off Blood on the Tracks, mostly because I hammered that album during a particularly happy summer when I was about 19.

Mr Tambourine Man is underrated lyrically and still holds up despite being overplayed.

Can't beat Gotta Serve Somebody for singing along in the car.

Best all round composition/song? Visions of Johanna. But it's not my favourite. But then some days it is. That opening couplet is fucking devastating.
 
His best verse is:

God said to Abraham “kill me a son”,
Abe said “hey, man, you must be putting me on”,
God said “No”, Abe said “what?”
God said “you can do what you want, Abe, but
The next time you see me coming, you’d better run”,
Abe said “anyway, where do you want this killing done?”
God said “do it out on Highway 61”.

But my favourite song is probably Idiot Wind.
 
I went through a phase with this one too. I believe some people think it's too frivolous for Blood on the Tracks. Bollocks.


To me that’s one of the ones that feels like he wrote the lyrics in 5 mins and they don’t actually mean anything. There’s a few I put in that category throughout his career. (Or the section I’m interested in).
 
To me that’s one of the ones that feels like he wrote the lyrics in 5 mins and they don’t actually mean anything. There’s a few I put in that category throughout his career. (Or the section I’m interested in).
It's not searingly political, and probably not allegorical in some deeply profound way either. I think it's more just good ole knockabout country n' western storytelling, his fondness for which become more obvious as he ages, and there's a place for that alongside the former two modes imo.
 
It's not searingly political, and probably not allegorical in some deeply profound way either. I think it's more just good ole knockabout country n' western storytelling, his fondness for which become more obvious as he ages, and there's a place for that alongside the former two modes imo.
Sure, it’s just my opinion. If I’m listening to the album I don’t skip it or anything.
 
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