A Journey through Wisdom in Bob Dylan's top 10 songs
Bob Dylan, the legendary singer-songwriter and Nobel laureate, has left an indelible mark on the world of music with his thought-provoking lyrics and timeless melodies. Through his top 10 songs, Dylan imparts valuable lessons that resonate across generations, addressing issues such as war, injustice, change, and personal growth. The enduring relevance of these lessons reflects the universal nature of Dylan's artistic legacy.
1. "Blowin' in the Wind":
Lesson: Advocate against war and injustice.
In "Blowin' in the Wind," Dylan raises poignant questions about the state of the world and the need for social change. The song serves as a powerful call to action, encouraging listeners to stand against war and injustice. The lesson here is to be vocal and proactive in the face of societal challenges, promoting peace and equality.
2. "The Times They Are a-Changin'":
Lesson: Embrace change and align yourself with the right side of history.
Dylan's anthem for change, "The Times They Are a-Changin'," emphasizes the inevitability of societal shifts. The lesson conveyed is to embrace change rather than resist it. By aligning oneself with the right side of history, individuals can contribute to positive transformations and progress.
3. "Subterranean Homesick Blues":
Lesson: Choose good company and follow your conscience.
In "Subterranean Homesick Blues," Dylan's lyrics caution against negative influences and encourage individuals to surround themselves with positive influences. The lesson is to choose good company wisely and stay true to one's conscience, navigating through life with integrity.
4. "Forever Young":
Lesson: Constantly renew yourself and maintain a youthful spirit.
"Forever Young" is an ode to eternal youth and a wish for everlasting vitality. The lesson here is to embrace a mindset of continual renewal, staying young at heart, and approaching life with a spirit of curiosity and enthusiasm.
5. "Like a Rolling Stone":
Lesson: Let go of your ego and be open to change.
Dylan's classic "Like a Rolling Stone" advises listeners to shed their egos and embrace change. The lesson is to be open to new experiences, relinquish attachments to past identities, and navigate life with a sense of freedom and adaptability.
6. "Tangled Up in Blue":
Lesson: Long for a connection with a vanishing beloved.
In "Tangled Up in Blue," Dylan explores the complexities of love and the longing for a lost connection. The lesson is to cherish and seek meaningful connections, even when faced with the inevitable challenges and changes that life brings.
7. "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall":
Lesson: Speak out against injustice, suffering, pollution, and warfare.
"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" serves as a powerful social commentary, addressing a myriad of global issues. The lesson is to speak out against injustice, suffering, pollution, and warfare, advocating for positive change in the face of adversity.
8. "Hurricane":
Lesson: Stand against injustice, even when falsely accused.
"Hurricane" tells the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's wrongful conviction, and Dylan's call to stand against injustice. The lesson is to be resilient in the face of false accusations, fight for justice, and stand by principles even in challenging times.
9. "Mr. Tambourine Man":
Lesson: Stay awake and continue learning from life's experiences.
In "Mr. Tambourine Man," Dylan expresses a desire to escape and experience life fully. The lesson is to stay awake, both figuratively and metaphorically, and continue learning from the journey of life, embracing its highs and lows.
10. "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right":
Lesson: Be carefree and accept that not everything works out, but it's okay to move on.
In "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," Dylan reflects on acceptance and moving forward. The lesson is to be carefree, acknowledge that not everything works out as planned, and understand that it's okay to let go and embark on new beginnings.
Lyrics and Songs
Lesson: "War is bad"
Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, and how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind
2. "The times they are a changin'"
Lesson: "Stay on the right side of history"
The line it is drawn the curse it is cast
The slow one now will later be fast
As the present now will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin'
And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a' changin'!
3. "Subterranean homesick blues"
Lesson: "Keep good company, follow your conscience"
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows
4. Forever Young
Lesson: "Renew yourself all the time"
May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.
May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.
May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.
5. "Like a rolling stone"
Lesson: "Give up your ego; Be a rolling stone"
When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you've got no secrets to conceal
How does it feel, ah how does it feel?
To be on your own, with no direction home
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone
6. Tangled up in blue
Lesson: "long for the vanishing beloved"
Early one mornin' the sun was shinin'
I was layin' in bed
Wondrin' if she'd changed at all
If her hair was still red
Her folks they said our lives together
Sure was gonna be rough
They never did like
Mama's homemade dress
Papa's bank book wasn't big enough
And I was standin' on the side of the road
Rain fallin' on my shoes
Heading out for the east coast
Lord knows I've paid some dues
Gettin' through
Tangled up in blue
She was married when we first met
Soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam I guess
But I used a little too much force
We drove that car as far as we could
Abandoned it out west
Split up on a dark sad night
Both agreeing it was best
She turned around to look at me
As I was walkin' away
I heard her say over my shoulder
We'll meet again some day
On the avenue
Tangled up in blue
I had a job in the great north woods
Working as a cook for a spell
But I never did like it all that much
And one day the axe just fell
So I drifted down to New Orleans
Where I was looking for to be employed
Workin' for a while on a fishin' boat
Right outside of Delacroix
But all the while I was alone
The past was close behind
I seen a lot of women
But she never escaped my mind
And I just grew
Tangled up in blue
She was workin' in a topless place
And I stopped in for a beer
I just kept lookin' at the side of her face
In the spotlight so clear
And later on as the crowd thinned out
I's just about to do the same
She was standing there in back of my chair
Said to me, Don't I know your name?
I muttered somethin' under my breath
She studied the lines on my face
I must admit I felt a little uneasy
When she bent down to tie the laces
Of my shoe
Tangled up in blue
She lit a burner on the stove
And offered me a pipe
I thought you'd never say hello, she said
You look like the silent type
Then she opened up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century
And everyone of them words rang true
And glowed like burnin' coal
Pourin' off of every page
Like it was written in my soul
From me to you
Tangled up in blue
I lived with them on Montague Street
In a basement down the stairs
There was music in the cafes at night
And revolution in the air
Then he started into dealing with slaves
And something inside of him died
She had to sell everything she owned
And froze up inside
And when finally the bottom fell out
I became withdrawn
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keepin' on
Like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue
So now I'm goin' back again
I got to get to her somehow
All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenters' wives
Don't know how it all got started
I don't know what they're doin' with their lives
But me, I'm still on the road
Headin' for another joint
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point
Of view
Tangled up in blue
7. "A hard rain's a-gonna fall"
Lesson: "Speak about injustice, suffering, pollution and warfare."
Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?
And where have you been my darling young one?
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
8. "Hurricane"
Lesson: "Speaking against injustice"
Here comes the story of the Hurricane
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world
9. Mr. Tambourine Man
Lesson: "Be awake, learn!"
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
Though I know that evenings empire has returned into sand
Vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping
My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirling ship
My senses have been stripped
My hands can't feel to grip
My toes too numb to step
Wait only for my boot heels to be wandering
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade
Cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirling ship
My senses have been stripped
My hands can't feel to grip
My toes too numb to step
Wait only for my boot heels to be wandering
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade
Cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly through the sun
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly through the sun
It's not aimed at anyone
It's just escaping on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facing
And if you hear vague traces of skipping reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time
It's just a ragged clown behind
I wouldn't pay it any mind
It's just a shadow you're seeing that he's chasing
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
It's just escaping on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facing
And if you hear vague traces of skipping reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time
It's just a ragged clown behind
I wouldn't pay it any mind
It's just a shadow you're seeing that he's chasing
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
Take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
Take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind
Down the foggy ruins of time
Far past the frozen leaves
The haunted frightened trees
Out to the windy bench
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky
With one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea
Circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate
Driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
Far past the frozen leaves
The haunted frightened trees
Out to the windy bench
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky
With one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea
Circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate
Driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
10. Don't think twice, it's all right
Lesson: "Be Carefree"
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
10. Don't think twice, it's all right
Lesson: "Be Carefree"
Well, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
Even you don't know by now
And it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It'll never do somehow
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
Look out your window, and I'll be gone
You're the reason I'm a-traveling on
But don't think twice, it's all right.
And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe
The light I never knowed
And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe
I'm on the dark side of the road
But I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
But we never did too much talking anyway
But don't think twice, it's all right.
So it ain't no use in calling out my name, gal
Like you never done before
And it ain't no use in calling out my name, gal
I can't hear you any more
I'm a-thinking and a-wonderin' walking down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I am told
I gave her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don't think twice, it's all right.
So long honey, baby
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
Goodbye's too good a word, babe
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't a-saying you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right.
Singing oneness!
