Daily Dose Of Dylan

“Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan

I just read Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha. While many of my students tell me it was the most amazing book they’ve ever read, I found it, while quite good, to be exactly what I expected: a fictionalized story (almost a parable) of self-discovery which parallels the Buddhist eight-fold path. I am sure that I was less astounded by this because I was already familiar with Buddhism, but it was fairly new to my students and quite contrary to much of what they’ve experienced to this point in their lives.

It did, however, remind me of how many times we experience Buddhist-influenced (either direct or indirect) ideas. As a teacher of American Literature, I recognize that the Transcendental Philosophies draw heavily on the religions of the Far East and, since they are such an influential part of our national identity and morality, it is little wonder that we find them infused into various aspects of our pop culture as well. I have long contended that the novel/movie Fight Club has heavy overtones of Transcendentalism (and, by extension, Buddhism) before it gets perverted by Project Mayhem (I’m still trying to rectify the whole second half into my theory). 

Likewise, Dylan, one of the more enlightened people of the century, incorporates (either overtly or incidentally) Buddhist concepts into his work, and nowhere is this more obvious than the simple song of peace and tolerance, “Blowin’ in the Wind”. The song suggests an interconnectedness of everything and an understanding that all problems are simply complications that, once simplified, can be easily rectified. It also suggests that, while some things may seem obvious, the answers seem to allude us, blowing in the wind, and may even change. 

Which brings me to this version of the song. Originally released as a simple song by a single performer, Dylan saw his song get remade and reworked numerous times by a variety of vocal groups and bands, all of whom changed it in some way. Eventually, Dylan changed his live version of the song, incorporating many of the changes that others had made. The result wasn’t a perversion of the song, but merely an indication that the truth (the song) had undergone changes because others had been allowed access to it. So in essence, the song not only presents some of the basic elements of Buddhism, but also becomes the epitome of the ever-changing truth.

“The Levee’s Gonna Break” by Bob Dylan

Yeah, it’s still raining, so here’s some Bob doing his adaptation of the song by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie. You may recognize another famous version by some band called Led Zeppelin or something like that. Bob’s version has more of a shuffle feel and less of the apocalyptic drums from inside the caves of doom feel.

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“Paths of Victory” by Bob Dylan

The trail is dark an’ dusty
The road is kind o’ rough,
But the good Lord is waiting
And boys it ain’t far off.

It’s good to know that there’s a Dylan song for every occasion, even the beginning of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals. The hockey season has indeed been a long and rough road (though considerably shorter this year), but the Lord (I’m assuming that’s a reference to Lord Stanley’s Cup) is waiting and “ain’t far off” now. So whether you’re rooting for the Blackhawks (like me, shelterfromthenorm) or the evil Bruins (like DDoD matriarch haulonthebowline certainly is), it seems you’ll be watching with the Mighty Bob.

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“Million Miles” by Bob Dylan

I was watching the most recent episode of North America which explores the deserts of the continent, and the relentlessness of the sands, the dearth of the rain, and the generally bleak existence reminded me of this album. Despite Dylan’s legendary status and abundance of money, he still manages to produce an austere album that cuts through to the core of the human experience. It is at the same time heartbreaking and redemptive; it provides scenarios of relentless misery only made worse (or better) by eternal optimism. Despite the persistence of life and misery, despite the miles of separation, the human spirit will endure. Just as life flourishes in a desert.

Yes, the last thing you said before ya hit the street
Gonna find me a janitor to sweep me off my feet
I said, “That’s all right, mamma, you, you do what you gotta do”
Well, I’ve tried to get closer, I’m still a million miles from you.

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“The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” by Bob Dylan

One of those great story songs by Bob Dylan in which he tells of the murder of Hattie Carroll, in Maryland in 1963, by William Zantzinger, who received six months in jail. He was allowed to delay his sentence until he had time to harvest his tobacco crop. 

In his brilliance as a songwriter and storyteller, Dylan reveals the outrageous inhumanity of Zantzinger’s actions, ending each verse with:

And you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain’t the time for your tears

For the final verse, once the sentence is revealed, he changes to:

Ah, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Bury the rag deep in your face
For now’s the time for your tears

In the midst of the atrocities of his crime, Dylan deftly delays the listener’s outrage, eventually pointing the listener to the most heinous detail: that for a murder of a black woman, downgraded to manslaughter, a wealthy and powerful tobacco farmer could receive only six months in jail.

(Also, check out Billy Bragg’s “remake” of the song into “The Lonesome Death of Rachel Corrie” about a woman who was killed in the Gaza Strip by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003.)

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“One More Cup of Coffee” by Bob Dylan

The more I listen to this album, the more I am mesmerized by the violin and by the vocals of Emmylou Harris. The entire album is a prime example of how, when taken individually, the songs seem random and not necessarily among Dylan’s strongest, but when taken together, they form a more cohesive set of stories, more concretely linked by their musical similarities. Accomplishing something like this takes more than just songwriting skill or musical talent: it takes vision.

Your sister sees the future
Like your mama and yourself.
You’ve never learned to read or write
There’s no books upon your shelf.

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“Down in the Flood” by Bob Dylan

Oh my, there’s been a lot of rain around here lately. Complete with flash flood warnings and the like. And more on its way. And I keep leaving my umbrella in the car. Story of my life.

Now, it’s king for king,
Queen for queen,
It’s gonna be the meanest flood
That anybody’s seen.

“Forever Young” by Bob Dylan

Because sometimes Bob can be direct and give great advice.

May God Bless and keep you, always,
May His promises for you all come true,
May you do for others, as you would want others to do for you.
May you build a ladder to heaven,
And climb on every run…

May you stay forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young!

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
And see His light surrounding you.
May you always be courageous, stand upright, and be strong;
Loving truth and hating wrong.

May you stay forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young!

May your heart always be joyful,
May you have the gift of song,
May your songs always be sung,
May you be where you belong…
May you be 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 you laugh and have some fun…

May you stay forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

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“Tombstone Blues” by Bob Dylan

I did a seminar with my students for two days on seven Bob Dylan songs and they were particularly taken with this song. At length, they discussed the line about how “the sun is not yellow, it’s chicken”. I commended them for tackling the most difficult line in the song. They, in turn, looked at the rest of the song and discovered in the chorus that the gender roles were reversed (ma in the factory, dad’s looking for food) while the narrator was “in the kitchen with the tombstone blues”. Some suggested that it was an indication that the younger generation was not making positive contributions to society while others looked at it as possible PTSD after seeing so much death on Korea and/or Viet Nam. Either way, they identified a clear distinction and separation between the generations which is inherent in much of Dylan’s music. They then tied that back to the chicken and sun by indicating that much of what we see is not real but only our own perception or what we want to see which is dependent upon our experiences and/or socio-economic class. From there, they looked at many of the other Dylan songs in the same manner and understood the 60s.

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“Scarlet Town” by Bob Dylan

This is the song that ended last night’s episode of Defiance. And they couldn’t have chosen a better pairing. Good to see Dylan songs getting some prime-time TV love.

In Scarlet Town, you fight your father’s foes
Up on the hill, a chilly wind blows
You fight ‘em on high and you fight ‘em down in
You fight ‘em with whiskey, morphine and gin
You’ve got legs that can drive men mad
A lot of things we didn’t do that I wish we had
In Scarlet Town, the sky is clear
You’ll wish to God that you stayed right here

(Source: Spotify)

“Mr. Tambourine Man” by Bob Dylan

I know I haven’t posted much music lately because I have been otherwise occupied. Currently, I’m  trying to navigate the long-distance completion of my thesis and all of the paperwork involved. Additionally, I’ve been setting up a field trip (two actually) for most of the sophomore class to go see The Great Gatsby when it comes out which includes its own set of meaningless and redundant paperwork. Finally, I am trying to organize the end of the school year and figure out how I’m going to teach all of the material on the final exam that we had to hand in a month ago. 

With all of this going on, I’m having a hard time remembering whether I’m the horse or the pony, trying to keep straight whether the I’s or T’s get crossed or dotted, and exactly which hoops I’m, supposed to jump through. 

Simply, and in terms of Dylan, I’ve been feeling like I’m following the silliness and futility of the tambourine man every jingle jangle morning. Someday, these things will all be complete and I will look back on these days as necessary to the ends, but right now they’re just mean(s). 

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“Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” by Bob Dylan

This version from MTV’s Unplugged series is a refreshing and more upbeat change from the song that gets a bit too much play. Check it out - acoustic with a great slide guitar.

And follow the Daily Dylan playlist at Spotify.

(Source: Spotify)