"I think of Dylan’s lyrics**—**and he won the Nobel for his lyrics—as the flour in my apron pocket, marking the escape route from a forest of conventional expectations and authority".—Judith Thurman "My favorite for lyrics is “Forever Young.” Every verse is a beatitude: '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 May your song always be sung And may you stay forever young' That was the spirit of the generation—my own—that grew up with Dylan".—Louis Menand
"Once upon a time you dressed so fine Threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you? People call say 'beware doll, you're bound to fall' You thought they were all kidding you You used to laugh about Everybody that was hanging out Now you don't talk so loud Now you don't seem so proud About having to be scrounging your next meal How does it feel, how does it feel? To be without a home Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone..."
Freewheelin' scientists! A total of 727 Bob Dylan lyrics are found hidden in medical research papers that were snuck in for a bet "How many Bob Dylan references can a scientist make in medical papers before he gets caught out? The answer my friend, is far from blowing in the wind - it is in fact 727. Swedish researchers have painstakingly counted the number of Dylan-related lyrics in biomedical papers, to discover they have increased 'exponentially' since 1990". A SELECTION OF DYLAN REFERENCES IN THE PAPERS Examples of lyrics cited in biomedical papers are listed below. Like a rolling histone: 'Epigenetic regulation of neural stem cells and brain development by factors controlling histone acetylation and methylation' Bringing it all back home: 'Bringing it all back home: how I became a relational analyst' Blood on the tracks: 'Blood on the tracks: a simple twist of fate?' Knockin' on pollen's door: 'Live cell imaging of early polarisation events in germinating Arabidopsis pollen' Blowing in the wind: 'Nitric oxide and inflammation: The answer is blowing in the wind' A slow train is coming: 'Dietary nitrate – a slow train is coming' The two most cited Dylan songs found in the study: 'The times they are a-changin', which was mentioned in 135 articles and 'Blowin' In the wind', in 36 articles. The search also revealed the use of other popular titles such as 'All along the watchtower', 'Knockin' on heaven's door', and 'Like a rolling stone'.
That's my favorite Dylan song, and the part of it I would have picked. Second choice: "Ahh princess on a steeple and all the pretty people They're all drinking, thinking that they've got it made Exchanging all precious gifts But you better take your diamond ring, you better pawn it babe You used to be so amused At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used Go to him he calls you, you can't refuse 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?"
Writing Lyrics With Bob Dylan Is Weird By Carol Bayer Sager "Carole Bayer Sager was one of the most prolific songwriters of the 1970s, working with artists like Neil Simon, Carole King, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, and today’s winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Bob Dylan. The following is an excerpt from Bayer Sager’s new memoir They’re Playing Our Song in which she describes a 1986 writing session with Dylan".
Just Like a Woman - 1966 "Ain’t it clear that— I just can’t fit Yes, I believe it’s time for us to quit When we meet again Introduced as friends Please don’t let on that you knew me when I was hungry and it was your world. Ah, you fake just like a woman You make love just like a woman Then you ache just like a woman But you break just like a little girl."
How Dylan writes songs. Part 1: The types of song By Tony Atwood Dylan on writing his songs: the origins of his approach and style By Tony Atwood
Tomorrow Is A Long Time Rod Stewart If today was not an endless highway If tonight was not a crooked trail If tomorrow wasn't such a long time Then lonesome would mean nothing to you at all Ah but only if my own true love is waitin' Yes and if I could hear her heart a softly poundin' Only if she were lying by me Would I rest in my bed once again I can't see my reflection in the mirror I can't speak the sounds that show no pain I can't hear the echoes of my footsteps And can't remember the sound of my own name Ah but only if my own true love is waitin' Yes and if I could hear her heart a softly poundin' Only if she were lying by me Would I rest in my bed once again There's beauty in the silver singin' river There's beauty in the sunlight in the sky But none of these, and nothing else Can steal the beauty That I remember in my true love's eyes Ah but only if my own true love is waitin' Yes and if I could hear her heart a softly poundin' Only if she were lying by me Would I rest in my bed once again Ah but only if my own true love is waitin' Yes and if I could hear her heart a softly poundin' Only if she were lying by me Would I rest in my bed once again Songwriters: Bob Dylan Tomorrow Is A Long Time lyrics © Audiam, Inc
Bob Dylan may have been a darling lyricist to you, but to me he was a leftist, pot-smoking, anti-establishment Hippy. But yes, Mr. Zimmerman, the Times they are a'changin! Hal
Positively 4th Street You've got a lot of nerve to say you are my friend When I was down you just stood there grinning You've got a lot of nerve to say you got a helping hand to lend You just want to be on the side that's winning You say I let you down, you know it's not like that If you're so hurt, why then don't you show it You say you've lost your faith, but that's not where it's at You have no faith to lose, and you know it I know the reasons, that you talk behind my back I used to be among the crowd you're in with Do you take me for such a fool, to think I'd make contact With the one who tries to hide what he don't know to begin with. You see me on the street, you always act surprised You say "how are you?", "good luck", but you don't mean it When you know as well as me, you'd rather see me paralyzed Why don't you just come out once and scream it No, I do not feel that good when I see the heartaches you embrace If I was a master thief perhaps I'd rob them And I know you're dissatisfied with your position and your place Don't you understand, it's not my problem. I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes And just for that one moment I could be you Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes You'd know what a drag it is to see you