submissions
| Bob Dylan – Not Dark Yet Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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Interesting note: Bob was originally supposed to record a song for the Passion of the Christ soundtrack, but Columbia prevented it from happening. As a compromise, Dylan said he would let one of his previously recorded songs appear that was related to Christ's crucifixtion. Instead of granting one of his explicitly Christian "gospel period" songs, Dylan submitted "Not Dark Yet".
How "Not Dark Yet" is related to Christ's death and resurrection is not totally evident to me. What is clear is that the album "Time Out of Mind" is an album rooted solidly in Dylan's faith. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Got My Mind Made Up Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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An amazing song that is a harbinger of the period of amazing blues-rooted folk music that Dylan has recently displayed in his current 1997-Present period. Got My Mind Made Up is a sort of follow-up to "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking". He's changed his way of thinking. His mind is made up. And he's saying he doesn't have to change his beliefs just to appeal to his old fans.
"If you don't want to see me, Look the other way. You don't have to feed me, I ain't your dog that's gone astray." |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Tryin' to Get to Heaven Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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Over the past decade I think Bob has been writing some songs as sort of follow-ups to his classic songs from the 1960's and 1970's. "Things Have Changed" is a sequel to "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and "Trying to Get to Heaven" is a follow-up to "Knockin' on Heaven's Door". |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Country Pie Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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Yeah, that's right. Bob Dylan just likes pie. I think that's the way Dylan himself would interpret it. Waaay too many Dylan songs are over analyzed and over interpreted. Bravo for a great analysis. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Cold Irons Bound Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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Although it's not often mentioned, it is important to note that much of "Time Out of Mind" (including the title itself) comes from phrases used in "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan. The phrase "twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound" comes from the description of the prisoners in the castle of the Giant Despair. This incredible song seems to be a song about a man struggling with sin and pride and the frustration that his desires of his sinful nature trap him in despair and prevent him from getting closer to God.
By the way, don't miss the amazing live version of this song featured on the Masked and Anonymous soundtrack! |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Changing of the Guards Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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DJacques, you're a genius. As a Christian, I always heard that exact interpretation, but I always question whether I'm reading too much Christianity into Dylan's music (especially in his pre-conversion music). I think the reality is that Bob Dylan understood within the months before his conversion that there was going to be a changing of the guards. This song, along with Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) and Where Are You Tonight, are three amazing songs that show a Christian conversion about to take place. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Foot of Pride Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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An amazing song. So complex and multilayered that I won't even pretend to be able to explain all of it. Overall, however, the song is about man's inability to exalt himself because of pride. His corruption and pride is described in detail, but no matter how high he thinks he is, he cannot "stare straight into the sun" or "get water out of rocks" (a reference, I believe, to Moses striking the rock - a rock which Paul said was Christ). Despite the foolish pride of man, he is nothing compared to the glory and might of God. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Gonna Change My Way of Thinking (2003 version) Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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This incredible song sung by Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples on the 2003 album "Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan" is Bob Dylan's one-two punch to those that claim Bob Dylan renounced his faith. In the late 1980's Bob Dylan described his 1979-1981 albums as instruments of "laying down the law" for his later music. While his faith can be found in all of his 1979-2006 albums, this song cleary shows that his faith in Christ is still present. This song, along with the 2002 "Cross the Green Mountains", is an encouraging statement of faith and a man's belief that looking to God is the only way to find truth in a world where (to quote his words from Masked and Anonymous) truth and beauty have become "in the eye of the beholder". Yes, there are storms on the ocean and mountains, but the sun is shining and Jesus is calling and we must pray for guidance every day to give us the strength to step out of the dark woods.
In addition to having a fantastic message and lyrics, this is one of Bob Dylan's hardest-rocking recordings. It's "Love and Theft" meets "Slow Train Coming". Amazing. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Precious Angel Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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This song is incredible. So passionate and unconcerned about political correctness. You're right, RayMan. So many want to believe Bob Dylan has renounced this music. In fact, he's done just the opposite. In 1995, Bob Dylan was asked if he still agreed with the lines "You were telling him about Buddha, you were telling him about Mohammed in the same breath. You never mentioned one time the Man who came and died a criminal's death." Here's Dylan's response:
"Just writing a song like that probably emancipated me from other kinds of illusions... I can't say that I would disagree with that line. On its own level it was some kind of turning point for me, writing that." (from Sept. 29 1995 Sun-Sentinel Today interview) |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Solid Rock Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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I love this song. It's so unashamed of proclaiming the truth. Some Bob Dylan fans want to ignore Bob Dylan's still-profound Christian faith. Bob Dylan still frequently plays this song in concerts and it makes these fans madder than a "Judas"-screaming folk fan at the '66 Royal Albert Hall concert. :) |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – What Was It You Wanted Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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My two bits: When I first heard this song, I thought it was a song sung from the perspective of Jesus talking to Judas, but I figured I was the only one that heard that. Since then I've found that this is a pretty common interpretation. Rats. I thought I finally had an original thought.
I've heard people say that "Make You Feel My Love" is also sung from Jesus' perspective. They have a point, but the lyrics to this song are even more convincing. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Things Have Changed Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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Another theory I have is that the song isn't specifically about Bob Dylan but about a generic "worried man with a worried mind" who experiments with all the world has to offer (women, drugs, etc) and finds it meaningless and doomed. Either way, my previous comments still apply. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Things Have Changed Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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Life's about the stuff Dylan sang about in his 1979-1981 albums. Folks say he renounced the ideas in those albums. Far from it. In the late 1980's he said those albums "laid down the law" for all of his work to follow (Rolling Stone Issue 394). This song is no acception. It's about a God-fearing man living in a time when "people are crazy and times are strange." He knows that the world's false value system is futile and that one day "the world will explode". But he's not trying to get away from the world as much as he's trying to get far away from himself (i.e. his sinful nature). No matter what he does to amuse himself he knows that it will do little to cast away his fears and struggles. When he was a new Christian, he sought to change people's hearts through overt evangelism. Now, after decades of being ridiculed and lied about, things are different. "I used to care, but things have changed."
...Anyway, that's my two bits. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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My two bits: This song represents the desperation Dylan felt in his life as he fully came to understand the darkness and futility of the world. Dylan sees those blindly following their own desires and accepting the world's false value system as a "trainload of fools". All of Dylan's foundations have crumbled and he is left with nothing but to "strip and kneel". Dylan had not accepted Christ when he wrote this song, but it is evident he can "smell the tail of the dragon" and realizes that he must "overturn these tables" and "disconnect these cables" by accepting salvation. This is clearly a song about a man about to make a decision that will result in a major change in his life.
...Interesting that Dylan now frequently follows "Senor" in his concerts with the testimonial song "God Knows". |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Covenant Woman Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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My Two Bits: This song sums up much of Dylan's music from 1979-Present. Bob Dylan said in the late 1980's that his "born again" albums "laid down the law" for all of his later albums. This song demonstrates Dylan's belief (based on Scripture) that the love between a man and woman is a central aspect of the covenant God has made with mankind. Not only is the relationship a necessary part of establishing God's kingdom, but it is also a relationship that draws parallels with God's relationship with humanity. The Church, after all, is called the "bride" of Christ. Dylan draws on this parallel in many of his later songs (especially in the songs on Time Out of Mind) to create fascinating double meanings in his songs.
This song is simpler, however. It is an honest expression of desire to share a lifetime of God's salvation with a woman "closer than any friend". |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Covenant Woman Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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My Two Bits: This song sums up much of Dylan's music from 1979-Present. Bob Dylan said in the late 1980's that his "born again" albums "laid down the law" for all of his later albums. This song demonstrates Dylan's belief (based on Scripture) that the love between a man and woman is a central aspect of the covenant God has made with mankind. Not only is the relationship a necessary part of establishing God's kingdom, but it is also a relationship that draws parallels with God's relationship with humanity. The Church, after all, is called the "bride" of Christ. Dylan draws on this parallel in many of his later songs (especially in the songs on Time Out of Mind) to create fascinating double meanings in his songs.
This song is simpler, however. It is an honest expression of desire to share a lifetime of God's salvation with a woman "closer than any friend". |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Day of the Locusts Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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Dylan wrote this after receiving an honorary degree. As an ardent anti-establishment kind of guy, he received it with reservations, and only with the insistence of his family. The song is about how miserable he was accepting the degree.
I couldn't believe this song when I first heard it. It was like it was describing my life. Especially the part about driving to the black hills of Dakota after picking up a degree. That's exactly what I did when I graduated from college. Amazing. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Can't Wait Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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My Theory: The song, like so many of Dylan's works, has at least two meanings. The obvious meaning is about a desire for a lover that has left to return.
The deeper meaning, I believe, is about Dylan's desire to see God (either through death or through the return of the Messiah). He struggles to "walk the line" between morality and sin. Facing death, he "stands at the gate" "breathing hard", filled with a mixture of fear and desire for God. "If I ever saw you coming I don't know what I would do. I'd like to think I could control myself, but it isn't true." Sure, this could apply to a man's reaction to a woman he loves, but it could equally apply to a man overwhelmed by the presence of God.
"I left my life with you somewhere back there along the line." This phrase is especially interesting to me. What does "living along the line" mean? It is used in several of Dylan's songs. Most recently, it was used in his song Thunder on the Mountain to refer to the year corresponding with his Christian period ("I was thinkin' 'bout Alicia Keys, couldn't keep from crying. When she was born in Hell's Kitchen, I was living down the line"). Interesting that in this song he uses the phrase to indicate a time when he left his life. Could it be he is meaning he left his old life and gave life to Christ. |
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