| Bob Dylan – It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Here's my feeble attempt at deciphering some of the songs meaning. Before I do that, though, I should probably state that I'm not a Dylan fanatic, nor am I a connoisseur of all things Dylan – in other words, I have a life. Case and point: I actually don't have any of his albums, although I do have a couple of his greatest hits CDs. To expand on the amount of songs I have of his, I downloaded a few illegally from the net a few years ago (sorry Bob). Furthermore, I haven't read his memoir, but I did watch the excellent Scorsese documentary on his early life. Thus I know a little bit, and I mean just a tiny little bit, on his works and early life background. I do know, on the other hand, quite a lot about the times in which he grew up from the history books. (I’m 25, in case you’re wondering). “It’s Alright Ma” is the best written song that I’ve ever heard. The first time I listened to it I was completely floored. The song has so much working for it. Its imagery, rhyming scheme, and emotional depth are all unbeatably top-notch in my estimation. That being said, it’s actually not even my favourite Dylan song – my favourite being his acoustic version of “Shelter from the Storm” (I don’t know why that’s my favourite, I can’t rationalize it, it just is). From the very first listen through, the song always came across to me as being very conservative, in a strictly traditional sense. Perhaps my personal biases have something to do with why I interpreted the song that way. To get those biases out of the way I’ll state them right here: I’m a traditional conservative – but absolutely not mainstream Republican or Conservative Party of Canada liberal “conservative” – and a strict empiricist on all matters physical. Also, let’s just say I’m not a devotee to the doctrines of perpetual plentitude. You probably didn’t need or want to know any of that, but oh well. Now to the song: “Darkness at the break of noon Shadows even the silver spoon The handmade blade, the child's balloon Eclipses both the sun and moon To understand you know too soon There is no sense in trying.” The first four lines in this verse sound apocalyptic in tone, like of a nuclear holocaust, which is a common theme in early Dylan songs if I can remember correctly. Or maybe just apocalyptic in a general sense, like he thought something was systematically wrong with the world then (and perhaps the same things are still wrong today). The fifth verse is about the burden of being too wise to the workings of the world, especially when your as young as he when he wrote this – that being early 20’s, if I’m not mistaken. If I’m correct in this assessment, I’ve recently had a similar experience. You feel ancient and there are very few people you can really relate to, particularly amongst your peers. It can be lonely, and to be an introvert, which I presume Dylan was/is to some degree, makes it that much worse. The sixth line is his recognition of the remorseless working of things, that whatever is wrong can’t be stopped. No doctrinaire idealism will turn the ship around. “Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn Suicide remarks are torn From the fool's gold mouthpiece The hollow horn plays wasted words Proves to warn That he not busy being born Is busy dying.” This verse I’m not sure of. The last two verses might mean something like Socrates famous adage that “the life which is unexamined is not worth living”. That is, people who don’t have a zest for life and knowledge are just as well dead. They’re empty vessels. But I’m probably wrong on this, like I am on everything else I’m writing, so I won’t take anymore stabs at it. “Temptation's page flies out the door You follow, find yourself at war Watch waterfalls of pity roar You feel to moan but unlike before You discover That you'd just be One more person crying.” My best guess on this verse is that it deals with some sort of libertinism (“temptation’s page”). People who live such a lifestyle are often insecure, jealous and so on. In other words, human nature takes over. Thus if you were to live such a lifestyle you’d constantly “find your self at war” with your acquaintances, and would have to witness many “waterfalls of pity roar”. If you did live this way, in the end “you’d just be… one more person crying”. “So don't fear if you hear A foreign sound to your ear It's alright, Ma, I'm only sighing.” The “it’s alright, ma,” part of the song I think is a device to appeal to a higher power. A mother is generally seen as a nurturing figure, and Dylan may be very well distraught with what he’s putting onto paper. Could appealing to “ma” be for psychological comfort? “As some warn victory, some downfall Private reasons great or small Can be seen in the eyes of those that call To make all that should be killed to crawl While others say don't hate nothing at all Except hatred.” In my humble opinion, the first four lines of this verse deal with intellectuals offering up optimistic or pessimistic visions of the future, and that what side they fall on depends on personal partisan hang-ups. Moreover, perhaps the third and forth line taken together is in reference to intellectuals often contemptuous views towards the masses. That is, those that should be “killed” for not following any given intellectuals political agenda to the letter, should be made to “crawl,” or more specifically be forced into becoming subservient. The last two lines might be a swipe at the naivete of the “make peace, not war” 60’s crowd. “Disillusioned words like bullets bark As human gods aim for their mark Made everything from toy guns that spark To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark It's easy to see without looking too far That not much Is really sacred.” Perhaps the second line deals with the idea that God is dead in western societies. To further elaborate, modern humans, through their reification of secular ideologies, are playing God by trying to bring about a utopia on Earth now, as opposed to waiting till the hereafter for such pleasures as was the case in earlier times. The verse as a whole I think means that modernity has no heart or soul. It’s just empty consumerism based on “enlightened” selfishness. “While preachers preach of evil fates Teachers teach that knowledge waits Can lead to hundred-dollar plates Goodness hides behind its gates But even the president of the United States Sometimes must have To stand naked.” Here’s my take on this verse: Preachers preach of Hell as a means of societal control. Teachers teach their students that knowledge of, and strict adherence to politically acceptable philosophical sophistries will lead to financial rewards and social power. Furthermore, the elites are often full of empty rhetoric. Thus, maybe the fourth line means “Goodness hides behind [the establishments] gates”? The last line is a reminder that everybody, including the most powerful, i.e., the President of the United States, is fallible. “An' though the rules of the road have been lodged It's only people's games that you got to dodge And it's alright, Ma, I can make it.” I think the first line is about the fact that if you’ve read enough history, and/or have been a keen enough observer of human nature, you kind of learn what to expect. The second line might be a warning to watch out for people’s partisan political agendas. “Advertising signs that con you Into thinking you're the one That can do what's never been done That can win what's never been won Meantime life outside goes on All around you.” Perhaps this verse is about advertisers manipulating “consumers” by preying on peoples secret desires and insecurities to move product, while, in fact, “…life outside goes on… all around you”. In other words, consuming crap isn’t what life’s all about, regardless of how hard advertisers try to make it so. I’m getting tired so I’m going to stop here (not like anybody is going to read this anyway) |
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