Bob Dylan – Don't Think Twice, It's All Right

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Well, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don't know by now
An' 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 travelin' on
But don't think twice, it's all right

And it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
The light I never knowed
An' it ain't no use in turnin' 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
We never did too much talkin' anyway
But don't think twice, it's all right

So it ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
Like you never done before
And it ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
I can't hear you anymore
I'm a-thinkin' and a-wonderin', walkin' down the road,
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don't think twice, it's all right

So long, honey, babe
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 sayin' you treated me unkind
You coulda done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right

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Lyrics submitted by Jack, edited by goodnews

Track duration: 03:38


Don't Think Twice, It's All Right song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment:Its interesting Dylan once said this song was incredibly hard for him to sing. he said he could only successfully sing it every once in a while. I always thought of this song as a summation of the regret and bitterness that he feels from a relationship that was wasted time and is now lost. "you just kinda wasted my precious time" and "id give her my heart, but she wanted my soul." those two lines always tear me up when I listen to it
    Flag cblo12on June 10, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is a little more complicated than "Forget you, anyway." I think this is about a lot of relationships that we've all had but because of our feelings at the end of it we never really see it that way. I think this song is about a breakup, obviously. But I don't know if it is completely about the woman being in the wrong. I think it's about one of those relationships that people get into and it seems like it's going fine but eventually one side decides they would rather just let it go and move on. But even though the guy in this case realizes that the relationship has sucked and that it isn't going to work, suddenly the girl realizes that he is actually a good guy and through things she has done (probably laziness and complacency -- and a little bit of a lack of a desire to get to a place in her life where she actually shoots for things that she wants and tries to actually develop something that can be great) she is losing him. She then realizes that she missed out on something great and even though she wants to try to actually make it work finally, she then decides that it is best to let this great guy go on and find his own happiness. So now she is apologizing. She's trying to make some sort of meaning out of all of it so she can learn for the future and she's basically been telling him the things she did that are her fault. She says she's sorry for this and that. And as she brings up things that she could have done differently, he says it's no use now. "It ain't no use in turning on your light babe" Basically, at this point it won't help. And so on. But even though he is brutally honest (I ain't a sayin' you treated me unkind, you coulda done better but I don't mind) he is trying to soothe her. Because he hasn't been finding out that she is mean or anything, but just that it hasn't worked out. And he still realizes that she has qualities and that she should move on and show those to other people. He wants her to know that it all meant a lot but it just didn't work out but she shouldn't beat herself up over it and instead should move on the same way -- Don't think twice, it's alright.
    Flag browwk01on March 07, 2013   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:most beautiful song addressed to god. I know most of you think all songs are (USA ppl) or to an ex-gf. This song is definitely half Joan Baez or so and half God.
    Flagged guigaon August 14, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I used to play and sing this song unprofessionally so I got acquainted with it personally. I think it's really just a gripe - you didn't work at it, even though you said you loved me, so ... later, and this is how that felt (you suck, basically, but whatever, I'm outta here).
    Flag ugotstahwonderon April 22, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I think two lines in this song can sum up all the feelings of resentment felt by anyone and everyone who has every listened with their heart and not just their ears. These two lines also portray how (I think) Dylan truly feels about the situation which lead him to write this song and how he is going to handle it / move on.

    "But goodbye's too good a word, babe
    So I'll just say fare thee well"

    The first line is pretty straight forward and self explanatory, he doesn't want to use the word "goodbye" because that would be a wrongful and misleading word to sum up their relationship (Dylan and Suze). Mainly because the fact that there was never any true "good" intentions of Suze leaving, I feel as though she always knew she would stay in Italy indefinitely. And then the second line is pure genius - "So I'll just say fare thee well". "Fare thee well" sounds almost exactly like "fairly well" and there is no doubt in my mind that the creative genius who is Dylan, did not do this on accident. That line was meant to sum up in a whole what those two had. It could have been "good" but it turned out to be "fairly well". "Fairly well" is also a synonym for "all right" which is how Dylan thinks of how things will turn out --> not good, not bad...just all right.

    This song is about the true reality of lost love, with little hints hidden here and there about what could have been. Pure genius.
    Flag hiddenwandereron February 24, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think the light talks about represents her love and commitment. Now that he is leaving she desperately tries to give him that love and commitment he once craved , but he has now made up his mind and ignores her efforts 'im on the dark side of the road.'
    Flag JohnnyDenimon January 19, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The guy is slinking away in the night from a girl who doesn't, and probably never did, return his love. He's giving himself a pep talk, a monologue, saying things he would never have the nerve to say to the girl face to face. But he's alright.
    Flag kofblzon January 15, 2012   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:I have always viewed this as a suicide note from a confused, young girl.
    Flag thejewelon December 15, 2011   Link
  • -2
    General Comment:I have always viewed this as a suicide note from a confused, young girl.
    Flag thejewelon December 15, 2011   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:im in love with my housemate, have been for ages. shes known a while but see's me as her best friend and nothing more. ive recently come to the conclusion that the good times we share are no longer worth more than the pain i feel that im never gonna mean any more to her, and as such im moving out and essentially putting her out of my live forever so i can move on.

    ive no idea what dylan was thinking about when he wrote this, or what the lyrics mean to him, but every single word feels like it was written just for me and what im going through right now.
    Flag mike73on November 11, 2011   Link

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