This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin'
And you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin'
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin'
And you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin'
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'
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The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Holiday
Bee Gees
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
This is a timeless song. Because the only constant is change. (sorry to use a corny volcom slogan but it's true)
@schoolofspool yes, sometimes it can get tired hearing cliches, especially when people say them as if they just invented them - I do not mean you, I’m not here to troll…not now anyway lol - BUT, they only get to become “cliches” because they’re pretty much true, at least most of the time…
You can say that Texas and Minnesota are both part of United States. But I refuse to believe that George W Bush and Bob Dylan are from the same country. CNN should play "With God On Our Side" every twenty minutes. We'll have to wait four more years for the President of the US stop being an embarassment. A shame.
Who's an embarrassment now?
The embarrassment now is John Boehner and the stone wall congress!!<br /> Dylan always gives us hope!
@krism48 Ha ha, I’ve just read your comment, years old by now, but I just saw A news item about a week ago that mentioned Boehner and his fuckin crying jags whenever someone would show him a ???????? or sing the StSpBa, the commentator - was it John Oliver? - said how PHONY the whole thing was, Boeher was always, AT ALL TIMES, either in the process of pouring alcohol into his body or, recovering from a loooong night (remember the old saying, “I spent a month in there one night”?!?), so of course he was always fuckin SAD, alcohol is a goddamned depressant, of course that tanned asshole was always bawling his eyes out…<br /> <br /> Fuckin worthless sack of shit - this devolved quickly in my brain ???? , huh? Lol - while it’s ok that he spoke up about The Drumpf and what a scum he (and his entire empty clan), but I wanna hear this prick crying and explaining how SORRY he is that HE allowed the Repugs to devolve even further back towards our earlier, Neanderthal/Cro-Magnon days…but that’s hey happens, I guess, when you’re entire party platform is a reaction tonthw COMPETENT side/party. <br /> <br /> Sorry not sorry
I think this song is the most important and iconic song ever written.
@Tig45 What about The Sound/Sounds Of Silence .... :)
@Tig45
@Tig45 The Nobel Prize committee confirms this ascertion.
I can't believe I'd ever feel the need to express this in relation to a Bob Dylan song, but this is a website for song MEANINGS, so it would probably be best for everyone if personal political views were excluded. Bush bashing is a magnet for idiots who like to defend our elected enemy. I also like to just laugh and smile when people don't appreciate the original artists, and prefer covers. If they can't see the beauty in Dylan, then that's their loss. Anyways. About the song. In my opinion, the first verse is an allusion to a flood, something that is not strictly a biblical reference (seeing as Dylan was, as Freewheelin pointed out, Jewish when he wrote this song) but also an archetype that is used by almost every religion on earth. Dylan persists that we get with it with the lines "If your time to you Is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'."
The second verse warns the authors, journalists, artists, etc of the time to watch for change, observe it, and record it. He talks of sudden twists of fate, unexpected victories.
Verse three screams Vietnam to me. Dylan is telling our politicians to stop closing their eyes to the fact that Vietnam is real, people are getting killed, and it will soon hit closer to home than comfortable. He is asking them to take action.
4 seems to be asking people to stop a-bitchin'. Their children are out in the world, and they can't control them anymore. They need to let go of old fears and prejudices and get with the times.
5 sums it up. Live in the now, change your ways, accept the past but look forward.
K... these are my opinions. Don't bash 'em. Disagree all you want, but don't turn this into some kind of personal war.
I love this song. I don't think any other version could be better.
And I personally connect this song to today - the fight against same-sex marriage. Your old road is rapidly aging, bigots. But that's just me.
Wonderful song.
I can't agree more =D. Its nice to see someone that thinks like I do Bob Dylan gives his songs justic. That is why they are his songs =P
exactly what i was thinking!
Umm, that's Eddie VEDDER. And don't criticize What you can't understand. End of Discussion.
Yes, Bush will protect you. Just follow him blindly. And in the meantime, check out the song Pet by A Perfect Circle. And if you can, go to their site and watch the video "Counting Bodies". It is very educational.
This is a good song indeed. Revolution is coming.
he's not saying you have to get along with everyone just dont fucking bomb everyone who looks at you wrong
This song is so wonderful. One of Dylan's best (not that I'm particulary knowledgable about Dylan's songs, but this one is amazing anyhow). I love how it's so simple, but still so strong.
And I also love that they used this song for the opening title of Watchmen. It's perfect. And I also love that they used the original version and didn't lete anybody cover it. It's simply perfect and give me goosebumps every damn time!
I love the "come mothers and fathers" verse. It describes the way I'm feeling right now, as I just turned 18, very well. "Don't critisize what you can't understand, your sons and daughters are beyond your comand, your road is rapidly aging, please get out of the new one if you cant lend a hand"
It's definitivly about change, in any shape or form I think. I think this song is pretty open to very indivdual interpretation. People's lives will dictate what they think it's about, which is great. I love songs that can mean a million different things to a million different people.
I know it's been a big joke ever since he started that Dylan can't sing, but honestly it's his unique voice that makes his so great, in my opinion. Voice is obviously a big factor in what makes us like a particular artist/song (like, other than Daughtry sucking ass in general, his voice makes me convulse and start vomiting), and I think Dylan is an incredible singer just BECAUSE it's unorthodox.
@Christa426 Yeah! Just like Johnny Cash and Willy Nelson. LOL