This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
I pity the poor immigrant
Who wishes he would've stayed home
Who uses all his power to do evil
But in the end is always left so alone
That man whom with his fingers cheats
And who lies with every breath
Who passionately hates his life
And likewise, fears his death
I pity the poor immigrant
Whose strength is spent in vain
Whose heaven is like ironsides
Whose tears are like rain
Who eats but is not satisfied
Who hears but does not see
Who falls in love with wealth itself
And turns his back on me
I pity the poor immigrant
Who tramples through the mud
Who fills his mouth with laughing
And who builds his town with blood
Whose visions in the final end
Must shatter like the glass
I pity the poor immigrant
When his gladness comes to pass
Who wishes he would've stayed home
Who uses all his power to do evil
But in the end is always left so alone
That man whom with his fingers cheats
And who lies with every breath
Who passionately hates his life
And likewise, fears his death
I pity the poor immigrant
Whose strength is spent in vain
Whose heaven is like ironsides
Whose tears are like rain
Who eats but is not satisfied
Who hears but does not see
Who falls in love with wealth itself
And turns his back on me
I pity the poor immigrant
Who tramples through the mud
Who fills his mouth with laughing
And who builds his town with blood
Whose visions in the final end
Must shatter like the glass
I pity the poor immigrant
When his gladness comes to pass
Lyrics submitted by Irishred516
I Pity the Poor Immigrant Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms.
“Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.
it is surely not about stereotyping immigrants... i think it is plain to see, but the main metaphor is "immigrant", an outsider, specifically an outsider who has no respect for and does not integrate himself into his new home.
"Who passionately hates his life, And likewise fears his death." That reminds me a bit of the book Steppenwolf. I KNOW it's probably completely off the real meaning, but this whole song reminds me of someone like Harry Haller...an outsider who "eats but is not satisfied, Who hears but does not see", who doesn't feel at home with his own life. As I said my interpretation is probably completely wrong, but I am pretty certain it's not literally about immigrants.
It's amazing what can think of somebody, before you ever get to know them. I think is a wonderful song about steretyping people, in this case immigrants. This man is looked upon as being anything but good, but in the end is left alone, struggling to make it.
You should listen to the song "Tramps and Hawkers". It's an Irish folk song (or possibly Scottish?)... The Dubliners do a good version.
Dylan basically steals the tune, then adds his own lyrics. In my opinion he did a really good job. The narrative of "Tramps and Hawkers" is an old man telling the tale of his travels. I think "the poor immigrant" is about an actual immigrant, not a metaphor.
It took me ages to figure out where the tune was from. Drove me crazy
The first time I heard this song, i just thought straight away it was an ironic description of the white American... the title leads us to believe it's about the "poor immigrant" who has a hard time living in the U.S for instance, and the words in fact describe the white man as an immigrant who stole the land he lives in and whose life is a blind lie etc. ("built his town with blood" and so on)
Am I the only one to think that? It would fit in pretty well with Dylan's usual themes...
Very good take.
I always thought it was a song about an immigrant who was, because of need, to become a member of the Mafia. He "uses all of his power to do evil". He cheats and he lies. He hates his life and he fears his death because he knows it will be violent. He "eats" but is never satisfied. He loves wealth more than those around him. He tramples through the mud (burying a body?). He builds his town with blood (self-explanatory). When he is finally taken out, he is glad that his wicked life is over...."his gladness comes to pass".
I like this take. It is very good and a somewhat more specific than the comment by Clevernickname relating the song to white Americans. Dylan wrote a timeless commentary on the American white “conservative” who in the age of Trumpian politics cannot be satisfied. We built the country by trampling on the American Indian (there’s another good comment on this subject), trampled through the mud in Viet Nam, the war we fought when Dylan wrote it, and now in numerous other countries. Cannot ever be happy with the greatest country ever built. “Wishes he would have stayed home” does not really fit modern day Americans, but where is home? I’ll answer that with a question: when was America great?
what's A.Grossman's heritage? could Bob have just been pissed at him one day? If so, what a way to vent your steam. this is a brutal, beautiful song.
I've always thought this song was sang from the viewpoint of native Americans looking at the "white men" settling in. Great one for me in any case.
@disfunktor Yours is the best theory I have heard. The line "Who fills his mouth with laughing" is built on the classic Native American syntax of their native tongue. Well done.
@disfunktor Spot on, I'd say!
@disfunktor best interpretation, imo; (nearly) everything falls in its right place!
Good tune. I know some people like this. And I have absolutely no hatred for them (it's not in my makeup).