The obvious major theme of this song is Dylans moving on out of the folk scene, and giving a kind of warning to others than you can't stop change. But as is so typical of him, the images don't all make perfect sense, at least not to me. But they are so vivid... oh my, they must mean something. The one line I especially like is ..... "The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense. Take what you have gathered from coincidence." I could go off for a while on what I think it means... it's obviously more warning to those who want to stay put but are forced, as we all are, to move on and start anew. About 30 years ago I read a whole essay in some magazine about the "take what you have gathered from coincidence" line. The author felt it was very metaphysical..... kind of like..."Life is very mysterious and uncertain and we're not going to figure it out really well, but hey..... those seeming coincidences may just give us a clue. So gather them up and make the best sense out of things that you can. There's a wonderful line in a Jackson Browne song about death...."It's like a song I can hear right in my ear. I can't sing it. I can't help listening." For me, Dylan's lyrics are often like that. They are just beyond my total grasp. I can't put them in a box and wrap them up with a bow. There. Done. They just keep ringing in my ear... over and over. They must mean something very important. What?
good analysis. He means be careful out there...life is dangerous, but also, w/our risk, life is futile. This is what is meant by 'coincidence' line. Sometimes things just fall in your lap, like good luck, fortune...hang onto that. Use it. It may help w/ the bumps on the road. It could be wisdom. Serendipity. I agree w/ you, jmark, his lyrics are beyond total grasp. That is why it is so challenging, but not futile. He gives enough clues, and says most of these songs are autobiographical. He is...
good analysis. He means be careful out there...life is dangerous, but also, w/our risk, life is futile. This is what is meant by 'coincidence' line. Sometimes things just fall in your lap, like good luck, fortune...hang onto that. Use it. It may help w/ the bumps on the road. It could be wisdom. Serendipity. I agree w/ you, jmark, his lyrics are beyond total grasp. That is why it is so challenging, but not futile. He gives enough clues, and says most of these songs are autobiographical. He is leaving the safety of the folk scene for a brighter, although uncertain, future. He will need what he learned in the folk system--the ability to stand on his own, and not be a clone--to sustain him. It might be rough. The press and his fans may dump him, or even worse, destroy him. He is taking a huge risk, but that is what makes his music--even today--so exciting. For Dylan, the glass is always half full.
The obvious major theme of this song is Dylans moving on out of the folk scene, and giving a kind of warning to others than you can't stop change. But as is so typical of him, the images don't all make perfect sense, at least not to me. But they are so vivid... oh my, they must mean something. The one line I especially like is ..... "The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense. Take what you have gathered from coincidence." I could go off for a while on what I think it means... it's obviously more warning to those who want to stay put but are forced, as we all are, to move on and start anew. About 30 years ago I read a whole essay in some magazine about the "take what you have gathered from coincidence" line. The author felt it was very metaphysical..... kind of like..."Life is very mysterious and uncertain and we're not going to figure it out really well, but hey..... those seeming coincidences may just give us a clue. So gather them up and make the best sense out of things that you can. There's a wonderful line in a Jackson Browne song about death...."It's like a song I can hear right in my ear. I can't sing it. I can't help listening." For me, Dylan's lyrics are often like that. They are just beyond my total grasp. I can't put them in a box and wrap them up with a bow. There. Done. They just keep ringing in my ear... over and over. They must mean something very important. What?
good analysis. He means be careful out there...life is dangerous, but also, w/our risk, life is futile. This is what is meant by 'coincidence' line. Sometimes things just fall in your lap, like good luck, fortune...hang onto that. Use it. It may help w/ the bumps on the road. It could be wisdom. Serendipity. I agree w/ you, jmark, his lyrics are beyond total grasp. That is why it is so challenging, but not futile. He gives enough clues, and says most of these songs are autobiographical. He is...
good analysis. He means be careful out there...life is dangerous, but also, w/our risk, life is futile. This is what is meant by 'coincidence' line. Sometimes things just fall in your lap, like good luck, fortune...hang onto that. Use it. It may help w/ the bumps on the road. It could be wisdom. Serendipity. I agree w/ you, jmark, his lyrics are beyond total grasp. That is why it is so challenging, but not futile. He gives enough clues, and says most of these songs are autobiographical. He is leaving the safety of the folk scene for a brighter, although uncertain, future. He will need what he learned in the folk system--the ability to stand on his own, and not be a clone--to sustain him. It might be rough. The press and his fans may dump him, or even worse, destroy him. He is taking a huge risk, but that is what makes his music--even today--so exciting. For Dylan, the glass is always half full.