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...
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?
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...
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?