How does it feel ... to be 65? (Dylan getting old...)

CNN ^ | Tuesday, May 23, 2006; Posted: 12:06 p.m. EDT (16:06 GMT) | Reuters

[butternut_squash_bisque]

Bob Dylan has announced no plans for his 65th birthday on Wednesday, but around the world and in the hometown he couldn't wait to escape, the musician who has insistently resisted labels will be celebrated as the voice of a generation.

Dylan's spokesman, Elliott Mintz, responded to questions about Dylan's birthday and touring plans by saying only that he had passed along the inquiry.

[AnnaZ]

Tangled Up In Blue, by Bob Dylan First Release

Blood on the Tracks
1975
{ RealAudio }
WindowsMedia { 56 }

Live

Real Live
1984
{ RealAudio }
WindowsMedia { 56 }

Compilation

Biograph
1985
{ RealAudio }
WindowsMedia { 56 }

Alternate Version

The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3
1991
{ RealAudio }
WindowsMedia { 56 }

Compilation

Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Vol. 3
1994
{ RealAudio }
WindowsMedia { 56 }

Compilation

The Essential Bob Dylan
2000
{ RealAudio }
WindowsMedia { 56 }

Early one mornin' the sun was shinin', I was layin' in bed Wond'rin' if she'd changed at all If her hair was still red. Her folks they said our lives together Sure was gonna be rough They never did like Mama's homemade dress Papa's bankbook wasn't big enough. And I was standin' on the side of the road Rain fallin' on my shoes Heading out for the East Coast Lord knows I've paid some dues gettin' through, Tangled up in blue. She was married when we first met Soon to be divorced I helped her out of a jam, I guess, But I used a little too much force. We drove that car as far as we could Abandoned it out West Split up on a dark sad night Both agreeing it was best. She turned around to look at me As I was walkin' away I heard her say over my shoulder, "We'll meet again someday on the avenue," Tangled up in blue. I had a job in the great north woods Working as a cook for a spell But I never did like it all that much And one day the ax just fell. So I drifted down to New Orleans Where I happened to be employed Workin' for a while on a fishin' boat Right outside of Delacroix. But all the while I was alone The past was close behind, I seen a lot of women But she never escaped my mind, and I just grew Tangled up in blue. She was workin' in a topless place And I stopped in for a beer, I just kept lookin' at the side of her face In the spotlight so clear. And later on as the crowd thinned out I's just about to do the same, She was standing there in back of my chair Said to me, "Don't I know your name?" I muttered somethin' underneath my breath, She studied the lines on my face. I must admit I felt a little uneasy When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe, Tangled up in blue. She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe "I thought you'd never say hello," she said "You look like the silent type." Then she opened up a book of poems And handed it to me Written by an Italian poet From the thirteenth century. And every one of them words rang true And glowed like burnin' coal Pourin' off of every page Like it was written in my soul from me to you, Tangled up in blue. I lived with them on Montague Street In a basement down the stairs, There was music in the cafes at night And revolution in the air. Then he started into dealing with slaves And something inside of him died. She had to sell everything she owned And froze up inside. And when finally the bottom fell out I became withdrawn, The only thing I knew how to do Was to keep on keepin' on like a bird that flew, Tangled up in blue. So now I'm goin' back again, I got to get to her somehow. All the people we used to know They're an illusion to me now. Some are mathematicians Some are carpenter's wives. Don't know how it all got started, I don't know what they're doin' with their lives. But me, I'm still on the road Headin' for another joint We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.

Copyright © 1974 Ram's Horn Music

[Cagey]

You may enjoy reading this piece by David Keirsey. He illustrates how how so many wanted Dylan to be a spokesperson for the 60's "movement" and all Dylan wanted to do was sing his songs.

He compares the philosophies of Joan Baez to Dylan. It's a great piece.

http://keirsey.com/dylan.html

[Lurker]

We must be contemporaries because I noticed a lot of the same thing growing up in the 60s and 70s.

I remember the 'summer of love' and then I remember the following summer with all the riots and killings. I asked my Dad what people meant by the 'summer of love'.

He told me he didn't know and that the ones saying it most likely didn't know either.

L

[Gay State Conservative]

All Along The Watchtower (by Hendrix) is one of the 20 greatest rock songs of all time,IMO.

[AnnaZ]

Dylan gives Baez a hard time in this absolutely delicious autobiography, a real favorite read of mine.

From the Amazon review:

For all the small revelations (it turns out he's been a big fan of Barry Goldwater, Mickey Rourke, and Ice-T), there are eye-opening disclosures, including his confession that a large portion of his recorded output was designed to alienate his audience and free him from the burden of being a "the voice of a generation."

Now if only he'd release Volume II.

[Dick Vomer]

I never liked his music in the 60's.... couldn't understand the lyrics (muddled vocals) and didn't really think about him much.

Then I READ his lyrics.

I think he's a pretty good poet.....very good in fact. I don't know his politics and I don't think he's "anything" other than a libertarian.... whatever that means.

I read a bio about him and talked to a buddy who is an English teacher and Dylan fan, that's when I just read the lyrics. He really didn't like "hippies" and wasn't trying to do anything except comment on what he saw in his life. Which is what most good writers do....write about what they know about.

What does he think of the war..??? Well in Vietnam, he saw young men his age dying, living, wounded, avoiding, scamming, partying, lying, living honorably...in other words the whole mix and wrote about it.

I disagree with pacifism, I think war is the natural course of human nature. But poets observe and write about feelings not about facts.

Just my opinion and I could be wrong.

[AnnaZ]

Dylan is a realist, and a true artist. Read his book. It's wonderful.

[R. Scott]

I like Dylan. He's a talented guy who has written a pretty fair number of good songs …

I like his song writing, but not his singing. There was just something about his slightly off-key three note vocal range that I couldn't handle.

[MrLee]

The Weathermen took their name from the lyrics. They weren't in existance when he wrote them.

[dfwgator]

Like a Rolling Kidney Stone.

[butternut_squash_bisque]

Back in the 60s, I was stoned when I listened to him, and it all "made sense". Fortunately, I'm way beyond all that nonsense now.

[butternut_squash_bisque]

LOL!

[FDNYRHEROES]

Like a Rolling Kidney Stone.

Like a complete unknown?
With no direction home?

[Dr. Eckleburg]

"You don't need a weather man To know which way the wind blows"---This WAS NOT a reference to the terror group "The Weathermen"

LOL. No? I guess if you live long enough they'll rewrite every word you've ever put down on paper.

Regardless of the world's opinions, Dylan's journey has been amazing.

SAVED

I was blinded by the devil,
Born already ruined,
Stone-cold dead
As I stepped out of the womb.
By His grace I have been touched,
By His word I have been healed,
By His hand I've been delivered,
By His spirit I've been sealed...

By His truth I can be upright,
By His strength I do endure,
By His power I've been lifted,
In His love I am secure.
He bought me with a price,
Freed me from the pit,
Full of emptiness and wrath
And the fire that burns in it...

Nobody to rescue me,
Nobody would dare,
I was going down for the last time,
But by His mercy I've been spared.
Not by works,
But by faith in Him who called,
For so long I've been hindered,
For so long I've been stalled.

I've been saved
By the blood of the lamb,
Saved
By the blood of the lamb,
Saved,
Saved,
And I'm so glad.
Yes, I'm so glad, I'm so glad,
So glad, I want to thank You, Lord,
I just want to thank You, Lord,
Thank You, Lord.

[Sonora]

Did Dylan ever say anything about the war at the time ('nam)?

It's strange that he avoided all of the anti-war stuff, except for how his lyrics are interpreted. He really is special in that way, among others.

I just wish other singers would just shut the ____ up and let their music do the talking.

[AlbionGirl]

Thanks for the ping, Dr. E.

I love Bob Dylan as if he were a personal friend. When he passes away, if he does before I do, I will mourn his passing. He wrote so much great poetry, he was really erudite, and the passage of time does not lessen my affinity for his tremendous body of work. He's also very good in an interview, he doesn't suffer fools gladly, and I really like that in a person. One of my favorite songs of his was made famous by the Byrds, My Back Pages.

Last night as I watched the Country Music Awards and saw Brooks and Dunn perform their song I believe, I was struck once more by the Protestant, Godly vigor of the America that built America. I may be just a mountain girl from the foothills of Italy, but I'm an Anglophile, through and through. Here's another one of Dylan's masterpieces (Serve Somebody) at the Service of our God and Creator:

You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage,
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a business man or some high degree thief,
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk,
You may be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
You may be living in another country under another name

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a construction worker working on a home,
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome,
You might own guns and you might even own tanks,
You might be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride,
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
You may be workin' in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair,
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk,
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk,
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything but no matter what you say

You're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

I've always hoped John Lennon made it to the Promised Land, even though he was a loud-mouthed, ego-hog. The Lord bestowed abundant talent upon him, and I hope, and at this moment, pray, that he was able to bring it back to Him.

[AlbionGirl]

Here's My Back Pages, by my beloved Dylan, Dr. E.

Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rollin' high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my maps
"We'll meet on edges, soon," said I
Proud 'neath heated brow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth
"Rip down all hate," I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull. I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

Girls' faces formed the forward path
From phony jealousy
To memorizing politics
Of ancient history
Flung down by corpse evangelists
Unthought of, though, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

A self-ordained professor's tongue
Too serious to fool
Spouted out that liberty
Is just equality in school
"Equality," I spoke the word
As if a wedding vow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I'd become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My pathway led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

[butternut_squash_bisque]

I can't read German. Is there an English version on that site, R?

[TalBlack]

"I disagree with pacifism, I think war is the natural course of human nature. But poets observe and write about feelings not about facts."

Iwas 10 in 1968 and I was aware of the war and I was aware that for some strange reason the gov't WASN'T giving it the push we gave WWII. Dylans position on the war was understandable and in a way the default position in light of the fact that WE DIDN'T REALLY SEEM TO BE FIGHTING.

[TruthRespecter]

I agree with your [albiongirl] sentiments nearly 100%. It was Bob's Slow Train album that turned on a light-bulb that helped bring me to faith in Christ.

For that, Mr. Dylan, holds a very tender spot in my heart.

His Every Grain of Sand song and harmonica work therein still, to this day, evokes such strong worship imagery in me that I tear up.

The only point we are not completely in sync is that I don't believe my prayers, post JLs death, will have any consequence as to where he landed...but that is not in any way an obstacle to me appreciating your heartfelt sentiment. Thanks for posting the lyrics.