3 Folk Songs With Lyrics That Would Make Bob Dylan Jealous

Bob Dylan is often revered as one of the greatest folk artists of our time. However, that doesn’t mean he didn’t have personal icons of his own. Here are a few folk songs that lyrically, I think Dylan would be jealous of, from Joni Mitchell to Leonard Cohen.

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“The Circle Game” by Joni Mitchell

Mitchell’s “The Circle Game” sings of the passage of time and the unavoidable tragedy that is getting older. Honestly, this is the kind of song that any songwriter would be a little bit jealous of, and I have no doubt the same goes for Dylan. In part of the chorus, Mitchell sings:

“We’re captive on the carousel of time / We can’t return, we can only look behind / From where we came / And go round and round and round / In the circle game.“

Although Mitchell has expressed in the past that she isn’t the biggest fan of Dylan, there is one thing they have in common: they can both write damn good lyrics.

“Sam Stone” by John Prine

Dylan has been known to write a song or two about the negative effects of war—listen to “Masters Of War” if you’re curious. However, I’m sure he would have been envious of this John Prine song, which tells the story of an ex-soldier returning home after the Vietnam War. While Dylan has openly protested such violence, Prine’s song paints a picture of how the individual is affected by that kind of environment after the fact. In the chorus, Prine gets even more metaphorical to drive his point home.

There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes
Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I suppose
Little pitchers have big ears
Don’t stop to count the years
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios.“

“The Law” by Leonard Cohen

In the past, Dylan has actually specifically highlighted this song by Leonard Cohen as being a standout track both lyrically and melodically. “The Law” sings of guilt and the unavoidable consequences of one’s actions.

Now the deal has been dirty since dirty began
I’m not asking for mercy, not from the man
You just don’t ask for mercy while you’re still on the stand
There’s a law, there’s an arm, there’s a hand
There’s a law, there’s an arm, there’s a hand.

“When people talk about Leonard,” Dylan once said, “They fail to mention his melodies, which to me, along with his lyrics, are his greatest genius. Even the counterpoint lines—they give a celestial character and melodic lift to every one of his songs.”

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