Bob Dylan is a songwriter that cuts to the core of life with his lyrics. He holds a mirror up to all of us and says the things we’re all afraid to admit. Find four lyrics below that highlight Dylan’s incomparable candor, below.
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1. You’re right from your side / I’m right from mine (“One Too Many Mornings”)
Many arguments are the product of miscommunication. We’re all complicated beings with baggage that we bring to every conversation we have. Being “right” is an objective thing that varies from person to person. That is the sentiment that Dylan lays quite plain in “One Too Many Mornings.” In the lines above, he boils down that idea into a quick, not overly emotional tidbit. You’re right from your side / I’m right from mine, he sings plainly.
2. There’s no use in tryin’ / To deal with the dyin’ / Though I cannot explain that in lines (“To Ramona”)
Trying to wrap our brains around the afterlife is something humans have been trying to do for thousands of years. It’s not an easy feat given that we have yet to come up with a unified answer and will likely never achieve it. In “To Ramona,” Dylan gives up on the quest to find answers about death. There’s no use in tryin’ / To deal with the dyin’, he sings in a way that makes the listener feel like they too can let go of that burden.
3. Come mothers and fathers / Throughout the land / And don’t criticize / What you can’t understand / Your sons and your daughters / Are beyond your command (“The Times They Are A-Changin'”)
Dylan is one of the premiere voices of social change in music. He often acted as the mouthpiece for a generation of kids who wanted to break free from the norms they were taught by their parents. It’s a cycle that continues to turn on today. In the lines above, Dylan tells the older generation to not try and stop their kids from developing their thoughts and beliefs. Whatever side of this debate you stand on, you can’t deny that trying to stop kids from going their own way is near impossible.
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