Bob Dylan always has a way of saying things that either make your ears perk up or your heart beat out of your chest. Here are three hidden gems from the songwriter’s catalog that demonstrate his ability to articulate feelings in ways no one else does.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Something’s Burning, Baby”
In this one, Bob Dylan sings,
“Something is burning, baby, are you aware?
Something is the matter, baby, there’s smoke in your hair
Are you still my friend, baby, show me a sign
Is the love in your heart for me turning blind?”
The point of this song is not that something is actually on fire, but more so that the “burning” is a metaphor for something being off in the narrator’s relationship with his partner. There’s something there that they both can’t see that’s causing tension, and Dylan is desperate to know what he could have possibly done wrong.
“You’re A Big Girl Now”
“Our conversation was short and sweet
It nearly swept me off of my feet
And I’m back in the rain
Oh, you are on dry land
You made it there somehow
You’re a big girl now.”
A song from arguably one of Dylan’s best albums ever, “You’re A Big Girl Now” sings of how time can trade perspectives between two ex-lovers. The comparison between Dylan being “back in the rain” and his ex-lover being “on dry land” says so much about what the song is at its core. Blood On The Tracks is often considered to be about Dylan’s marriage to his ex-wife, Sara. However, he himself has denied that the project is autobiographical.
“One Too Many Mornings”
“Down the street the dogs are barkin’
And the day is a-gettin’ dark
As the night comes in a-fallin’
The dogs’ll lose their bark
And the silent night will shatter
From the sounds inside my mind
As I’m one too many mornings
And a thousand miles behind.”
Although at first glance this song is just a laxidaisical account of Dylan’s morning in the life, his being “a thousand miles behind” leans over and whispers that there’s actually much more to this song than meets the eye. According to SongFacts, this song was actually written for Dylan’s “disgruntled folk fans.” In July of 1965, about a year and a half after The Times They Are A Changin’ was released, Dylan would perform an electric set at Newport Folk Festival and get booed off the stage. Perhaps this song was his way of telling fans that he was taking a break from folk music.
Photo by: Alice Ochs/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.