Bob Dylan’s whole image is that he simply doesn’t have one. Well, it at least changes with every album he releases. That being so, the man has always been far too illusive and agile for public interpretation, and the latest film, A Complete Unknown, depicted just that fact. Regardless of what you think of the movie, it did touch on the mysterious and unknown back story of Bob Dylan.
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Other than his parents, place of birth, brief college education, and early career in New York City, nothing else is truly known about the contemporary bard. Though, that is exactly how he designed it. With that in mind, there are a couple of his songs that may or may not open the shades about his youth. You just have to be willing to look for them in these three songs.
“Bob Dylan’s Dream”
Released on his iconic Free Wheelin’ Bob Dylan album, Dylan gives a subtle nod to his childhood in this song. Particularly, Dylan sheds light on what his dream would be amidst all of this newfound fame. In short, it is to go back to his youth and live a life of wholesome boyhood leisure. Well, at least you can interpret it that way.
Thanks to lines such as With half-damp eyes, I stared to the room / Where my friends and I spent many an afternoon and I wish, I wish, I wish in vain / That we could sit simply in that room again, we know two things. We know Bob Dylan had friends and that he missed them. Nothing more and nothing less, but that’s seemingly the way he likes it—ambiguous.
“My Back Pages”
Hailing from Dylan’s Another Side of Bob Dylan, this song gives listeners a lot of subtextual answers, but not concrete ones. In essence, Dylan’s lyrics portray his growth from a boy to a man. And not just any man, but a man whose beliefs have been completely subverted and destroyed by time and experience.
The lines Using ideas as my maps and Lies that life is black and white / Spoke from my skull suggest that Dylan was an idealistic youngster. A youngster who was deeply influenced by culture, politics, poetry, and the ideals they push. However, as he stated in the song, I was so much older then /
I’m younger than that now. So to say the least, it might be likely that Dylan’s youth was guided by his unwavering idealism.
“Girl From The North Country”
In this classic, Bob Dylan gives the hint of a potential love interest he left back in his home state. Though, the only reference we get to the woman in question is a generic description of her as well as the surrounding setting. Neither the woman nor the setting get a name, however, given that Dylan is from Hibbing, Minnesota, it’s fair to assume the song is set somewhere near there.
Of course, this song sheds light on a love interest from his past, however, and this goes for all of these songs, this could be complete fiction. To quote the recent Dylan film, “People make up their past” and “They remember what they want. They forget the rest.” So, take all of these songs and interpretations with a grain of salt and find comfort in the fact that you, nor will anyone, know the true dimensions of Bob Dylan.
Photo by John Byrne Cooke Estate/Getty Images
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