Bob Dylan rewrote the songwriting playbook. He’s the father of the modern song, paving the way for prosaic works that are still pervasive today. The greatest lyricists of today can be traced back to Dylan’s influence.
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While the real beauty of a Dylan song is in the big picture, the iconic artist has been known to deliver a punchy one-liner now and then. Dylan’s catalog is riddled with memorable tidbits and phrases. Revisit a small but mighty collection of them, below.
Steal a little and they throw you in jail / steal a lot and they make you a king (“Sweetheart Like You”)
Dylan’s songwriting is often layered. He might be singing about one thing on the surface, but there is even more rich context hiding in between the lines. That’s the case for his ’80s release “Sweetheart Like You.”
This song follows a narrative of Dylan meeting a woman in a dingy bar. While that idea is simple enough, Dylan displays a mastery of poetry by also making this meet-cute about societal ills and spirituality. Take the line above, for example. This one-liner about corruption wouldn’t usually be found in a love song, but it plays nicely all the same. Dylan delivers a simple, salient truth almost nonchalantly. It’s a testament to Dylan’s nerve that he could say something as weighty as this and make it sound lighter than air.
I gave her my heart / but she wanted my soul (“Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”)
Leave it to Dylan to wrap up as big an idea as soul-sucking love into a one-liner. Other artists take an entire song to explain the breadth of the way they’ve been mistreated in love. Dylan does so in 10 words in his iconic “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.”
This ballad is one of Dylan’s name-making songs, and for good reason. It’s a sparse song that highlights the stunning qualities of Dylan’s lyricism. There’s nothing to distract from his narratives and turns of phrase. More than just the one-liner above, this song is chock-full of timeless couplets.
I’ve heard you say many times / That you’re better than no one / And no one is better than you / If you really believe that / You know you have / Nothing to win and nothing to lose (“To Ramona”)
“To Ramona” is riddled with strong advice. Rumored to have been written about Joan Baez, this song speaks directly to her, offering answers to her many questions about life and career. The line above is one of the most universal bits of advice, elucidating a hard-won truth in a matter of moments.
Most people struggle with measuring themselves against others. Though Dylan is presumably singing about music industry perils here, there is a little something for all of us to take to heart in the one-liner above.
(Photo by Alice Ochs/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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