Bob Dylan Regretted His Word Choice in This Early 80s Track: “Not That Kind of Woman”

For someone as seemingly averse to public speculation and definition as Bob Dylan, his use of opaque, euphuistic lyricism allows him to express his innermost thoughts without actually revealing much in the process. Lengthy metaphors and niche references often obscure the deeper meanings of his songs. But Dylan hasn’t always kept his cards so close to the chest.

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The prolific singer-songwriter has expressed regrets for some songs in the past, like “Ballad In Plain D”, which was a rather pointed message about an ex-lover. But even songs that he intended to be romantic haven’t always hit the right way. “Sweetheart Like You” from his 22nd studio album, Infidels, is a great example.

Speaking to Rolling Stone in 1984, the same year he released the album, Dylan admitted that he could understand the backlash to Track No. 2. But he also argued that the woman he was singing about likely wasn’t the kind of woman who would get offended. So, it’s unclear just how understanding he really was.

The Backlash Against Bob Dylan’s “Sweetheart Like You”

In the third verse of Bob Dylan’s second track on Infidels, he sings, “You know, a woman like you should be at home / That’s where you belong / Watching out for someone who loves you true / Who would never do you wrong / Just how much abuse will you be able to take? / Well, there’s no way to tell by that first kiss / What’s a sweetheart like you doin’ in a dump like this?”

Unsurprisingly, some critics denounced the lyrics for the misogynistic implication that women belong at home with a man. But during his interview with Rolling Stone, Dylan ceded, “Actually, that line didn’t come out exactly the way I wanted it to. I could have easily changed that line to make it not so overly, uh, tender, you know? But I think the concept still would have been the same. You see a fine-lookin’ woman walking down the street, you start going, ‘Well, what are you doin’ on the street? You’re so fine. What do you need all this for?’”

Rolling Stone’s Kurt Loder pushed back, saying that maybe those women are on the street because they’re on their way to work. “Well, I wasn’t talkin’ to that type of woman,” Dylan said. “I’m not talkin’ to Margaret Thatcher or anything.”

To Dylan’s credit, he also added in the interview, “I think women rule the world and that no man has ever done anything that a woman either hasn’t allowed him to do or encouraged him to do.”

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