Bob Dylan‘s so-called “Born Again” period stands as one of the most polarizing of his career. As time has passed, however, it’s clear Dylan’s artistic ability was as sharp as ever while he was doing his musical preaching.
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The song “Slow Train” stands out as one of the finest tracks from that era. It’s a track where Dylan takes stock of the world around him in the here and now, all while suggesting that a reckoning is coming down the pike in the future.
“Train” in the Distance
Bob Dylan shocked many of his fans with his 1979 album Slow Train Coming. He released the record in the wake of his conversion to Christianity. Instead of keeping his religious life private, he decided to promote it in the songs on the album, which left fans of his secular work a bit out in the cold.
Nonetheless, Dylan brought all his lyrical powers to the party for the new subject matter. He also benefited from some of the best musical talent around on the record. Slow Train Coming was recorded with ace session players like Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and members of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, with legendary producer Jerry Wexler steering the ship.
On “Slow Train,” Dylan and his backing players developed an undeniably funky groove, which helped to contrast the bite of his message. This is one song where he doesn’t get too deep into religious particulars, although it’s clear he feels a lack of strong faith is at the heart of all the problems he describes.
He spends his time cataloging the ills he sees in the world around him in points near and far. After he completes each wordy verse, he refers to the titular vehicle. To paraphrase another of Dylan’s finest songs, that train hasn’t arrived yet, but it’s gettin’ there.
Examining the Lyrics of “Slow Train”
Dylan starts the song with a general lament about the wayward trajectory of people close to him: Are they lost or are they found? / Have they counted the cost it’ll take to bring down / All their earthly principles they’re going to have to abandon? In other words, do they realize the consequences of their actions.
That verse sets the tone of fiery eloquence that permeates “Slow Train.” In the second stanza, the narrator explains that he too once had to be set straight by a wise woman’s words: Have to quit your mess and straighten out / You could die down here, be just another accident statistic.
After that, Dylan begins taking aim at the man-made troubles he sees around him. The entire third verse is devoted to America’s reliance on foreign oil, which is a bit of a curveball after what we’ve heard to that point. The fourth verse name-checks Thomas Jefferson and wonders where his ideals have gone: Fools glorifying themselves, trying to manipulate Satan.
Like any good prosecutor, Dylan saves the best stuff he has for the final moments of his summation. He rails against Big-time negotiators / Faith stealers and woman-haters / Masters of the bluff and masters of the proposition. He sees hypocrisy everywhere he looks: They talk about a life of brotherly love / Show me someone who knows how to live it.
His final complaint brings it back to a personal level: I don’t care about economy / I don’t care about astronomy / But it sure does bother me to see my loved ones turning into puppets. On “Slow Train,” Bob Dylan’s wordplay is as clever as ever, wielded in this case for some still-fresh, quite powerful beliefs he couldn’t keep inside.
Photo by Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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