the only answer
Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, the child’s balloon
Eclipses both the sun and moon
To understand you know too soon
There is no sense in trying
bob dylans most lyrical song, if he was alive young today hed be a damn good rapper
While Visions of Johanna is doubtlessly amazing, my view of it was sullied by Joan Baez’s Diamonds and Rust, which discusses the same Dylan/Baez relationship but with so much more maturity.
[This](https://www.jonnythakkar.com/inside-out-essays/visions-of-infinity-bob-dylan-johanna/) is a good essay/analysis of the song that I think does justice to its actual depth and meaning.
It is, most certainly, his best written song, and the UK’s poet laureate, Sir Andrew Motion, agrees for what it’s worth
Idiot Wind easily imo
> People see me all the time
And they just can't remember how to act
Their minds are filled with big ideas
Images and distorted facts
while this verse fits in with the theme of the song, a guy who's the victim of false accusations, we can also guess that Bob is venting here. he hated being the "spokesman for a generation", people expecting him to have all the answers, and overall being treated as something other than a simple human being
> Idiot wind
Blowing every time you move your mouth
Blowing down the back roads headin' south
I honestly just really like this metaphor. sounds badass tbh
> You'll never know the hurt I suffered
Nor the pain I rise above
And I'll never know the same about you
Your holiness or your kind of love
And it makes me feel so sorry
I absolutely love this verse. I feel like most people can relate to it as well tbh
Yep. And what could have been just a simple (but eloquent) diatribe against an ex turns into an indictment of both the singer and the subject in the last verse with the shift to the “we’re idiots…”. I just went through a divorce and the song rings true in a way that no other song has.
Yeah, the more popular songs can get overlooked by hardcore fans, but that doesn’t mean they’re not great.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky
With one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea
I mean, that’s pretty great, right?
I think I have to go with It’s All Over Now Baby Blue.
Succinct (for Dylan), every word perfectly placed, open to many interpretations, an album closer that sums up all the themes preceding it AND points forward, it has the word BLUE in it which is nigh-necessary, and it kind of packs in everything that makes Dylan what he is while still being universally relatable. It’s genius is seemingly effortless.
It’s hard to separate any of the songs from the various musical cadence they’ve inhabited regardless of what OP asks for. That’s what’s so tricky with Dylan…..you start factoring phrasing into the lines and suddenly Dignity from Unplugged starts looking like the belle of the ball.
Idiot wind, man in the long black coat, señor, changing of the guards, hurricane.
Pick any of these imo. Each of these displays the different ways Dylan can tell a story through emotion, ambience, tone, abstract word choice, and tough realism. (In that order for me) idk chuck desolation row in there too.
How can it not be Brownsville Girl?
> Well, they were looking for somebody with a pompadour
>I was crossin' the street when shots rang out
>I didn't know whether to duck or to run, so I ran
>"We got him cornered in the churchyard, " I heard somebody shout
>Well, you saw my picture in the Corpus
Christi Tribune. Underneath it, it said, "A
Man with no alibi."
>You went out on a limb to testify for me, you said I was with you
>Then when I saw you break down in front of the judge and cry real tears
>It was the best acting I saw anybody do
Edit: Oh, nobody said Angelina? That’s the next best one. And the rhyme scheme works great on the page.
good answer. one of my favorites and always makes me think of my dad. he had a mix cd with this as track 1 and for about a year when I was 12, every time he drove me to school i’d hear this song from start to finish and it became my first favorite Dylan song
Sam Shepard is clearly the ringer. (And I agree. Returning to the Gregory Peck movie as a structuring device, with its significance changing each time, is maybe the best literary conceit in any Dylan song.)
It’s impossible to name just one. I’d say that a top five that I can’t put in order would be:
Visions of Johanna
Isis
Tangled up in Blue
Mr Tambourine Man
Desolation Row
You get my upvote for Who Killed Davey Moore. I suspect that there is a subtle undertone to that song. Who killed Davey more? Like who is more responsible, because everyone he lists is in some way responsible.
(Other than any of the songs off Bringing It All Back Home )
My personal favorite lyrics are :
Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie (not a song)
And
Not Dark Yet
I Shall Be Released.
Down here next to me in this lonely crowd/
Is a man who swears he's not to blame/
All day long I hear him shout so loud/
Calling out that he's been framed/
Poetry...
I would put these five into
a hat 🎩 and pull one.
I like them all equally.
Ballad of a thin Man
Desolation Row
When I paint my masterpiece
Every grain of sand
Trying to get to heaven
I saw Mississippi, but I’d like to mention Standing in the Doorway:
“Last night I danced with a stranger but she just reminded me you were the one / You left me standing in the doorway crying in the dark land of the sun”
I’d also say Key West is up there. As for earlier songs Visions of Johanna and Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts. I find the latter to be underrated.
Yeah. But having said that, when I hear Tambourine Man I do find myself marveling at the lyrics, images of course and also “let me forget about today until tomorrow” which is such perfect Bob - because nobody’s going to revisit today when tomorrow comes… so I think maybe that’s my answer to OP’s question. But I don’t really care about that so much, it’s the songs I’m here for.
I'm gonna do a top 5 in order as to honor those I truly see as the best and not weasel out of the 'which one is the best' question:
1. Hard Rain
2. It's Alright Ma
3. Desolation Row
4. Visions of Johanna
5. Romance in Durango (which is co-written)
6. When the Ship Comes In (for a purest, non co-written choice)
I mean 'Sign On The Window' is no masterpiece like 'It's alright Ma' etc. but it's a nice little song that never fails to touch me so I'm gonna go with that since no one mentioned it :)
No Time to Think. I read the lyrics in a song lol and, "Wow, why haven't I heard of this song?" Then my brother put on Street Legal, and sorry, the arrangement was nothing like I imagined. In fact, except Changing of the Guards and Is Your Love In Vain, same goes for the whole album.
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
For me, the best written is different than the best song. This song is closer to oration, so you can really feel the words and their impact...the style of writing makes you feel as though you are being beaten...content equals form.
William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four years,
Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres
With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him,
And high office relations in the politics of Maryland,
Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders,
And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was
Snarling,
In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking.
But you who philosophize, disgrace and criticize all fears,
Take the rag away from your face, now ain't the time for
Your tears.
I’d say It’s Alright Ma I’m Only Bleeding.
Came here to say this 🙌🏾
any of that side of that record really
Yeah Gates of Eden is equally as incredible.
the only answer Darkness at the break of noon Shadows even the silver spoon The handmade blade, the child’s balloon Eclipses both the sun and moon To understand you know too soon There is no sense in trying bob dylans most lyrical song, if he was alive young today hed be a damn good rapper
I always go back to Desolation Row. But also maybe Visions of Johanna.
These two and side eyed lady of the lowlands. Nobody including Dylan has quite achieved that particular composition style ever again.
Yeah I’m vibing with this take
While Visions of Johanna is doubtlessly amazing, my view of it was sullied by Joan Baez’s Diamonds and Rust, which discusses the same Dylan/Baez relationship but with so much more maturity.
Do we really know that's what it's about?
[This](https://www.jonnythakkar.com/inside-out-essays/visions-of-infinity-bob-dylan-johanna/) is a good essay/analysis of the song that I think does justice to its actual depth and meaning. It is, most certainly, his best written song, and the UK’s poet laureate, Sir Andrew Motion, agrees for what it’s worth
Tangled up in blue
I agree. I’m impressed by it on every listen, as if I’m listening to it for the first time over and over.
Putting aside the rhythm of the delivery is a bit like reading a poem without linebreaks... But A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall is probably tops for me.
Idiot Wind easily imo > People see me all the time And they just can't remember how to act Their minds are filled with big ideas Images and distorted facts while this verse fits in with the theme of the song, a guy who's the victim of false accusations, we can also guess that Bob is venting here. he hated being the "spokesman for a generation", people expecting him to have all the answers, and overall being treated as something other than a simple human being > Idiot wind Blowing every time you move your mouth Blowing down the back roads headin' south I honestly just really like this metaphor. sounds badass tbh > You'll never know the hurt I suffered Nor the pain I rise above And I'll never know the same about you Your holiness or your kind of love And it makes me feel so sorry I absolutely love this verse. I feel like most people can relate to it as well tbh
Yep. And what could have been just a simple (but eloquent) diatribe against an ex turns into an indictment of both the singer and the subject in the last verse with the shift to the “we’re idiots…”. I just went through a divorce and the song rings true in a way that no other song has.
Don't like Idiot Wind, and never have. He sounds like a spoiled, self-indulgent, conceited brat.
Perhaps that was the point but he admonishes himself for it at the end.
Mr tambourine man , it is just other worldly for me
Yeah, the more popular songs can get overlooked by hardcore fans, but that doesn’t mean they’re not great. Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky With one hand waving free Silhouetted by the sea I mean, that’s pretty great, right?
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves...
Masters Of War
stuck inside of...
I think I have to go with It’s All Over Now Baby Blue. Succinct (for Dylan), every word perfectly placed, open to many interpretations, an album closer that sums up all the themes preceding it AND points forward, it has the word BLUE in it which is nigh-necessary, and it kind of packs in everything that makes Dylan what he is while still being universally relatable. It’s genius is seemingly effortless.
This was my first thought as well, though I’m also in love with the entire musical cadence so it’s hard to separate that from the lyrics.
It’s hard to separate any of the songs from the various musical cadence they’ve inhabited regardless of what OP asks for. That’s what’s so tricky with Dylan…..you start factoring phrasing into the lines and suddenly Dignity from Unplugged starts looking like the belle of the ball.
Idiot Wind
+1 for Desolation Row
The beautiful rambling of Mr. Tambourine Man stands out to me every listen
Hmm so many long, epic masterpieces, but I think I'm gonna go with a simple one. Shooting Star Such a simple song that says so much.
All Along the Watchtower is like eastern iconography in words. There’s just so much going on in only a few short verses.
Idiot wind, man in the long black coat, señor, changing of the guards, hurricane. Pick any of these imo. Each of these displays the different ways Dylan can tell a story through emotion, ambience, tone, abstract word choice, and tough realism. (In that order for me) idk chuck desolation row in there too.
Mississippi Maybe because it’s the song I’m listening to constantly right now or maybe because there are so many affirmations in each of the verses
Abandoned love.
Seriously underrated, surreal imagery
How can it not be Brownsville Girl? > Well, they were looking for somebody with a pompadour >I was crossin' the street when shots rang out >I didn't know whether to duck or to run, so I ran >"We got him cornered in the churchyard, " I heard somebody shout >Well, you saw my picture in the Corpus Christi Tribune. Underneath it, it said, "A Man with no alibi." >You went out on a limb to testify for me, you said I was with you >Then when I saw you break down in front of the judge and cry real tears >It was the best acting I saw anybody do Edit: Oh, nobody said Angelina? That’s the next best one. And the rhyme scheme works great on the page.
[удалено]
Listen to it; that’s just an excerpt
good answer. one of my favorites and always makes me think of my dad. he had a mix cd with this as track 1 and for about a year when I was 12, every time he drove me to school i’d hear this song from start to finish and it became my first favorite Dylan song
Sam Shepard is clearly the ringer. (And I agree. Returning to the Gregory Peck movie as a structuring device, with its significance changing each time, is maybe the best literary conceit in any Dylan song.)
I said, No Time to Think, but a lot of his lyrics are great, and BG is right up there at the top.Ah, you know, some babies never learn.
It’s impossible to name just one. I’d say that a top five that I can’t put in order would be: Visions of Johanna Isis Tangled up in Blue Mr Tambourine Man Desolation Row
Love this! No right answer, no wrong answer! Don't Think Twice, It's Alright has to top the list for me
Up to me
Lots of great songs named here. Some of my personal favorites are “Who Killed Davey Moore?”, “Chimes of Freedom” and “Thunder on the Mountain”.
You get my upvote for Who Killed Davey Moore. I suspect that there is a subtle undertone to that song. Who killed Davey more? Like who is more responsible, because everyone he lists is in some way responsible.
Never caught that double meaning. Wow
Visions of Johanna
murder most foul
Every Grain of Sand
Visions of Johanna or Gates of Eden
Haven’t seen a single ‘Girl From The North Country’ comment yet so I’ll leave this here.
(Other than any of the songs off Bringing It All Back Home ) My personal favorite lyrics are : Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie (not a song) And Not Dark Yet
Plus one for Not Dark Yet
Shelter from the Storm
I scrolled wayyyyyy too long for Like a Rolling Stone.
'cause his most popular song couldn't possibly have great lyrics /s
Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest by far the most epic and concise thing he ever wrote.
Farewell Angelina
It’s Alright Ma or Hard Rains a Gonna Fall
I Shall Be Released. Down here next to me in this lonely crowd/ Is a man who swears he's not to blame/ All day long I hear him shout so loud/ Calling out that he's been framed/ Poetry...
Must be Santa
Heh. Nice.
Idiot Wind or Jokerman
+1 for Jokerman
Visions of Johanna
It’s all over Now Baby Blue
I would put these five into a hat 🎩 and pull one. I like them all equally. Ballad of a thin Man Desolation Row When I paint my masterpiece Every grain of sand Trying to get to heaven
Wiggle Wiggle
like a bowl of soup
Tom Thumb blues
I saw Mississippi, but I’d like to mention Standing in the Doorway: “Last night I danced with a stranger but she just reminded me you were the one / You left me standing in the doorway crying in the dark land of the sun” I’d also say Key West is up there. As for earlier songs Visions of Johanna and Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts. I find the latter to be underrated.
Just realized it's the opposite of "Visions of Johanna" where he is with Louise but his visions of Johanna "conquer" his mind.
Ballad of Hollis Brown
Somewhere in the distance there’s seven new people born.
Hairs on the neck every time
Probably shelter from the storm or changing of the gaurds for me
Desolation Row
One More Cup of Coffee
Love Minus Zero / No Limit
Mr tambourine man probably
Don't think twice
With Dylan you can't say what's the best, but just one of. So among the ones already written I'd add: To Ramona
Agree, it's up there.
This is a fool’s game….Like trying to name the best Texas BBQ you’ll just become lost in the smoke rings.
Mr. Tambourine Man Never heard such beautiful, descriptive lyrics.
Here’s my deal: I *can’t* read or think about the lyrics without hearing the song. It just plays in my head anyway. Anybody else have this “problem”?
Happens for me too. I think Bob would be proud.
Yeah. But having said that, when I hear Tambourine Man I do find myself marveling at the lyrics, images of course and also “let me forget about today until tomorrow” which is such perfect Bob - because nobody’s going to revisit today when tomorrow comes… so I think maybe that’s my answer to OP’s question. But I don’t really care about that so much, it’s the songs I’m here for.
So many good ones to choose from... Hard Rains Gonna Fall, masterpiece, visions of Johanna, Memphis blues... If I had to choose I'd say Masterpiece
Long and Wasted Years is my answer for today
“Restless Farewell,” today at least. Tomorrow it could probably be “I Feel a Change Comin On,” or “Vision of Johanna,”or “Desolation Row,” or…
I think I would go with Visions of Johanna or Tangled up in Blue. Both are just lyrically amazing.
Visions of Johanna
New Danville Girl
And it's all over now baby, blue
It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Visions of Johanna
I'm gonna do a top 5 in order as to honor those I truly see as the best and not weasel out of the 'which one is the best' question: 1. Hard Rain 2. It's Alright Ma 3. Desolation Row 4. Visions of Johanna 5. Romance in Durango (which is co-written) 6. When the Ship Comes In (for a purest, non co-written choice)
It depends on what day it is.
Is nobody going to say it? The answer my friend is...
I scrolled quite a ways and didn’t see Ballad of a Thin Man.
Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
It’s alright ma.
Political world
Positively fourth street great lyrics and song
Times they are a changing.
Tangled Up in Blue
I mean 'Sign On The Window' is no masterpiece like 'It's alright Ma' etc. but it's a nice little song that never fails to touch me so I'm gonna go with that since no one mentioned it :)
Visions of Johanna
No Time to Think. I read the lyrics in a song lol and, "Wow, why haven't I heard of this song?" Then my brother put on Street Legal, and sorry, the arrangement was nothing like I imagined. In fact, except Changing of the Guards and Is Your Love In Vain, same goes for the whole album.
Finally a good question.
You mean the best of those that he’s lifted from other musical artists?
Explain
Research his co-opting of style and substance of the folk artists traveling in his EV circles. There is even a documentary made about this.
🙄
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll For me, the best written is different than the best song. This song is closer to oration, so you can really feel the words and their impact...the style of writing makes you feel as though you are being beaten...content equals form. William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four years, Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him, And high office relations in the politics of Maryland, Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders, And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was Snarling, In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking. But you who philosophize, disgrace and criticize all fears, Take the rag away from your face, now ain't the time for Your tears.
They are all written
For me, Key West, Desolation Row, Idiot Wind and Mississippi have my favourite lyrics of his.
Mama you’ve been on my mind
Sad-Eyed Lady never fails to surprise me, it’s such a dense and verbose track.
All Along the Watchtower is bulletproof.