I Shall Be Free No. 10
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm just like him, the same as you
I'm everybody's brother and son
I ain't different than anyone
It ain't no use a-talking to me
It's just the same as talking to you
I was shadow-boxing earlier in the day
I figured I was ready for Cassius Clay
I said "Fee, fie, fo, fum, Cassius Clay here I come
26, 27, 28, 29, I'm gonna make your face look just like mine
Five, four, three, two, one, Cassius Clay you'd better run
99, 100, 101, 102, Your ma won't even recognize you
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, gonna knock him clean right out of his spleen
Well, I don't know, but I've been told
The streets in heaven are lined with gold
I ask you how things could get much worse
If the Russians happen to get up there first
Wowee, pretty scary!
Now, I'm liberal, but to a degree
I want ev'rybody to be free
But if you think that I'll let Barry Goldwater
Move in next door and mary my daughter
You must think I'm crazy
I wouldn't let him do it for all the farms in Cuba
Well, I set my monkey on the log
And ordered him to do the Dog
He wagged his tail and shook his head
And he went and did the Cat instead
He's a weird monkey, very funky
I sat with my high-heeled sneakers on
Waiting to play tennis in the noonday sun
I had my white shorts rolled up past my waist
And my wig-hat falling in my face
But they wouldn't let me on the tennis court
I gotta woman, she's so mean
She sticks my boots in the washing machine
Sticks me with buckshot when I'm nude
Puts bubblegum in my food
She's funny, wants my money, calls me honey
Now I gotta friend who spends his life
Stabbing my picture with a bowie-knife
Dreams of strangling me with a scarf
When my name comes up he pretends to barf
I've got a million friends
Now they asked me to read a poem
At the sorority sister's home
I got knocked down and my head was swimmin'
I wound up with the Dean of Women
Yippee
I'm a poet, and I know it
Hope I don't blow it
I'm gonna grow my hair down to my feet so strange
So I look like a walking mountain range
And I'm gonna ride into Omaha on a horse
Out to the country club and the golf course
Carry the New York Times, shoot a few holes, blow their minds
You're probably wondering by now
Just what this song is all about
What's probably got you baffled more
What this thing here is for
It's nothing
It's something I learned over in England
In "I Shall Be Free No. 10," Bob Dylan employs a surrealistic, stream-of-consciousness style, with disconnected verses and disconnected ideas meant to capture the confusion and craziness of modern life. Dylan begins by asserting his ordinariness and egalitarianism, emphasizing that he is "just average" and no different from anyone else. In the next verse, he imagines himself fighting Muhammad Ali, but then shifts his focus to heaven, wondering whether the streets are really made of gold and worrying about the Russians getting there first. Dylan then asserts his liberalism, declaring that he wants everyone to be free, but caveats that by saying he wouldn't let Barry Goldwater marry his daughter. The next verse is a surreal narrative about a monkey who won't do its owner's bidding, while the one after that is about Dylan not being allowed to play tennis because of his appearance. The following verse is about a wacky girlfriend who puts bubblegum in Dylan's food and shoots at him with buckshot, followed by a verse about a strange friend who dreams of killing Dylan with a scarf. Finally, in the last verse, Dylan declares his intention to let his hair grow and look like a mountain range before riding into Omaha on horseback, carrying the New York Times and shooting golf balls at the wealthy country club members.
"I Shall Be Free No. 10" was written and recorded by Dylan in the fall of 1963 and released on his album, Another Side of Bob Dylan, in 1964. Here are ten interesting facts about Dylan's whimsical, nonsensical song:
1. The song was recorded in one take.
2. It's the tenth and final song in Dylan's "I Shall Be Free" series, which he began with his first album in 1962.
3. The song was heavily influenced by the work of the New York-based surrealist poet, Ted Joans.
4. "I Shall Be Free No. 10" was Dylan's first song to use foot-stomping as percussion.
5. While the song is full of humor and absurdity, it also has serious undertones, reflecting Dylan's growing disillusionment with the world and his generation's seeming inability to effect real change.
6. Despite its free-associative structure, the song has a coherent theme: the difficulty of establishing oneself as a unique and independent individual in a conformist society.
7. The song has been covered by a number of artists over the years, including Phish, John Mellencamp, and The Tallest Man on Earth.
8. The song's stream-of-consciousness style was an early influence on the free-form writing style of the Beat poets.
9. The song's title may be a reference to the traditional protest song, "I Shall Be Released," which Dylan would record a few years later.
10. "I Shall Be Free No. 10" was one of the first of Dylan's songs to feature overtly humorous lyrics and absurd imagery, foreshadowing his turn toward a more lighthearted, playful style on subsequent albums.
Chords:
Verse:
G D7 G C G D7 G
Chorus:
C G D7 G C G D7 G
Bridge:
C G C G D7 G D7 G
Line by Line Meaning
I'm just average, common too
I'm not unique, just an ordinary guy
I'm just like him, the same as you
I'm no different from anybody else
I'm everybody's brother and son
I am a brother and son to everyone
I ain't different than anyone
I'm not different from anyone
It ain't no use a-talking to me
Talking to me is pointless
It's just the same as talking to you
It'll be the same as talking to anybody else
I was shadow-boxing earlier in the day
I was practicing boxing moves against an imaginary opponent
I figured I was ready for Cassius Clay
I thought I could beat Cassius Clay (the world champion boxer)
I said "Fee, fie, fo, fum, Cassius Clay here I come
I said a nonsense phrase to intimidate Cassius Clay
26, 27, 28, 29, I'm gonna make your face look just like mine
I will beat him so badly that his face will be as bruised as mine
Five, four, three, two, one, Cassius Clay you'd better run
I am counting down like a rocket launch, warning Cassius Clay to flee
99, 100, 101, 102, Your ma won't even recognize you
I will punch him so much that his mother wouldn't recognize his face
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, gonna knock him clean right out of his spleen
I will hit him so hard that his spleen will rupture and he'll be knocked out
Well, I don't know, but I've been told
I heard a rumor, but I'm not sure it's true
The streets in heaven are lined with gold
Heaven is a place of great wealth
I ask you how things could get much worse
I ask you how things could possibly get any worse
If the Russians happen to get up there first
If the Russians reach heaven before Americans do
Wowee, pretty scary!
That's a frightening thought
Now, I'm liberal, but to a degree
I'm a liberal, but not extremely so
I want ev'rybody to be free
I believe in freedom for all people
But if you think that I'll let Barry Goldwater
But don't think for a second that I would allow Barry Goldwater
Move in next door and mary my daughter
To become my neighbor and marry my daughter
You must think I'm crazy
You must be out of your mind
I wouldn't let him do it for all the farms in Cuba
I wouldn't let it happen no matter how much money or property was offered
Well, I set my monkey on the log
I placed my pet monkey on a log
And ordered him to do the Dog
I instructed him to dance the Dog
He wagged his tail and shook his head
The monkey replied by wagging its tail and shaking its head
And he went and did the Cat instead
But instead of dancing the Dog, he danced the Cat
He's a weird monkey, very funky
My monkey has a strange personality, and is very good at dancing
I sat with my high-heeled sneakers on
I wore my sneakers with high heels
Waiting to play tennis in the noonday sun
Waiting to play tennis at midday when the sun was very hot
I had my white shorts rolled up past my waist
I wore white shorts and rolled them up above my waist
And my wig-hat falling in my face
I had a wig-hat on my head, and it kept falling in my face
But they wouldn't let me on the tennis court
But they didn't allow me to play tennis
I gotta woman, she's so mean
I have a very mean girlfriend
She sticks my boots in the washing machine
She puts my boots in the washing machine without my permission
Sticks me with buckshot when I'm nude
She hits me with a shotgun when I'm naked
Puts bubblegum in my food
She intentionally contaminates my food with bubblegum
She's funny, wants my money, calls me honey
She has a sense of humor, but also wants my money and calls me Honey
Now I gotta friend who spends his life
I have a friend who spends most of his time
Stabbing my picture with a bowie-knife
Attacking a picture of me with a type of knife called a Bowie knife
Dreams of strangling me with a scarf
Having dreams of choking me with a scarf
When my name comes up he pretends to barf
He fakes vomiting when my name is mentioned
I've got a million friends
I have a lot of friends
Now they asked me to read a poem
I was asked to read a poem
At the sorority sister's home
At the house of a sorority sister
I got knocked down and my head was swimmin'
I got punched and my head was spinning
I wound up with the Dean of Women
I ended up talking to the Dean of Women
Yippee
An expression of excitement
I'm a poet, and I know it
I'm a poet and I'm aware of it
Hope I don't blow it
I hope I don't mess up
I'm gonna grow my hair down to my feet so strange
I'm going to grow my hair incredibly long, almost to the ground
So I look like a walking mountain range
So that I look like the hills and mountains
And I'm gonna ride into Omaha on a horse
I'm going to ride on a horse into Omaha
Out to the country club and the golf course
And then head to the country club and golf course
Carry the New York Times, shoot a few holes, blow their minds
Hold the newspaper the New York Times, shoot some rounds, and astound them
You're probably wondering by now
You're probably curious at this point
Just what this song is all about
What the meaning of this song is
What's probably got you baffled more
What might have you even more confused
What this thing here is for
What the point of the song is
It's nothing
It doesn't mean anything
It's something I learned over in England
It's something I picked up while in England
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bravetherainbow
"I've got a million friends" is one of the best punchlines in any song
@fatheroffive980
Always thought this was one of Dylan's funniest songs.
@LolosPy
Kinda like a boy named Sue of cash
@torbjrnengan3689
Agreed. Also Talking World War 3 blues is of his most funny songs i think.
@EliyNeverhood
"YEE-PEE!"
@duckydev5805
I love the high heeled sneakers part 😂
@3277373
Bob’s been rapping before … the most influential singer/songwriter of all time.
@dh88k
in the western world.
@shanehall9697
Bob Dylan is my favorite rapper
@OliviaDI
My younger brother and I would lay on the carpet in front of my 8 foot long Martell stereo with Organ lights With our head at a speaker listening to this album for the first time and laughing our asses off. Times changed and we with time but not in my love of Bob’s music.