Dignity
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol.3 Lyrics


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Faith, bourbon and dignity
Faith, bourbon and dignity

I've been sold out and didn't even yawn
At twenty two I would have buried your lawn

I pass the time like there's no more tomorrows
Each day becomes a yesterday

I remember your promised charms
Just out of reach like Sinn Fein arms

Faith, bourbon and dignity
Getting by on what you left me
Faith, bourbon and dignity
Living life on one out of three





I drink and I bleed, complain and sit
Just like Bukowski without the wit

Overall Meaning

The first two lines of the song, "Faith, bourbon, and dignity," suggest that these are the three pillars that the singer is relying on to get him through life. The repetition of this phrase emphasizes its importance. The following lines describe how the singer has been "sold out" and feels like he's been left with nothing but these three things to cling to. He references his youth, saying that at 22 he would have "buried your lawn" - this could be interpreted as a threat, suggesting that he was more aggressive and perhaps even violent in his younger years.


The next lines describe the singer's sense of ennui and resignation, as he "passes the time" and each day just becomes another "yesterday." He remembers the "promised charms" of someone or something, perhaps a political movement or a romantic relationship, but they are "just out of reach." The reference to Sinn Fein suggests a political context to this longing for something that he can't quite grasp. Finally, the chorus repeats the importance of faith, bourbon, and dignity in the singer's life, but suggests that these are not enough to fully sustain him.


One possible interpretation of this song is that it reflects Dylan's own disillusionment with the political and social movements of the 1960s. Despite his involvement in the civil rights movement and his famous protest songs, Dylan stepped back from overtly political statements in the 1970s and shifted his focus to more personal themes. "Dignity" could be seen as a reflection of this shift, as it touches on broader social and political issues while also being a deeply personal expression of disappointment and longing. The references to Bukowski and the emphasis on drinking and bleeding could also suggest that Dylan is embracing a more working-class, rough-and-tumble persona.


Line by Line Meaning

Faith, bourbon and dignity
These are the only things the singer feels he has left in his life.


I've been sold out and didn't even yawn
The singer has been betrayed so many times that he no longer feels anything about it.


At twenty two I would have buried your lawn
When the singer was younger, he would have fought anyone who dared to cross him.


I pass the time like there's no more tomorrows
The singer spends his time without any concern for the future.


Each day becomes a yesterday
The singer feels like his life is stuck in the past, and that each day is just a repeat of what has already happened.


I remember your promised charms
The singer thinks back to a time when things were better, and when someone promised him that life would be easier.


Just out of reach like Sinn Fein arms
The person who promised him those things is now unreachable, just like the political goals of Sinn Fein.


Getting by on what you left me
The singer is just barely surviving based on what someone else was able to give him in the past.


Living life on one out of three
The singer only has one of the three things that matter in his life: faith, bourbon, and dignity.


I drink and I bleed, complain and sit
The singer is self-destructive and spends most of his time doing nothing productive, just like the writer Charles Bukowski.


Just like Bukowski without the wit
The singer is self-destructive just like Bukowski, but he doesn't have the same level of wit or intelligence.




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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@lizfrancis8925

Fat man lookin' in a blade of steel
Thin man lookin' at his last meal
Hollow man lookin' in a cottonfield
For dignity

Wise man lookin' in a blade of grass
Young man lookin' in the shadows that pass
Poor man lookin' through painted glass
For dignity

Somebody got murdered on New Year's Eve
Somebody said dignity was the first to leave
I went into the city, went into the town
Went into the land of the midnight sun

Searchin' high, searchin' low
Searchin' everywhere I know
Askin' the cops wherever I go
Have you seen dignity

Blind man breakin' out of a trance
Puts his both hands in the pockets of chance
Hopin' to find one circumstance
Of dignity

I went to the wedding of Mary-Lou
She said I don't want nobody see me talkin' to you
Said she could get killed if she told me what she knew
About dignity

I went down where the vultures feed
I would've got deeper, but there wasn't any need
Heard the tongues of angels and the tongues of men
Wasn't any difference to me

Chilly wind sharp as a razor blade
House on fire, debts unpaid
Gonna stand at the window, gonna ask the maid
Have you seen dignity

Drinkin' man listens to the voice he hears
In a crowded room full of covered up mirrors
Lookin' into the lost forgotten years
For dignity

Met Prince Phillip at the home of the blues
Said he'd give me information if his name wasn't used
He wanted money up front, said he was abused
By dignity

Footprints runnin' cross the silver sand
Steps goin' down into tattoo land
I met the sons of darkness and the sons of light
In the border-towns of despair

Got no place to fade, got no coat
I'm on the rollin' river in a jerkin' boat
Tryin' to read a note somebody wrote
About dignity

Sick man lookin' for the doctor's cure
Lookin' at his hands for the lines that were
And into every masterpiece of literature
For dignity

Englishman stranded in the black-heart wind
Combin' his hair back, his future looks thin
Bites the bullet and he looks within
For dignity

Someone showed me a picture and I just laughed
Dignity never been photographed
I went into the red, went into the black
Into the valley of dry bone dreams

So many roads, so much at stake
Too many dead ends, I'm at the edge of the lake
Sometimes I wonder what it's gonna take
To find dignity



All comments from YouTube:

@user-op7ri1hy3w

Great from the first time you hear it. The rhythym, and the lyrics of course. Among his best, deserves more attention.

@JJRivers

"Somebody got murdered on New Year's Eve, Somebody said Dignity was the 1st to leave" - Happy New Years '23! This is now my favourite Dylan song

@tracy1273

Thank you

@LOVEHAS1JOYRAINS2

Mother Father of all creation is here in physical flesh ❤🎉 please phone home in these urgent moments! We love u. Luna❤🎉

@binmishr

"Dignity " is perfectly defined in a incredible song by one and only Bob Dylan. "Dignity never been photographed"

@LOVEHAS1JOYRAINS2

Mother Father of all creation is here in physical flesh ❤🎉 please phone home in these urgent moments! We love u. Luna❤🎉

@bobskeet595

An amazing song makes you look inside yourself . Such a gifted bloke . Thanks Bob for so many many songs

@chrisr3553

Makes you look inside yourself? Which end do you look in?

@bobskeet595

@Chris R your so so funny . Not

@jamesbradshaw3389

you have got that right, Saint Bob, Gods most favorite working angle on this earth

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