There have been a number of speculations about the meaning of the song of which none have been supported by statements made by Dylan. Commenting on this song, Marqusee characterises it (p. 196) as 'Dylan's definitive treatment of "strandedness"', and notes that 'in contrast to most of the material in "Blonde on Blonde", he brought it to the studio as a finished composition'. He later comments 'In VoJ Dylan is stranded between extremes - total freedom and abject slavery.'
Others have subjected the words to poetic 'close reading' and have found in it a wealth of allusion, for example, to William Blake; thus Thakkar [3] says 'My claims will be these: Louise represents the earthly, the prosaic, the finite; and Johanna represents the pure, the poetic, the infinite'.
The song was originally titled "Seems Like a Freeze Out"; studio recordings from Blonde on Blonde's' early New York sessions, released on bootleg, have a much faster tempo (more similar to Most Likely You'll Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine) and, in the fifth verse, contain the additional line, "He examines the nightingale's code". Two slower versions were recorded in New York, one with a march-like tempo (which was released on the No Direction Home soundtrack), and another with a more conventional rock tempo, closer to the album version recorded in Nashville.
Two live versions of the song recorded during Dylan's 1966 tour of England have been released. One version appeared on Biograph, released in 1985. A second version was recorded at the Manchester Free Trade Hall concert, released as the fourth volume of the Bootleg Series, which was titled The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert as a jab at bootleggers who had erroneously referred to the Manchester concert as such for years prior. Many critics and fans have come to regard these stark, evocative live recordings as superior to the album version.
In Perth, during the Australia tour of 1966, Dylan treated the audience to an otherwise unknown verse of "Visions of Johanna". This verse introduces two new characters, Amelia, who describes Australia as "God's favourite failure", and "A Maya with gloves", who talks about love and chocolate. There is no indication that Dylan has performed this verse on any other occasion.[1]
1- Lyrics from the Australian performance
Amelia, when asked "Was it awesome, your stay in Australia?"
Said, "Sort of, but short, this land must be God's favourite failure
I left after finding out that even here, even here there is daily a
Dawn, I could just as well choose
Vancouver or the Ivory Coast"
I said "Yes, but in places like those
There are no kangaroos."
A Maya with gloves, once said "Love is like cacao beans"
Well, these visions of Johanna are the darkest pralines.
03-Visions of Johanna
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We sit here stranded, though we're all doin' our best to deny it
And Louise holds a handful of rain, temptin' you to defy it
Lights flicker from the opposite loft
In this room the heat pipes just cough
The country music station plays soft
But there's nothing, really nothing to turn off
Just Louise and her lover so entwined
In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman's bluff with the key chain
And the all-night girls they whisper of escapades out on the "D" train
We can hear the night watchman click his flashlight
Ask himself if it's him or them that's insane
Louise, she's all right, she's just near
She's delicate and seems like the mirror
But she just makes it all too concise and too clear
That Johanna's not here
The ghost of 'lectricity howls in the bones of her face
Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place
Now, little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously
He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously
And when bringing her name up
He speaks of a farewell kiss to me
He's sure got a lotta gall to be so useless and all
Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall
How can I explain?
It's so hard to get on
And these visions of Johanna, they kept me up past the dawn
Inside the museums, infinity goes up on trial
Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while
But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues
You can tell by the way she smiles
See the primitive wallflower freeze
When the jelly-faced women all sneeze
Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeez, I can't find my knees"
Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule
But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel
The peddler now speaks to the countess who's pretending to care for him
Sayin', "Name me someone that's not a parasite and I'll go out and say a prayer for him"
But like Louise always says
"Ya can't look at much, can ya man?"
As she, herself, prepares for him
And Madonna, she still has not showed
We see this empty cage now corrode
Where her cape of the stage once had flowed
The fiddler, he now steps to the road
He writes ev'rything's been returned which was owed
On the back of the fish truck that loads
While my conscience explodes
The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain
And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain
Visions of Johanna is a song by Bob Dylan that appeared in his 1966 album, Blonde on Blonde. It's a surrealistic ballad that captures a moment of existential crisis, drawing on imagery from urban landscapes, museums, and relationships.
The song starts by challenging the notion of quietness, suggesting that the night plays tricks on people who are trying to be silent. Dylan acknowledges that although they are doing their best to ignore their predicament, they are still stranded. Then, he shifts the focus to Louise, who holds a tempting handful of rain that defies you. The singer introduces a room where heat pipes are trying to cough, country music plays softly, but there's not much to turn off. In this room, Louise and her lover are entwined, and the singer's mind is conquered by visions of Johanna.
The second verse takes us to the empty lot where women play blindman's bluff with key chains, and all-night girls whisper about escapades out on the "D" train in the background. The night watchman can hear them and asks himself if he is insane or they are. Louise appears again in this verse to confirm that she's fine but she makes it clear that Johanna is missing. Dylan then portrays a little boy who takes himself too seriously and speaks of a farewell kiss to the singer when bringing her name up. He speaks senselessly while the singer is struggling to understand his behavior.
In the third and final verse, the imagery shifts to museums and the idea that infinity goes up on trial. The voices echo a sentiment that salvation must be like this. Dylan uses Mona Lisa to demonstrate how bluesy she must have been. The primitive wallflower freezed and the women sneezed, and one with a mustache can't even find her knees. The peddler speaks to the countess, who pretends to care for him, but as Louise always says, "Ya can't look at much, can ya man?" Madonna is still missing, and the singer feels like everything has been returned that was owed. The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain as the visions of Johanna occupy and remain the only thing that remain.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet?
Night has a habit of making you feel restless when you want peace.
We sit here stranded, though we're all doin' our best to deny it
We are stuck in a situation, but we pretend that we are not.
And Louise holds a handful of rain, temptin' you to defy it
Louise is holding something that is difficult to hold onto, tempting you to try it anyways.
Lights flicker from the opposite loft
There are lights on in the building across the street.
In this room the heat pipes just cough
The heat system making odd noises in this place.
The country music station plays soft
A country music radio station is playing in the background, at a low volume.
But there's nothing, really nothing to turn off
There is no way to turn off the noise.
Just Louise and her lover so entwined
Louise and her partner are wrapped up in each other.
And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind
I cannot get visions of Johanna out of my head.
In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman's bluff with the key chain
In an empty parking lot, women are playing a game called blindman's bluff with a key chain.
And the all-night girls they whisper of escapades out on the "D" train
The all-night girls are gossiping about their adventures on the D train.
We can hear the night watchman click his flashlight
We can hear the sound of the night watchman's flashlight.
Ask himself if it's him or them that's insane
The night watchman is questioning his sanity.
Louise, she's all right, she's just near
Louise is doing alright, she is just near.
She's delicate and seems like the mirror
Louise appears to be fragile, like a mirror.
But she just makes it all too concise and too clear
Louise is too direct and straightforward.
That Johanna's not here
Johanna is not present.
The ghost of 'lectricity howls in the bones of her face
There is an intense energy emanating from her.
Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place
My thoughts of Johanna have taken over my mind.
Now, little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously
This boy is being overly dramatic.
He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously
He makes a point of talking about how unhappy he is, and sees this as exciting.
And when bringing her name up
When he talks about her name.
He speaks of a farewell kiss to me
He tells me about the last time he kissed her goodbye.
He's sure got a lotta gall to be so useless and all
He has a lot of nerve to be so unhelpful.
Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall
He is talking to himself while ignoring me.
How can I explain?
I am struggling to make myself understood.
It's so hard to get on
It is difficult to keep moving forward after a setback.
And these visions of Johanna, they kept me up past the dawn
Thinking about Johanna has kept me up late into the night and early morning.
Inside the museums, infinity goes up on trial
In the museums, the concept of infinity is being examined.
Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while
The voices echo about what salvation feels like after a while.
But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues
Mona Lisa must have been feeling down about life.
You can tell by the way she smiles
You can tell this from the smile on her face.
See the primitive wallflower freeze
See a shy person freeze up in a social situation.
When the jelly-faced women all sneeze
When certain women in the crowd sneeze.
Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeez, I can't find my knees"
Hear a person with a mustache say that they cannot find their knees.
Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule
The mule carries items like jewels and binoculars.
But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel
Thoughts of Johanna make everything seem harsh and unpleasant.
The peddler now speaks to the countess who's pretending to care for him
The peddler is talking to a countess who is pretending to be interested in him.
Sayin', "Name me someone that's not a parasite and I'll go out and say a prayer for him"
The peddler is challenging the countess to name someone who is not a parasite.
But like Louise always says
As Louise often says.
"Ya can't look at much, can ya man?"
"You can't see a lot, can you?"
As she, herself, prepares for him
As she gets ready for the peddler.
And Madonna, she still has not showed
Madonna is not here yet.
We see this empty cage now corrode
An empty cage is starting to rust.
Where her cape of the stage once had flowed
Madonna's stage cape used to flow in this space.
The fiddler, he now steps to the road
The fiddler is starting to leave.
He writes ev'rything's been returned which was owed
He writes that everything that was owed has been repaid.
On the back of the fish truck that loads
He writes this on the back of a truck that is being loaded with fish.
While my conscience explodes
At the same time, I am feeling an intense emotion of guilt.
The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain
Harmonicas are playing what sounds like the keys on a xylophone, accompanied by the sound of rain.
And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain
All that's left are thoughts of Johanna.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, AUDIAM, INC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jamesstevenson8697
Full Lyrics:
Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet?
We sit here stranded, though we're all doin' our best to deny it
And Louise holds a handful of rain, temptin' you to defy it
Lights flicker from the opposite loft
In this room the heat pipes just cough
The country music station plays soft
But there's nothing, really nothing to turn off
Just Louise and her lover so entwined
And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind
In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman's bluff with the key chain
And the all-night girls they whisper of escapades out on the "D" train
We can hear the night watchman click his flashlight
Ask himself if it's him or them that's insane
Louise, she's all right, she's just near
She's delicate and seems like the mirror
But she just makes it all too concise and too clear
That Johanna's not here
The ghost of 'lectricity howls in the bones of her face
Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place
Now, little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously
He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously
And when bringing her name up
He speaks of a farewell kiss to me
He's sure got a lotta gall to be so useless and all
Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall
How can I explain?
It's so hard to get on
And these visions of Johanna, they kept me up past the dawn
Inside the museums, infinity goes up on trial
Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while
But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues
You can tell by the way she smiles
See the primitive wallflower freeze
When the jelly-faced women all sneeze
Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeez, I can't find my knees"
Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule
But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel
The peddler now speaks to the countess who's pretending to care for him
Sayin', "Name me someone that's not a parasite and I'll go out and say a prayer for him"
But like Louise always says
"Ya can't look at much, can ya man?"
As she, herself, prepares for him
And Madonna, she still has not showed
We see this empty cage now corrode
Where her cape of the stage once had flowed
The fiddler, he now steps to the road
He writes ev'rything's been returned which was owed
On the back of the fish truck that loads
While my conscience explodes
The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain
And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain
@davetepl
To me Dylan's use of the word "ghost" was essential to my interpretation of that line. By the way, that was the first line to jump out at me the very first time I heard the song. I was doing the exercise I imagine some of us do while purposely listening to a song, the exercise of tuning out the world and picking a spot to stare at, or even closing our eyes, until a line comes through and hits you, or nothing. If it does, you grab a hold on tight and go for a ride. Much like a tourist visiting San Francisco narrows their eyes as the cable car approaches and they look for that one pole that will most swiftly help them swish up onto the moving vehicle, and away they go.
Digression notwithstanding though, jeepers. So, think of how 'lectricity, more specifically the electro-chemical event can shape a face in the moment. I'm often deeply mesmerized by the way Light reflects off the curves of the face of my love. Emotions explode, thoughts too, such as "so beautiful", "sexy!", "so damn adorable and cute", "lucky to witness this again and again, grateful down to my bones every single time." And that's just her smile. Every expression on her face created by the different combinations of 'lectricity sends me in a unique way.
Now these things occur in the moment. A smile, a frown, a grimace, a glare, a silly face. But after many many occurrences, after a couple decades, the face begins to look like it's been doing a long- term audit of sorts, like skin cells on your cheeks that have been keeping tabs on UV rays. Which expression have we performed more than the others, way more? Lines. Lines and folds. They begin to tell a powerful story.
The changes in her face is what I think Dylan is referring to here when he says the "ghost of 'lectricity". Or perhaps the current facial expression together with the "backstory".
That was my first thought anyway. Take it for what it's worth, throw it out, do what thou wilt.
@natesmith6924
yes, Nat King Cole had a hit about how many were trying to explain the smile, and that snotty kid cones along and sings
"But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues
You can tell by the way she smiles tell by the way she smiles"
and in one fell swoop he killed them philosophers all.
@TheMommom69
I am Johanna and I was born in 1967
And I was named Johanna because of this song
Thank you dad
@Carlossantanamusicinc
Hello dear, it’s nice meeting you on here
@user-sd2ln7ge9e
1957
@johannaschmidt7376
My parents named me after this song in 1974. I wish I could thank you. I love my name and it makes me very proud to be named after such a beautiful song.
@JB174Glebe
Cool
@Lebeauski
Now thats awesome. My older brothers middle name is Dylan. My fav song from him, and saying that, twas not an easy choice. 😊
@foresight87
@Shane Molloy Only Bob knows for sure, and he's not saying.
@QuakerPop
Too funny. For my daughter I gave my wife two options...my first choice was Johanna, and then my second choice was after an Elvis Costello song. She chose the latter. I love Costello, but no one-except perhaps Dylan- has ever written a better song than this one
@foresight87
@@QuakerPop Let me guess, Allison?
@arathvillegas2906
in this song, each verse could be an entire film