Some reviewers have speculated that the song is a reflection on Dylan's personal life, and in particular, on his deteriorating relationship with his wife Sara Dylan. Dylan has denied that it is autobiographical. Like the album it was included on, the song received a mixed critical reception on release. Commentators have acclaimed both the lyrics and performance in the intervening years, and the song was given prominence from some critics' assessments as one of Dylan's best.
09 Idiot Wind
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're planting stories in the press
Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out quick
But when they will I can only guess
They say I shot a man named Gray
And took his wife to Italy
She inherited a million bucks
And when she died it came to me
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
Even you, yesterday
You had to ask me where it was at
I couldn't believe after all these years
You didn't know me better than that
Sweet lady
Idiot wind
Blowing every time you move your mouth
Blowing down the back roads headin' south
Idiot wind
Blowing every time you move your teeth
You're an idiot, babe
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe
I ran into the fortune-teller
Who said, "beware of lightning that might strike"
I haven't known peace and quiet
For so long I can't remember what it's like
There's a lone soldier on the cross
Smoke pourin' out of a boxcar door
You didn't know it, you didn't think it could be done
In the final end he won the wars
After losin' every battle
I woke up on the roadside
Daydreamin' 'bout the way things sometimes are
Visions of your chestnut mare
Shoot through my head and are makin' me see stars
You hurt the ones that I love best
And cover up the truth with lies
One day you'll be in the ditch
Flies buzzin' around your eyes
Blood on your saddle
Idiot wind
Blowing through the flowers on your tomb
Blowing through the curtains in your room
Idiot wind
Blowing every time you move your teeth
You're an idiot, babe
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe
It was gravity which pulled us down
And destiny which broke us apart
You tamed the lion in my cage
But it just wasn't enough to change my heart
Now everything's a little upside down
As a matter of fact the wheels have stopped
What's good is bad, what's bad is good
You'll find out when you reach the top
You're on the bottom
I noticed at the ceremony
Your corrupt ways had finally made you blind
I can't remember your face anymore
Your mouth has changed
Your eyes don't look into mine
The priest wore black on the seventh day
And sat stone-faced while the building burned
I waited for you on the running boards
Near the cypress trees, while the springtime turned
Slowly into autumn
Idiot wind
Blowing like a circle around my skull
From the Grand Coulee Dam to the Capitol
Idiot wind
Blowing every time you move your teeth
You're an idiot, babe
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe
I can't feel you anymore
I can't even touch the books you've read
Every time I crawl past your door
I been wishin' I was somebody else instead
Down the highway, down the tracks
Down the road to ecstasy
I followed you beneath the stars
Hounded by your memory
And all your ragin' glory
I been double-crossed now
For the very last time and now I'm finally free
I kissed goodbye the howling beast
On the borderline which separated you from me
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
Idiot wind
Blowing through the buttons of our coats
Blowing through the letters that we wrote
Idiot wind
Blowing through the dust upon our shelves
We're idiots, babe
It's a wonder we can even feed ourselves
The opening lyrics of Bob Dylan's song "Idiot Wind" suggest that someone is trying to sabotage his reputation by planting false stories in the press. Dylan then goes on to talk about how people, even those close to him, don't seem to know him very well. He uses the metaphor of an "idiot wind" blowing through their teeth, criticizing their distorted perception of him. The verses continue with Dylan seeing visions of a chestnut mare and feeling hurt and angry over these false accusations.
There's a sense of chaos and confusion in the song, with Dylan describing a lone soldier who won the war after losing every battle, and how things have become upside down with wheels stopping and good becoming bad. The final verse seems to suggest that Dylan is finally free from these lies and betrayal, but there is still a sense of sadness and regret. The title "Idiot Wind" seems to be a reference to the way people's words can feel like a gust of wind, fleeting and inconsequential.
Overall, the song seems to be a reflection of the disillusionment and betrayal that Dylan was feeling at the time, possibly in response to criticism of his personal life or artistic choices. It's a raw and emotional piece, showcasing Dylan's poetic lyricism and ability to capture complex emotions through his music.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone's got it in for me
Someone is sabotaging me or spreading false rumors about me
They're planting stories in the press
They are spreading negative and false stories about me through the media
Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out quick
I wish the person responsible would stop quickly
But when they will I can only guess
I don't know when they will stop
They say I shot a man named Gray
There are rumors that I shot a man named Gray
And took his wife to Italy
I allegedly took his wife to Italy
She inherited a million bucks
She inherited a large sum of money
And when she died it came to me
When she died, I inherited the money
I can't help it if I'm lucky
I cannot control my luck in life
People see me all the time
People frequently see me
And they just can't remember how to act
They are unsure how to behave around me
Their minds are filled with big ideas
They have grandiose thoughts or unrealistic expectations
Images and distorted facts
They have manipulated or inaccurate information about me
Even you, yesterday
Even you, just yesterday
You had to ask me where it was at
You had to ask me where something was located
I couldn't believe after all these years
I was surprised that after so many years
You didn't know me better than that
You did not have a better understanding of me
Sweet lady
A term of endearment for the person he is addressing
Idiot wind
A negative force or person that affects everyone around it
Blowing every time you move your mouth
Spreading negativity or lies every time you speak
Blowing down the back roads headin' south
Negatively impacting everything it touches, even when traveling south on back roads
Blowing every time you move your teeth
Spreading negativity or lies every time you speak, even with your teeth moving
You're an idiot, babe
You are a negative and harmful presence, even though the term 'babe' suggests a level of intimacy
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe
The artist believes the person is harmful enough to wonder how they are able to survive
I ran into the fortune-teller
The singer met a psychic
Who said, "beware of lightning that might strike"
The psychic warned of danger
I haven't known peace and quiet
The singer has not experienced calmness or tranquility
For so long I can't remember what it's like
It has been such a long time that the artist cannot recall what peace and quiet feel like
There's a lone soldier on the cross
The artist sees an image of a soldier on a cross
Smoke pourin' out of a boxcar door
Smoke is coming out of a boxcar door nearby
You didn't know it, you didn't think it could be done
You did not believe this was possible
In the final end he won the wars
Despite losing every battle, he ultimately won the wars
After losin' every battle
Despite losing every battle
I woke up on the roadside
The artist woke up on the side of the road
Daydreamin' 'bout the way things sometimes are
The singer is thinking about how things sometimes are
Visions of your chestnut mare
The artist is thinking of a horse they associate with you
Shoot through my head and are makin' me see stars
The thoughts are affecting the singer deeply and causing them to see metaphorical stars
You hurt the ones that I love best
You have caused pain to the singer's loved ones
And cover up the truth with lies
You are hiding the truth with lies
One day you'll be in the ditch
One day you will pay for your actions
Flies buzzin' around your eyes
The artist envisions a future where flies are buzzing around your eyes (metaphorical death)
Blood on your saddle
A metaphorical representation of the negative actions the person has done
Blowing through the flowers on your tomb
The negative force continues to affect even after death, represented through blowing wind
Blowing through the curtains in your room
The negative force affects every aspect of the person's life, even in their own room
Blowing through the dust upon our shelves
The negative force has such wide-ranging impacts that even items on shelves are affected
We're idiots, babe
The artist includes themselves in the negative grouping of people
It's a wonder we can even feed ourselves
The singer believes that people are so unintelligent or harmful that they struggle to perform basic tasks
It was gravity which pulled us down
It was inevitable forces that led to a separation between the artist and the addressed person
And destiny which broke us apart
It was fate that caused the separation
You tamed the lion in my cage
You took control of the singer's life
But it just wasn't enough to change my heart
Despite your influence, the singer's feelings did not change
Now everything's a little upside down
Everything seems out of place or disorienting
As a matter of fact the wheels have stopped
The world has essentially come to a halt
What's good is bad, what's bad is good
The singer's perception is completely inverted
You'll find out when you reach the top
You will soon realize the truth
You're on the bottom
You are in a low or negative place
I noticed at the ceremony
During an event or gathering
Your corrupt ways had finally made you blind
Your morally questionable behavior had finally caught up to you
I can't remember your face anymore
The singer has lost their memory of what the person's face looks like
Your mouth has changed
The person's use of language or communication style has changed and no longer reflects the person the artist once knew
Your eyes don't look into mine
The person's gaze no longer reflects a sense of connection or mutual understanding
The priest wore black on the seventh day
During a funeral or mourning period
And sat stone-faced while the building burned
Someone who should have shown emotions during a difficult time was instead emotionless during a crisis
I waited for you on the running boards
The artist was waiting for the person on a car's running board
Near the cypress trees, while the springtime turned
The artist was waiting during springtime, near cypress trees
I been double-crossed now
The singer has been betrayed
For the very last time and now I'm finally free
This is the final time the singer will be betrayed, and now they can move on
I kissed goodbye the howling beast
The artist is saying goodbye to the negative force or person in their life
On the borderline which separated you from me
On the threshold that once kept us apart
You'll never know the hurt I suffered
The artist went through emotional pain that the person will never truly understand
Nor the pain I rise above
The singer overcame their emotional pain and rose above it
And I'll never know the same about you
The artist will never fully understand the person or their emotions
Your holiness or your kind of love
The person's sense of morality or their way of expressing love
And it makes me feel so sorry
The singer feels sorrowful about the lack of understanding between them and the person, or about the situation as a whole
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@raymondgarafano8604
YUP, some say ,"You can only cut a person down with cuss words." haha, Dylan does NOT cuss, he is so eloquent, "I notice at the ceremony, ur corrupt ways have finally made u blind, I can't remember your face anymore, ur mouth has changed, ur eyes don't look into mine."
Down the highway, down the tracks, down the road to ecstasy, I followed you beneath the stars, hounded by your memory and all your raging glory!
I've been doublecrossed for the very last time, Now I'm finally free!
I kiss goodbye to the howling beast, on the borderline that separates you from me!
I think our favorite male singer had a narcissist in his life. Sounds like she died and he, walking late at night remembering her in good times and her full of hate with that raging glory, to him she is on the border of being a woman and a howling beast.
It is like you have to really go thru some rough times to know what B.Dylan is saying.
And then, Along comes, 'To Ramona'
@secretsofaddiction1649
I been double-crossed now
For the very last time and now I'm finally free
I kissed goodbye the howling beast
On the borderline which separated you from me
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...
For me, the greatest verse ever written by the greatest songwriter of all time...Pure poetry.
@therapyinyoursleep6317
The first time I heard this song, I was 16 and lying on my living room floor watching the Hard Rain special on TV. Awestruck! About 2 verses in, I literally jumped up off the floor and shouted in the empty room, "There is no f*cking way ANYBODY is writing songs this good!!!!" It literally changed my life right then and there. It woke me up TO life. Like many people in the comments below, I immediately got the album and listened to this song over and over and over again.....for months! Years! I've played it in the bars when I did that kinda thing. I listen to it now, decades later, and get tears. Even tears reading the comments here. We have all been fortunate enough to see, hear, and experience this once-in-a-millenium Shakespeare among us, in our lifetimes. And I know I am deeply enriched because of that.
@dhss333
A once in a millenium OTHER / second Shakespeare, you mean. If this had such an effect, you've had a musically impoverished life, all genres.
@mr.b7586
"I can't help it if I'm lucky". The delivery of this lyric is amazing
@barbarascotto3873
That's exactly what I noticed too.
@phincampbell1886
Dropped a bottle of vinegar earlier. It didn't smash.
Guess what I said?!
@godot-whatyouvebeenwaitingfor
Lucky Wilbury...
@dhss333
Dylan is ultimately the idiot: couldn't even keep his true name; likewise Sting, Bon(z)o.
@dhss333
O come on, it's hardly stratospheric selfirony!!
@richarddunne9802
'You'll never know the hurt I've 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'
Possibly the greatest breakup lyrics ever written, from a master of expression. Just incredible.
@dennisg.582
It's about A.J. Webberman (so called Dylanologist) from the 70's.