Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota… Read Full Bio ↴Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, United States) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career spanning more than 60 years.
Dylan started his musical odyssey in 1959 when he began playing in Dinkytown, Minneapolis while attending the University of Minnesota. Shortly after starting to play he changed his stage name to Bob Dylan, after being influenced by the poetry of Dylan Thomas before legally changing his name in 1962.

Much of his best known work is from the 1960s, when he became an informal documentarian and reluctant figurehead of American unrest, promoted by Joan Baez. Some of his songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'", became anthems of the anti-war and civil rights movements, with Joan Baez and Dylan singing together at the March on Washington in 1963. However he later became disenchanted with the civil liberty protest scene, feeling that he had been used by them.

His album Bringing It All Back Home marked a move away from the folk scene and a move towards rock and roll and Dylan began to consciously distance himself from his early association with civil rights. He also started to become irritated when being interviewed, often given facetious or irreverent answers to questions. Bringing It All Back Home was a controversial album as it the first on which he played electric guitar. This was seen by some of his fans as a betrayal of this folk roots, with some saying that it obscured his meaningful and poetic lyrics.

The second half of the 1960s was marked by a string of well received releases, with his song "Like a Rolling Stone", released in July of 1965, later being named "The Greatest Song of All Time" by Rolling Stone magazine in 2004, placing #1 in a list of 500 titles. It also marked the formation of Dylan's backing band The Hawks (who would later call themselves simply The Band). Dylan embarked on a world tour of Australia and Europe in 1966, during which he seemed to be under a lot of strain and pressure by both his fans, the music press and his own promoters. Dylan himself admitted that he began taking drugs seriously whilst on this tour, and found it immensely hard work. On returning to New York he crashed his motorbike, sustaining serious injuries in the process, and went into a period of withdrawal while he recuperated. During the late 1960s, Dylan again changed stylistic tradition, moving away from the psychedelic culture of the time. It was then that he recorded All Along the Watchtower, perhaps more famously recorded by Jimi Hendrix.

The 1970s were a period during which Dylan was more sporadic in his output, releasing some poorly received LPs. He rarely appeared in person until 1974, when he began touring again with his backing band The Band. He also wrote one of his most extensively covered songs, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, as well as what is now recognised as one of his best albums Blood On The Tracks. Towards the end of the 1970s, Dylan discovered Christ, and released some albums of gospel music. He started to talk to the crowd about his faith during his performances, and wouldn't play any of his early work, which alienated some of his previous fans.

Dylan today still remains an influential and popular artist; despite a period of little note between 1980-2000, his 2006 album Modern Times reached the US chart at #1, as did his 2009 album Together Through Life, in the US, Britain, France and several other countries. His 2012 album Tempest was also critically acclaimed. Since 1988, Dylan has been on the so-called Never Ending Tour, during which his performances have provoked controversy, with some critics claiming that his lyrics have become incomprehensible, an experience which is not helped by his tendency to change his set-list and vocals almost every performance.

Bob Dylan's strong influence over the past few years is becoming even more prominent amongst a growing group of younger emerging artists such as George Ellias and Devendra Banhart. Dylan's early lyrics incorporated politics, social commentary, philosophy and literary influences, defying existing pop music conventions and appealing widely to the counterculture of the time. While expanding and personalizing musical styles, Dylan has shown steadfast devotion to traditions of American song, from folk and country/blues to rock and roll and rockabilly, to Gaelic balladry, even jazz, swing and Broadway.

Dylan performs with the guitar, keyboard and harmonica. Backed by a changing lineup of musicians, he has toured steadily since the late 1980s. He has also recently performed alongside other iconic artists, such as Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Tom Petty and Eric Clapton. Although his contributions as a performer and recording artist have been central to his career, his songwriting is generally held as his highest accomplishment.

Nobel Prize for Literature (2016) - On October 13, 2016, Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. The prestigious award has been given annually since 1901 and previous Nobel Laureates for Literature include Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett. Here is the speech written by Dylan, although unable to attend:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/10/arts/bob-dylan-nobel-prize-acceptance-speech.html?_r=0

Anyway You Want
Bob Dylan Lyrics

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The guilty undertaker sighs
The lonesome organ grinder cries
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
The cracked bells and washed-out horns
Blow into my face with scorn, but it's
Not that way, I wasn't born to lose you

I want you

I want you
I want you, so bad
Honey, I want you

The drunken politician leaps
Upon the street where mothers weep
And the saviors who are fast asleep, they wait for you
And I wait for them to interrupt
Me drinkin' from my broken cup
And ask me to open up the gate for you

I want you
I want you
Yes I want you, so bad
Honey, I want you

How all my fathers, they've gone down
True love they've been without it
But all their daughters put me down
'Cause I don't think about it

Well, I return to the Queen of Spades
And talk with my chambermaid
She knows that I'm not afraid to look at her
She is good to me and there's
Nothing she doesn't see
She knows where I'd like to be but it doesn't
Matter

I want you
I want you
Yes I want you, so bad
Honey, I want you

Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit he
Spoke to me, I took his flute
No, I wasn't very cute to him, was I?
But I did it, because he lied and
Because he took you for a ride
And because time was on his side and
Because I

Want you
I want you

Yes I want you, so bad
Honey, I want you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Bob Dylan's song I Want You speak of a desire for someone that is so intense, it is almost painful. The first verse sets the scene with images of sadness and rejection - the undertaker's sigh and the organ grinder's cries suggest a funereal air, while the instruments "Blow into my face with scorn". Despite this, the singer remains defiant, insisting "it's not that way" and "I wasn't born to lose you". The repetition of "I want you" shows the strength of feeling.

In the second verse, the mood changes to one of turmoil and unrest, with the drunken politician and weeping mothers. The singer waits for the "saviors" to interrupt him from his drinking to save the day. However, instead of a rescue mission, the final line is a plea for the object of affection to notice them. The third verse speaks of the singer's own experiences with rejected love, where all the fathers before him have failed in love, though he is not held to the same standards. Returning to the Queen of Spades, the singer finds solace with their chambermaid who knows them intimately.

Overall, the song's lyrics convey a sense of desperation, defiance, and unresolved longing. Despite the world around the singer's desire and troubles, their focus remains firmly on the need for the person they want, both physically and emotionally.

Line by Line Meaning

The guilty undertaker sighs
The undertaker, who feels guilty, sighs heavily.

The lonesome organ grinder cries
The organ grinder, who is lonely, cries out in despair.

The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
The silver saxophones warn me that I should not accept you.

The cracked bells and washed-out horns, Blow into my face with scorn, but it's
The damaged bells and faded horns blast at me with disdain, but it doesn't concern me.

Not that way, I wasn't born to lose you
I wasn't made to let go of you, it's not something I'll accept.

I want you
I desire you.

The drunken politician leaps, Upon the street where mothers weep
The inebriated politician jumps onto the road where grieving mothers cry.

And the saviors who are fast asleep, they wait for you
The people who can save you are sleeping and they're waiting for your call.

And I wait for them to interrupt, Me drinkin' from my broken cup
I wait for them to interrupt me as I drink from my damaged cup.

And ask me to open up the gate for you
They request me to open the door for you.

Yes I want you, so bad, Honey, I want you
I crave you deeply and strongly, my dear.

How all my fathers, they've gone down, True love they've been without it
All my ancestors have fallen, not finding true love.

But all their daughters put me down, 'Cause I don't think about it
Their daughters reject me because I don't care about the same things they do.

Well, I return to the Queen of Spades, And talk with my chambermaid
I go back to the Queen of Spades and converse with my maid.

She knows that I'm not afraid to look at her
My maid understands that I'm unafraid to gaze upon her.

She is good to me and there's, Nothing she doesn't see
She's kind to me and there's nothing she can't observe.

She knows where I'd like to be but it doesn't, Matter
She knows my preferred place, but it's not that important.

Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit he, Spoke to me, I took his flute
Your son, who was dressed in a Chinese outfit, spoke with me and I took his flute.

No, I wasn't very cute to him, was I?
I wasn't very charming, was I?

But I did it, because he lied and, Because he took you for a ride
But I took the flute because he lied and deceived you.

And because time was on his side and, Because I, Want you
And also because he had time on his side, but most importantly, I still want you.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bob Dylan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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