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
Ballad Of Donald White
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I stand before you all.
I was judged by you a murderer
And the hangman's knot must fall.
I will die upon the gallows pole
When the moon is shining clear,
And these are my final words
That you will ever hear.
I left my home in Kansas
When I was very young,
I landed in the old Northwest,
Seattle, Washington
Although I'd a-traveled many miles,
I never made a friend,
For I could never get along in life
With people that I met.
If I had some education
To give me a decent start,
I might have been a doctor or
A master in the arts.
But I used my hands for stealing
When I was very young,
And they locked me down in jailhouse cells,
That's how my life begun.
Oh, the inmates and the prisoners,
I found they were my kind,
And it was there inside the bars
I found my peace of mind.
But the jails they were too crowded,
Institutions overflowed,
So they turned me loose to walk upon
Life's hurried tangled road.
And there's danger on the ocean
Where the salt sea waves split high,
And there's danger on the battlefield
Where the shells of bullets fly,
And there's danger in this open world
Where men strive to be free,
And for me the greatest danger
Was in society.
So I asked them to send me back
To the institution home.
But they said they were too crowded,
For me they had no room.
I got down on my knees and begged,
"Oh, please put me away,"
But they would not listen to my plea
Or nothing I would say.
And so it was on Christmas eve
In the year of '59,
It was on that night I killed a man,
I did not try to hide,
The jury found me guilty
And I won't disagree,
For I knew that it would happen
If I wasn't put away.
And I'm glad I've had no parents
To care for me or cry,
For now they will never know
The horrible death I die.
And I'm also glad I've had no friends
To see me in disgrace,
For they'll never see that hangman's hood
Wrap around my face.
Farewell unto the old north woods
Of which I used to roam,
Farewell unto the crowded bars
Of which've been my home,
Farewell to all you people
Who think the worst of me,
I guess you'll feel much better when
I'm on that hanging tree.
But there's just one question
Before they kill me dead,
I'm wondering just how much
To you I really said
Concerning all the boys that come
Down a road like me,
Are they enemies or victims
Of your society?
The Ballad of Donald White, sung by Bob Dylan in 1962, is a narrative about the life of a man named Donald White, who is sentenced to death by hanging for murdering someone. White speaks in the first person, and shares the details of his life with his audience. White reflects on his upbringing, lack of education and social connection which led to his criminal behavior, and his subsequent imprisonment in institutional homes. White describes his sense of belonging when he is with other inmates and how he feels safe inside a jail, implying that he never felt comfortable in society. White expresses regret for not being able to get the chance to re-enter the institution and his disillusionment with society as a whole. He concludes by questioning society and the way it treats people like him.
The Ballad of Donald White is a powerful and provocative song that raises serious questions about the society's criminal justice system and our role in creating individuals like White. The lyrics point out the injustices within the society and its treatment of people who find themselves in similar situations as White. The song highlights the idea that prisons could be a place of rehabilitation and questioning whether the society is failing to rehabilitate people like White. Dylan's use of storytelling is very effective in drawing us into White's world and increasing our empathy for his situation.
Line by Line Meaning
My name is Donald White, you see,
Introducing him to the listeners
I stand before you all.
Addressing the audience
I was judged by you a murderer
The society judged him as a criminal
And the hangman's knot must fall.
He is sentenced to death by hanging
I will die upon the gallows pole
Describing his execution method
When the moon is shining clear,
Setting the time of execution
And these are my final words
Last words before execution
That you will ever hear.
Emphasizing significance of his words
I left my home in Kansas
Narrating his background
When I was very young,
Describing his age when he left his home
I landed in the old Northwest,
Describing his immigration
Seattle, Washington
The place where he went to
Although I'd a-traveled many miles,
Talking about his journeys
I never made a friend,
His inability to befriend people
For I could never get along in life
He had trouble adjusting to life
With people that I met.
People he encounters
If I had some education
Musing about what-if scenarios
To give me a decent start,
He thinks education could have made a difference in his life
I might have been a doctor or
Speculating on career choices
A master in the arts.
Another career possibility
But I used my hands for stealing
Explaining the reason for his imprisonment
When I was very young,
The age when he started stealing
And they locked me down in jailhouse cells,
Describing his incarceration
That's how my life begun.
Looking back at the beginning of his life of crime
Oh, the inmates and the prisoners,
Describing his fellow prisoners
I found they were my kind,
He felt a sense of belonging with criminals
And it was there inside the bars
The focus shifts to his time in prison
I found my peace of mind.
He found peace in prison
But the jails they were too crowded,
Talking about the prison system
Institutions overflowed,
Overcrowding problem in the institutions
So they turned me loose to walk upon
He was released due to overcrowding
Life's hurried tangled road.
Describing his difficulties after being released
And there's danger on the ocean
Talking about the dangers in life
Where the salt sea waves split high,
Describing dangers at sea
And there's danger on the battlefield
Danger in war
Where the shells of bullets fly,
Describing the dangers of war
And there's danger in this open world
The world is full of dangers
Where men strive to be free,
Free life is risky
And for me the greatest danger
What he considered his greatest danger
Was in society.
His perilous existence in the society
So I asked them to send me back
Trying to get into jail again
To the institution home.
Asking to be institutionalized
But they said they were too crowded,
Inability to get incarcerated
For me they had no room.
No room for him in prison
I got down on my knees and begged,
Begging to be put behind bars
"Oh, please put me away,"
His desperation to go back to prison
But they would not listen to my plea
Request to go back to prison was ignored
Or nothing I would say.
People wouldn't listen to him
And so it was on Christmas eve
Narrating his committing a crime
In the year of '59,
Describing the year
It was on that night I killed a man,
Narrating his murder
I did not try to hide,
Admitting to the crime
The jury found me guilty
He was convicted of the crime
And I won't disagree,
Agreeing with the verdict
For I knew that it would happen
He saw it coming
If I wasn't put away.
He knew he was a danger to society
And I'm glad I've had no parents
Thinking about his family
To care for me or cry,
Worrying about the emotions of the family members
For now they will never know
His family will never know his fate
The horrible death I die.
The gruesome nature of his death
And I'm also glad I've had no friends
Dwelling on his loneliness
To see me in disgrace,
Feeling ashamed
For they'll never see that hangman's hood
Expressing his fear of the execution
Wrap around my face.
Visualizing his execution
Farewell unto the old north woods
Saying goodbye to the past
Of which I used to roam,
Referencing his travels
Farewell unto the crowded bars
Reflecting on his imprisonment
Of which've been my home,
Bars were his safe haven
Farewell to all you people
Saying goodbye to society
Who think the worst of me,
People passing harsh judgements on him
I guess you'll feel much better when
Addressing the society
I'm on that hanging tree.
Referring to his execution
But there's just one question
Concluding with a question
Before they kill me dead,
Questions to be answered before death
I'm wondering just how much
Question 1
To you I really said
Question 2
Concerning all the boys that come
Question 3
Down a road like me,
Question 4
Are they enemies or victims
Question 5
Of your society?
Question 6
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind