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
Billy 4
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a lawman on your trail like to surround you
Bounty hunters are dancing all around you
Billy, they don't like you to be so free.
Camping out all night on the veranda
Walking in the streets down by the hacienda
Up to Boot Hill the like to send you
There's mills inside the minds of crazy faces
Bullet holes and rifles in their cases
There is always one more notch in four more aces
Billy, and you're playing all alone.
Playing around with some sweet signorita
Into her dark chamber she will greet you
In the shadows of the maizes she will lead you
Billy, and you're going all alone.
They say that Pat Garrett's got your number
So sleep with one eye open, when you wander
Every little sound just might be thunder
Thunder from the barrel of his gun.
There's always another stranger sneaking glances
Some trigger-happy fool willing to take chances
Some old whore from San Pedro'll make advances
Advances on your spirit and your soul.
The businessmen from Taos want you to go down
So they've hired mister Garrett, he'll force you to slow down
Billy, don't let it make you feel so low down
To be hunted by the man who was your friend.
So hang on to your woman, if you got one
Remember in El Paso once you shot one
I'll be in Santa Fe about one
Billy, you've been running for so long.
Gypsy queens will play your grand finale
Way down in some Tularosa alley
Maybe in La Rio Pecas valley
Billy, you're so far away from home
Billy, you're so far away from home
The song "Billy 4" by Bob Dylan is a reflective song that talks about the complicated life of Billy. The lyrics are metaphorical and poetic, and they capture the essence of Billy's life like no other.
The first verse of the song sets the tone for the rest of it. It talks about the difficult position that Billy is in, surrounded by lawmen and bounty hunters who are after him, ready to shoot him at any given moment. Billy is a free spirit who doesn't conform to the norms and is therefore always on the run.
The second verse is a reminiscing of the times spent with Billy, walking around the veranda, and wandering the streets. The song also talks about the dark side of Billy's life where he gets involved with women who he can't trust, and he finds himself in a chamber with a lady from time to time. The lyrics suggest that Billy is untrustworthy and cannot keep any friends for long.
The third verse of the song reflects the fear that Billy has of being hunted down by his old friend, Pat Garrett. The song talks about the paranoia that is set in Billy's mind, and he knows that he is always vulnerable to an attack. This verse also talks about the strangers who are always trying to harm Billy and the advances on his spirit, which suggests that he is fighting various internal battles.
The fourth verse is a tender expression of love, where the singer asks Billy to hold onto his woman, and he reminds him of the time when he shot a woman in El Paso. The verse ends with the singer telling Billy that he will be in Santa Fe, waiting for him, a message that suggests that the singer is someone who cares for Billy and is rooting for him.
The last verse of the song is a somber reflection, where the singer says that Billy's grand finale will be played by gypsy queens in some faraway alley. The song ends with a thought that Billy is far away from home and the sense of nostalgia and sadness that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
There's guns across the river about to pound you
Your enemies are near and ready to attack you
There's a lawman on your trail like to surround you
A law enforcement officer is after you, with the intention of capturing you
Bounty hunters are dancing all around you
People are searching for you, with the intent of collecting on a reward
Billy, they don't like you to be so free.
Your adversaries don't like that you live your life by your own rules
Camping out all night on the veranda
You're spending the night outside, perhaps in hiding
Walking in the streets down by the hacienda
You're walking around in a residential area
Up to Boot Hill they like to send you
Your enemies want to see you dead and buried in Boot Hill
Billy, don't you turn your back on me.
Don't forget about me, and the help I've given you
There's mills inside the minds of crazy faces
Some people have minds tormented by madness
Bullet holes and rifles in their cases
These people are armed and dangerous
There is always one more notch in four more aces
Your enemies have more tricks up their sleeves, and more people to help them
Billy, and you're playing all alone.
You're fighting this battle solo
Playing around with some sweet signorita
You're spending time with a girl
Into her dark chamber she will greet you
She's leading you into her bedroom
In the shadows of the maize she will lead you
She's leading you through a corn field
Billy, and you're going all alone.
You're going into this situation solo
They say that Pat Garrett's got your number
Rumor has it that Pat Garrett knows how to find you
So sleep with one eye open, when you wander
Be cautious when you're out and about
Every little sound just might be thunder
Every sound could be a gunshot
Thunder from the barrel of his gun.
Loud noise from gunshots
There's always another stranger sneaking glances
There are always people watching you, with potentially ill intent
Some trigger-happy fool willing to take chances
Someone foolish and willing to act recklessly is nearby
Some old whore from San Pedro'll make advances
An old prostitute from San Pedro may proposition you
Advances on your spirit and your soul.
She's trying to seduce you and sway your beliefs
The businessmen from Taos want you to go down
A group of businessmen from Taos want you to fail
So they've hired mister Garrett, he'll force you to slow down
They hired Pat Garrett to stop you from succeeding
Billy, don't let it make you feel so low down
Don't let their efforts to stop you affect your self-esteem
To be hunted by the man who was your friend.
It's hard to be hunted by someone who used to be your friend
So hang on to your woman, if you got one
Hold onto your significant other, if you have one
Remember in El Paso once you shot one
Remember that you killed someone in El Paso
I'll be in Santa Fe about one
I'll be in Santa Fe around 1AM
Billy, you've been running for so long.
You've been on the run for a long time
Gypsy queens will play your grand finale
Gypsy women will be there when it all ends
Way down in some Tularosa alley
It will end in an alleyway in Tularosa
Maybe in La Rio Pecas valley
Or maybe it will be in the Rio Pecos valley
Billy, you're so far away from home
You're very far from home, both geographically and emotionally
Billy, you're so far away from home
You're very far from home, both geographically and emotionally
Lyrics © BOB DYLAN MUSIC CO
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wimdonkers7448
This music came to me thru the airwaves in1973 when it was broadcasted by a music station in the Lebanon. I was temporarely living in Israel at that time and there was a war going on. The complete album was aired every evening at eight for months in a row without announciation or comment. It was just there and it was magical and it was like a balm to my ears and soul. As soon as I returned to my home country I bought the album and it still is one of my most cherished Dylan albums.
@Carla-ik6xm
Have a peaceful Christmas...
@liamcampbell9588
That's beautiful !
@sandrawadsworth5173
My lovely western lullaby. The movie was greatly underrated. Wonderful stars ❤️
@tranquillonicoli9645
Sandra si vero,
@MarkSmith-dp2qe
❤
@MarkSmith-dp2qe
❤
@quartzelec143
Big Bob at his best. after a bad day I play this and the day doesn't seem so bad
@achimzuhlke239
No one could find better words to describe this music. Simple and honest. Thank you.
@Ramphastos333
An under-rated album. Poetry, beauty....been listening to this album since I was 18 in 1980.