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
Black Cross
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He never had too much, except he had some land,
An' he had a couple of hogs and things like that.
He never had much money
But he'd spend what he did make as fast as he made it,
So it never really mattered that he had much money.
But in a cupboard there, He kept in the cupboard... he kept in the cupboard books,
He called the books his "rainy season."
The white folks around the county there talked about Hezekiah...
They... said, "Well... old Hezekiah, he's harmless enough,
but the way I see it he better put down them goddam books,
Readin' ain't no good, for nigger is nigger."
One day the white man's preacher came around
Knockin' on doors, knockin' on all the doors in the county,
He knocked on Hezekiah's door.
He says, "Hezekiah, you believe in the Lord?"
Hezekiah says, "Well, I don't know, I never really SEEN the Lord,
I can't say, yes, I do..."
He says, "Hezekiah, you believe in the Church?"
Hezekiah says, "Well, the Church is divided, ain't they,
And... they can't make up their minds.
I'm just like them, I can't make up mine either."
He says, "Hezekiah, you believe that if a man is good Heaven is his last reward?"
Hezekiah says, "I'm good... good as my neighbor."
"You don't believe in nothin'," said the white man's preacher,
You don't believe in nothin'!"
"Oh yes, I do," says Hezekiah,
"I believe that a man should be indebted to his neighbors
Not for the reward of Heaven or fear of hellfire."
"But you don't understand," said the white man's preacher,
"There's a lot of good ways for a man to be wicked..."
Then they hung Hezekiah high as a pigeon.
White folks around there said, "Well... he had it comin'
'Cause the son-of-a-bitch never had no religion!"
"Black Cross" is another one of Bob Dylan's protest songs that speaks about racial injustice in America. The song is a cautionary tale about Hezekiah Jones, a young black man living in Arkansas who is unjustly punished for his beliefs. Dylan uses Hezekiah Jones' story to criticize the harsh judgment and persecution of people who don't conform to a specific set of religious beliefs.
Hezekiah Jones is introduced as a man of few possessions, a simple farmer who owns some land and a few hogs. Hezekiah is not wealthy, but he is content and happy with what he has. His seclusion and study of books worry the white residents of the area, who view him as a disturbance to the status quo. The town's preacher comes to visit Hezekiah with the intention of converting him to the church. However, he receives a surprise when Hezekiah refuses to be converted to the town's religion. Hezekiah's refusal to submit to the church and embrace its principles leads to a terrible punishment, he is hung, and in the aftermath of his death, white residents claim that Hezekiah deserved nothing more than death for living a life without religion.
Dylan's "Black Cross" is a powerful, striking song that pulsates with political and social commentary. The song's depiction of the persecution of one man for daring to think and believe in different ways is both harrowing and thought-provoking. Dylan asks his listeners to consider the limits of religious freedom and the consequences of intolerance and prejudice.
Line by Line Meaning
Hezekiah Jones lived in a place... in Arkansas.
Hezekiah Jones was a resident of a small town located in the state of Arkansas.
He never had too much, except he had some land,
An' he had a couple of hogs and things like that.
He never had much money
But he'd spend what he did make as fast as he made it,
So it never really mattered that he had much money.
While Hezekiah wasn't wealthy, he did possess some land along with a few farm animals. Although he didn't have a lot of money, he had a carefree attitude towards spending what he did have.
But in a cupboard there, He kept in the cupboard... he kept in the cupboard books,
He called the books his "rainy season."
Hezekiah kept a collection of books in one of his cupboards and referred to them as his 'rainy season' since he enjoyed reading during stormy weather.
The white folks around the county there talked about Hezekiah...
They... said, "Well... old Hezekiah, he's harmless enough,
but the way I see it he better put down them goddam books,
Readin' ain't no good, for nigger is nigger."
The white residents of the town would often discuss Hezekiah and describe him as being no threat to anyone. However, they still felt the need to tell him to stop reading books, even though they believed that black people were incapable of learning anything of value.
One day the white man's preacher came around
Knockin' on doors, knockin' on all the doors in the county,
He knocked on Hezekiah's door.
A preacher from the white community was canvassing the town, visiting every resident's home. When he arrived at Hezekiah's door, he asked him a few questions.
He says, "Hezekiah, you believe in the Lord?"
Hezekiah says, "Well, I don't know, I never really SEEN the Lord,
I can't say, yes, I do..."
The preacher asked Hezekiah if he believed in God, but Hezekiah admits he's never laid eyes on the divine being and can't say for certain whether he believes in God or not.
He says, "Hezekiah, you believe in the Church?"
Hezekiah says, "Well, the Church is divided, ain't they,
And... they can't make up their minds.
I'm just like them, I can't make up mine either."
The preacher then asked Hezekiah about his beliefs in the church. Hezekiah notes the ongoing divisions within church doctrine across various sects and confesses that he's still trying to figure out his own beliefs on the topic.
He says, "Hezekiah, you believe that if a man is good Heaven is his last reward?"
Hezekiah says, "I'm good... good as my neighbor."
The preacher inquired about Hezekiah's beliefs regarding the afterlife, asking him if he thought a good person would go to heaven. Hezekiah claimed that he was a good person, much like his neighbors.
"You don't believe in nothin'," said the white man's preacher,
You don't believe in nothin'!"
"Oh yes, I do," says Hezekiah,
"I believe that a man should be indebted to his neighbors
Not for the reward of Heaven or fear of hellfire."
The preacher accuses Hezekiah of not having any faith, but Hezekiah disagrees, explaining that he believes in a person's sense of responsibility towards one another. He believes in making moral choices because it's the right thing to do, not because of a reward or punishment waiting for people in the afterlife.
"But you don't understand," said the white man's preacher,
"There's a lot of good ways for a man to be wicked..."
The preacher still doesn't quite comprehend Hezekiah's way of looking at things, pointing out that it's still possible for a seemingly good person to commit immoral acts despite holding themselves to a high moral standard.
Then they hung Hezekiah high as a pigeon.
White folks around there said, "Well... he had it comin'
'Cause the son-of-a-bitch never had no religion!"
Hezekiah was eventually executed by hanging, and many of the white residents of the town believed that his lack of religious beliefs led to his demise.
Contributed by Sarah T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.