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
Bring Me A Little Water
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She came up here last April to pass some time away
Now won't you bring me a little water, Sylvie?
Bring me a little water now?
Bring me a little water, Sylvie?
For my tired brow
She came this morning by the light of the dawn
She comes up here now nearly all of the time
To see if she can carry on
Now won't you bring me a little water, Sylvie?
Bring me a little water now?
Bring me a little water, Sylvie?
For my tired brow
Sylvie says she loves me,
She says it all of the time
She always gets behind me,
When the hill is too high to climb
Now bring me a little water, Sylvie?
Bring me a little water now?
Bring me a little water, Sylvie?
For my tired brow
She brings beer and honey,
Brings me slop and beans
Brings me coconuts and candy,
Brings me turnip greens
Bring me a little water, Sylvie?
Bring me a little water now?
Bring me a little water, Sylvie?
For my tired brow
For my tired brow
Oh, for my tired brow
The song "Bring Me A Little Water, Sylvie" by Bob Dylan is a traditional folk song that dates back to the early 1900s. The lyrics describe an affectionate relationship between the singer and a woman named Sylvie. The song opens by introducing Sylvie as a "good old girl from Florida" who came to visit for a while. The singer then asks Sylvie to bring him a little water for his tired brow, suggesting that he is tired and needs some refreshment.
Throughout the song, the singer recounts Sylvie's visits to him, which seem to bring him comfort and joy. He describes how she loves him and always supports him when he can't make it up a hill. Sylvie brings him beer, honey, beans, coconuts, candy, and turnip greens, showing that she cares for his needs and wants him to be happy.
The repetition of the phrase "Bring me a little water, Sylvie" serves as a refrain that ties the song together and emphasizes the singer's need for Sylvie's presence and care. The song has a simple, repetitive structure that is typical of traditional folk songs, and its tender lyrics and upbeat melody make it a beloved classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Sylvie is a good old girl, from Florida so they say
There is a girl called Sylvie and she's originally from Florida.
She came up here last April to pass some time away
She came here last April to spend some time away from her usual routine.
Now won't you bring me a little water, Sylvie?
Asking Sylvie to get some water.
Bring me a little water now?
Same as the above line, just more abrupt.
Bring me a little water, Sylvie?
Reiterating the request for water.
For my tired brow
The water is for his forehead, which is tired or exhausted.
Sylvie came here Wednesday,
Giving specific details that Sylvie came on a Wednesday.
She came this morning by the light of the dawn
Sylvie came today in the early morning.
She comes up here now nearly all of the time
Sylvie visits this place frequently.
To see if she can carry on
She comes here to take a break and gather strength to continue her life.
Sylvie says she loves me,
Sylvie expresses her love for the singer.
She says it all of the time
Sylvie expresses her love for the artist often.
She always gets behind me,
Sylvie is always supportive of the singer.
When the hill is too high to climb
Sylvie supports the singer when they're going through a difficult time.
She brings beer and honey,
Sylvie brings the singer beer and honey, among other things.
Brings me slop and beans
Sylvie also brings the artist less luxurious food items like slop and beans.
Brings me coconuts and candy,
Sylvie also brings the artist treats like coconuts and candy.
Brings me turnip greens
Sylvie also brings the singer healthy food like turnip greens.
For my tired brow
Reiterating that the water is for the singer's tired forehead.
Oh, for my tired brow
A drawn-out way of reiterating that the water is for the artist's tired forehead.
Contributed by Micah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.