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
Clothes Like Saga
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nobody said very much
Just some old wild shirts and a couple pairs of pants
Which nobody wanted to touch
Mama come in and picked up a book
An' papa asked her what it was
Someone else asked,what do you care
Papa said well, just because
Hang 'em on the line
It was January the thirtieth
And everybody was feelin' fine
The next day, everybody got up
Seein' if the clothes were dry
The dogs were barking, a neighbor passed
Mama, of course, she said,hi
Have you heard the news he said with a grin
The vice president's gone mad
Where downtown when last night
Hmm, say, that's too bad
Well, there's nothing we can do about it,said the neighbor
It's just something we're gonna have to forget
Yes, I guess so said ma
Then she asked me if the clothes was still wet
I reached up, touched my shirt
And the neighbor said, are those clothes yours
I said, some of them, not all of them
He said,ya always help out around here with the chores
I said, sometimes, not all of the time
Then my neighbor blew his nose
Just as papa yelled outside
Mama wants you to come back in the house and bring them clothes
Well, I just do what I'm told so I did it, of course
I went back in the house and mama met me
And then I shut all the doors
The lyrics to Bob Dylan and The Band's song Clothesline Saga describe a seemingly mundane event, the hanging out of laundry, and turn it into a satirical commentary on the societal norms of the time. The opening lines, "After a while we took in the clothes, nobody said very much," set the tone for the song's commentary on the rigid, stifled norms of 1960s American society. Nobody spoke because there was nothing to say, just like there was nothing meaningful to do in a society controlled by conformity.
When Mama comes in and picks up a book and Papa asks her what it is, nobody seems to care about the answer. Papa defends his curiosity by saying "just because." The clothes are then hung on the line, and everyone feels fine. But the next day, when the clothes were supposed to be dry, people start to talk: the dogs bark, and the neighbor greets Mama to tell her the Vice President has gone insane. She dismisses the news, and instead of worrying about the world going crazy, asks her son if the clothes are dry.
These lyrics brilliantly satirize the mundane aspects of small-town life in the 1960s and expose the society's rules and expectations. Dylan is known for his ability to take ordinary experiences or items and turn them into something profound, and this song is no exception.
Line by Line Meaning
After a while we took in the clothes
Eventually, we gathered the clothes
Nobody said very much
No one spoke much
Just some old wild shirts and a couple pairs of pants
Only a few old, unusual shirts and a couple of pants
Which nobody wanted to touch
No one wanted to handle them
Mama come in and picked up a book
Mama entered and took a book
An' papa asked her what it was
Dad asked her about the book
Someone else asked,what do you care
Another person asked why he asked
Papa said well, just because
Dad replied that he asked because
Then they started to take back their clothes
Then they began to retrieve their clothes
Hang 'em on the line
To dry them, hang them outside
It was January the thirtieth
It was January 30th
And everybody was feelin' fine
Everyone was content
The next day, everybody got up
The next day, everyone woke up
Seein' if the clothes were dry
Checking to see if the clothes were dry
The dogs were barking, a neighbor passed
Dogs bark and a neighbor walked by
Mama, of course, she said,hi
Mama said hi, of course
Have you heard the news he said with a grin
The neighbor asked with a smile if you heard the news
The vice president's gone mad
The vice president is insane
Where downtown when last night
He was downtown last night
Hmm, say, that's too bad
That's unfortunate
Well, there's nothing we can do about it,said the neighbor
There's nothing to be done, said the neighbor
It's just something we're gonna have to forget
We just have to forget it
Yes, I guess so said ma
Yes, I suppose so, said Mama
Then she asked me if the clothes was still wet
Then she asked me if the clothes were still damp
I reached up, touched my shirt
I reached up and touched my shirt
And the neighbor said, are those clothes yours
The neighbor asked if the clothes were mine
I said, some of them, not all of them
I replied that some were, but not all
He said,ya always help out around here with the chores
He commented that you always help with the chores
I said, sometimes, not all of the time
I replied that sometimes I help, but not always
Then my neighbor blew his nose
Then my neighbor blew his nose
Just as papa yelled outside
Just as Dad yelled from outside
Mama wants you to come back in the house and bring them clothes
Mama wants you to come back inside and take the clothes
Well, I just do what I'm told so I did it, of course
I just do what I'm told, so I did it
I went back in the house and mama met me
I returned inside the house, and Mama came to see me
And then I shut all the doors
And then I closed all the doors
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind