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
Dark as a Dungeon
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seek not your fortune in a dark dreary mine
It'll form as a habit and seep in your soul
Till the stream of your blood runs as black as the coal
Where it's dark as a dungeon damp as the dew danger is double pleasures are few
Where the rain never falls the sun never shines
It's a dark as a dungeon way down in the mine
(uh huh no laughin' during this song please it's bein' recorded)
Like a fiend with his dope and a drunkard with his wine
A man will have lust for the lure of the mine
And pray when I'm dead and my ages shall roll
That my body would blacken and turn into coal
Then I'll look from the door of my heavenly home
And pity the miner digging my bones
Where it's dark as a dungeon
The song Dark as a Dungeon by Bob Dylan describes the danger and darkness that come with working in a coal mine. The song starts with the singer warning young men not to seek their fortune in a mine because it can become habit-forming and seep into their soul. The black coal that is mined will end up staining their blood and soul. The chorus emphasizes the bleak, oppressive conditions of the mine - the darkness, dampness, danger, and lack of pleasure. The sun never shines and the rain never falls underground. It's like a dungeon deep in the ground.
The second verse of the song describes some of the pitfalls of the lifestyle of miners. The singer likens the frenzied behavior of a miner who loves his work to a "fiend with his dope." Others turn to drinking to numb the pain of the work. The lure of the mine can be so powerful that it becomes an obsession.
In the final lines of the song, the singer imagines what will become of his body after he has died. He hopes that he will turn into coal so that he can look upon the miner who is digging his bones and pity him for the hard and dangerous work that he must do.
The overall message of the song is that mining is a treacherous and unforgiving occupation. The workers put their lives on the line every day, and there is little reward beyond a hard day's pay. The song highlights the dark and challenging reality of the mining industry and honors the workers who risk their lives to provide energy for the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh come all you young fellers so young and so fine
Hey there young folks, listen up, don't waste your youth mining.
Seek not your fortune in a dark dreary mine
Don't think you'll find your wealth by digging deep in the mines.
It'll form as a habit and seep in your soul
Working in the mines becomes an addiction that eats at your very soul.
Till the stream of your blood runs as black as the coal
Working in the mines will consume you so much that even your blood will darken like coal.
Where it's dark as a dungeon damp as the dew danger is double pleasures are few
The mines are treacherous places where the darkness and dampness creates hazards and little enjoyment.
Where the rain never falls the sun never shines
The mines are so deep that no rain or sun shines through.
It's a dark as a dungeon way down in the mine
It's incredibly dark in the mines which are far below the surface.
Well it's many a man that I've seen in my day
Over time, I've watched many men go down this path.
(uh huh no laughin' during this song please it's bein' recorded)
This is a serious song, so please don't laugh while it's being recorded.
Like a fiend with his dope and a drunkard with his wine
Those who work in the mines are addicted like a fiend with drugs, or a drunkard with wine.
A man will have lust for the lure of the mine
Men are enticed by the promise of wealth to be found in the mines.
And pray when I'm dead and my ages shall roll
They'd rather die than work in the mines forever.
That my body would blacken and turn into coal
They hope to turn into coal themselves when they die because they feel that's what they've become.
Then I'll look from the door of my heavenly home
If there is an afterlife, they hope to look down from heaven and feel grateful they escaped the mines.
And pity the miner digging my bones
From heaven, they will only feel sorrow for the miners still stuck below ground.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TRAVIS, MERLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
targarosko
merci pour ce trésor ♥♥♥
freevue
Sounds like RTR ?