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
Diamond Joe
Bob Dylan Lyrics
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Most anywhere you go
And his holdings are in Texas
And his name is Diamond Joe
And he carries all his money
In a diamond-studded jar
He never took much trouble
I hired out to Diamond Joe, boys
Did offer him my hand
He gave a string of horses
So old they could not stand
And I nearly starved to death, boys
He did mistreat me so
And I never saved a dollar
In the pay of Diamond Joe
Now his bread it was corn dodger
And his meat you couldn't chaw
Nearly drove me crazy
With the wagging of his jaw
And the telling of his story
Mean to let you know
That there never was a rounder
That could lie like Diamond Joe
Now, I tried three times to quit him
But he did argue so
I'm still punching cattle
In the pay of Diamond Joe
And when I'm called up yonder
And it's my time to go
Give my blankets to my buddies
Give the fleas to Diamond Joe
The song Diamond Joe by Bob Dylan tells the story of a man named Diamond Joe who is widely known for his wealth and holdings in Texas. As the song progresses, we learn that Joe does not follow the law and carries all his money in a diamond-studded jar. The singer of the song, who has hired himself out to Joe, receives a string of old horses that are unable to stand, leading him to nearly starve to death. Joe feeds him bread made of cornmeal and meat that is too tough to chew while constantly bragging and lying about his past experiences.
The singer attempts to leave Joe three times but is coerced into staying. He works tirelessly, never managing to save a penny while working under Joe. The song comes to an end with the singer resolving himself to his fate, continuing to work for Diamond Joe until he passes away. However, he does leave his fleas for Diamond Joe, the ultimate revenge.
The song is a powerful commentary on the inequality that can arise when a person, like Diamond Joe, is wealthy and powerful, yet chooses to mistreat those who work for him. It speaks to the experience of those who find themselves in a situation where they have no choice but to work for someone they do not respect, and the desperation that can come from such a situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Now there's a man you'll hear about
Let me tell you about a person who is quite famous
Most anywhere you go
He's so famous, people all across the world know him
And his holdings are in Texas
This man's assets are located in the state of Texas
And his name is Diamond Joe
The name of this man is Diamond Joe
And he carries all his money
He keeps all of his money
In a diamond-studded jar
in a jar with diamonds embedded into it
He never took much trouble
He never put much effort
With the process of the law
In following the laws
I hired out to Diamond Joe, boys
I worked for Diamond Joe
Did offer him my hand
I made him an offer to work for him
He gave a string of horses
He gave me a group of horses
So old they could not stand
The horses were old and couldn't stand up
And I nearly starved to death, boys
I almost died of hunger
He did mistreat me so
Diamond Joe was quite cruel to me
And I never saved a dollar
I never saved any money
In the pay of Diamond Joe
While working for Diamond Joe
Now his bread it was corn dodger
The food given was simple cornbread
And his meat you couldn't chaw
The meat was so tough it was impossible to chew
Nearly drove me crazy
It annoyed me to no end
With the wagging of his jaw
While Diamond Joe kept talking endlessly
And the telling of his story
It seemed like he never stopped talking
Mean to let you know
To let you understand
That there never was a rounder
He was the most dishonest person ever
That could lie like Diamond Joe
Diamond Joe was the biggest liar of them all
Now, I tried three times to quit him
I tried to stop working for him thrice
But he did argue so
However, Diamond Joe argued and convinced me to stay each time
I'm still punching cattle
I'm still taking care of the cattle
In the pay of Diamond Joe
While still working for Diamond Joe
And when I'm called up yonder
When I pass away
And it's my time to go
When my time on earth ends
Give my blankets to my buddies
Please give my blankets to my friends
Give the fleas to Diamond Joe
However, give all the fleas to Diamond Joe as revenge
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan, Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind