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
Dirt Road Blues
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gonna walk down that dirt road 'til someone will let me ride
If I can't find my baby I'm gonna run away and hide
Well, I been pacing round the room, hoping maybe she come back
Pacing round the room, hoping maybe she come back
Well, I been praying for salvation
Laying round in a one-room country shack
Gonna walk down that dirt road, until my eyes begin to bleed
'Til there's nothing left to see
'Til the chains have been shattered and I been freed
But I been looking at my shadow, I been watching the clouds up above
looking at my shadow, watching the clouds up above
Rolling through the rain and hail
Looking for the sunny side of love
Gonna walk down that dirt road 'til everything becomes the same
Gonna walk down that dirt road 'til everything becomes the same
I keep on walking 'til I hear her holler out my name
The lyrics of "Dirt Road Blues" by Bob Dylan describe the singer's desperation to find his lost love, and his determination to keep looking for her no matter what. The dirt road represents the rough path he must travel to find his love, and his willingness to endure any adversity along the way. The repetition of the phrase "gonna walk down that dirt road" emphasizes the singer's determination and single-minded focus on his goal.
The line "if I can't find my baby I'm gonna run away and hide" suggests that the singer is so distraught over his lost love that he can't bear to face life without her. However, the line "gonna walk down that dirt road, until my eyes begin to bleed" suggests that he is willing to endure physical pain and suffering to find her. The imagery of the shadow and the clouds suggests that the singer is searching for meaning and understanding in his life, and is looking for a way to reconcile his feelings of loss and loneliness with the hope of finding his love again.
Overall, "Dirt Road Blues" is a haunting and powerful expression of love and longing, and showcases Bob Dylan's legendary skill as a songwriter.
Line by Line Meaning
Gonna walk down that dirt road 'til someone will let me ride
I will keep on searching for someone to help me along my journey.
If I can't find my baby I'm gonna run away and hide
If I cannot locate my loved one, I will try to escape the pain and sorrow.
Well, I been pacing round the room, hoping maybe she come back
I have been anxiously waiting and hoping for my significant other to return.
Well, I been praying for salvation
I have been praying and hoping to be rescued from my struggles.
Laying round in a one-room country shack
Spending time alone feeling hopeless and stuck in a small and isolated place.
Gonna walk down that dirt road, until my eyes begin to bleed
My journey will be a long and difficult one, until I can no longer physically see anymore.
'Til the chains have been shattered and I been freed
I will continue on my journey until I am no longer held back by any restrictions or obstacles.
But I been looking at my shadow, I been watching the clouds up above
I have been introspectively reflecting on my struggles while observing my surroundings.
Rolling through the rain and hail
Facing difficult and unpleasant conditions along my journey.
Looking for the sunny side of love
Searching for the positive and loving aspects of life despite the struggles and hardships.
Gonna walk down that dirt road 'til everything becomes the same
I will continue on my journey until everything around me is homogeneous.
I keep on walking 'til I hear her holler out my name
I will never stop my journey until I am reunited with my loved one.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@juancamacho5746
Gonna walk down that dirt road 'til someone will let me ride
Gonna walk down that dirt road 'til someone will let me ride
If I can't find my baby I'm gonna run away and hide
Well, I been pacing round the room, hoping maybe she come back
Pacing round the room, hoping maybe she come back
Well, I been praying for salvation
Laying round in a one-room country shack
Gonna walk down that dirt road, until my eyes begin to bleed
Gonna walk down that dirt road, until my eyes begin to bleed
'Til there's nothing left to see
'Til the chains have been shattered and I been freed
But I been looking at my shadow, I been watching the clouds up above
looking at my shadow, watching the clouds up above
Rolling through the rain and hail
Looking for the sunny side of love
🎸🎸
Gonna walk down that dirt road 'til everything becomes the same
Gonna walk down that dirt road 'til everything becomes the same
I keep on walking 'til I hear her holler out my name
@josesegura3428
Hell yes , from a former hard-core punk Rocker.
@NickB_Montana
Yo this cooks! Love turning this on full blast when I'm out "staying in a one-room Country Shack" out in God's Country, Montana. I don't mean Bozeman either. Talkin' real Dirt Road vibes out east on the WYO line. Shaking my little tuches! 😊
@yamapenny5960
Rock 'n Roll will never die...👍
@tim1878
Blues, man. The blues ain't rock 'n' roll. The blues is the soul of rock 'n' roll.
@paranoidplane9799
@@tim1878 This song is Rockabilly, earliest form of RNR mate.
@tim1878
@@paranoidplane9799 The title is "Dirt Road BLUES."
@yamapenny5960
@@tim1878
soso, aha.... its MUSIC... ANYWAY...🎶✔️🎶‼️🙂
@randallkennedy2066
Love when Dylan grooves like this.Shuffles well
@kanjiwooowooo3202
Why hasn't this never been played live 😭
@searinggaspainland
He did perform it before, just not during a concert or in a venue: https://youtu.be/tVir6zzyD4Q EDIT: The video was taken down. It was about a minute of the band playing the song during the making of Masked and Anonymous. I worked at the post-production house that dealt with M&A, and I remember being in master control and watching the performance.