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
Father of Night
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Father, who taketh the darkness away
Father, who teacheth the bird to fly
Builder of rainbows up in the sky
Father of loneliness and pain
Father of love and Father of rain
Father of day, Father of night
Father, who build the mountain so high,
Who shapeth the cloud up in the sky
Father of time, Father of dreams
Father, who turneth the rivers and streams
Father of grain, Father of wheat
Father of cold and Father of heat
Father of air and Father of trees
Who dwells in our hearts and our memories
Father of minutes, Father of days
Father of whom we most solemnly praise
The lyrics to Father of Night by Bob Dylan are a profound meditation on the power and beauty of nature and the divine force that animates and shapes it. The opening lines, "Father of night, Father of day, Father, who taketh the darkness away," invoke the image of a god-like figure who controls the cycle of day and night and brings light to the world. In the next lines, the singer pays tribute to the creative power of this father figure, who teaches birds to fly, builds rainbows in the sky, and shapes mountains and clouds.
The poem then moves into a more reflective and philosophical mode, as the singer contemplates the paradoxical nature of this father figure. He is the father of both loneliness and pain and of love and rain, suggesting that he is both a source of suffering and of blessing. He is the father of both black and white, and of time and dreams, suggesting that he is both the source of opposition and of unity, both the destroyer of illusions and the creator of possibilities. The poem concludes with an expression of gratitude and awe, as the singer acknowledges that this father figure dwells not only in the natural world but also in our hearts and memories, and that we must praise him with solemnity and reverence.
Overall, the lyrics to Father of Night are a powerful and evocative meditation on the timeless theme of nature and the divine, and they speak to Dylan's deep love of the natural world and his spiritual quest for meaning and transcendence.
Line by Line Meaning
Father of night, Father of day
The one who rules over both the night and the day
Father, who taketh the darkness away
The one who eliminates the darkness and brings light
Father, who teacheth the bird to fly
The one who has taught the birds how to fly freely
Builder of rainbows up in the sky
The one who has created the beautiful rainbows in the sky
Father of loneliness and pain
The one who is the creator of loneliness and pain - a reminder of our emotions
Father of love and Father of rain
The one who spreads love and the one who creates and spreads rain
Father of day, Father of night
The ruler of both day and night
Father of black, Father of white
The creator of both black and white
Father, who build the mountain so high,
The one who created the highest peaks and mountains
Who shapeth the cloud up in the sky
The one who creates and gives shape to the clouds in the sky
Father of time, Father of dreams
The one who is the ruler of time, and the one who brings dreams to us
Father, who turneth the rivers and streams
The one who controls the flow of rivers and streams
Father of grain, Father of wheat
The creator of grain and wheat
Father of cold and Father of heat
The creator of both cold and heat
Father of air and Father of trees
The creator of air and trees
Who dwells in our hearts and our memories
The one who resides within us and in our memories
Father of minutes, Father of days
The one who is the ruler of both minutes and days
Father of whom we most solemnly praise
The one who we praise the most with great sincerity
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juan Camacho
Father of night, Father of day
Father, who taketh the darkness away
Father, who teacheth the bird to fly
Builder of rainbows up in the sky
Father of loneliness and pain
Father of love and Father of rain
Father of day, Father of night
Father of black, Father of white
Father, who build the mountain so high
Who shapeth the cloud up in the sky
Father of time, Father of dreams
Father, who turneth the rivers and streams
Father of grain, Father of wheat
Father of cold and Father of heat
Father of air and Father of trees
Who dwells in our hearts and our memories
Father of minutes, Father of days
Father of whom we most solemnly praise
Juan Camacho
Father of night, Father of day
Father, who taketh the darkness away
Father, who teacheth the bird to fly
Builder of rainbows up in the sky
Father of loneliness and pain
Father of love and Father of rain
Father of day, Father of night
Father of black, Father of white
Father, who build the mountain so high
Who shapeth the cloud up in the sky
Father of time, Father of dreams
Father, who turneth the rivers and streams
Father of grain, Father of wheat
Father of cold and Father of heat
Father of air and Father of trees
Who dwells in our hearts and our memories
Father of minutes, Father of days
Father of whom we most solemnly praise
janine senatore
I'll always love this album. It takes me back to my youth and a truly beautiful soul, my friend Eileen, who turned me on to Dylan. She died too young. 63 now and I still think of you with so much love.
Andrew Hindley
All the best for u.
Torvil Åsulv Støle
Same here!
Wendy Born and raised in LA
I’m mad at everyone that I’ve grown up because nobody ever told me about you Bob Dylan…it wasn’t until now that I’m 39 years old I’ve discovered this man. Truly underrated and a real 💎
George Coventry
Another perfect song.
Colin Limberger
Simplicity and perfection abound.
Scooby MiKE
So many classics
Melora Foy
My favorite song from the album. of Also like ".I Went to See the Gypsy" and "If Dogs Run Free."
Jaime .Rivera
Country legend Charlie Daniels on bass