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
I Ain't Got No Home
Bob Dylan Lyrics
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Just a wandrin' worker, I go from town to town.
And the police make it hard wherever I may go
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
My brothers and my sisters are stranded on this road,
A hot and dusty road that a million feet have trod;
Rich man took my home and drove me from my door
Was a-farmin' on the shares, and always I was poor;
My crops I lay into the banker's store.
My wife took down and died upon the cabin floor,
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
I mined in your mines and I gathered in your corn
I been working, mister, since the day I was born
Now I worry all the time like I never did before
'Cause I ain't got no home in this world anymore
Now as I look around, it's mighty plain to see
This world is such a great and a funny place to be;
Oh, the gamblin' man is rich an' the workin' man is poor,
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
The song I Ain't Got No Home by Bob Dylan is a poignant expression of the heart-wrenching struggle of homelessness and poverty. Through his lyrics, Dylan creates a vivid portrait of a wandering worker who has lost his home and family as a result of economic exploitation. The singer roams from place to place, looking for a spot to lay his head, but he is continually harassed by the police. The song emphasizes the alienation and rootlessness that the singer feels in this world. He has no home, no place to call his own, and no real sense of belonging.
Dylan exposes the systemic causes of poverty and its devastating effects on families by drawing attention to the fact that the poor are victims of an unjust economic system. The singer's wife died on the cabin floor, and his family has been split apart as a result of ruthless bankers and landowners who have exploited them for their labor. The song's powerful imagery captures the universal struggles of the poor and dispossessed, their search for a sense of belonging and shelter, and the ways in which society's corrupt systems prevent them from finding it.
Overall, Bob Dylan's I Ain't Got No Home is a haunting commentary on the dehumanizing effects of economic exploitation on the disenfranchised. In a world where the rich and powerful continue to exploit the poor and the vulnerable, the song speaks to a collective need for compassion, empathy, and social justice.
Line by Line Meaning
I ain't got no home, I'm just a-roamin' 'round,
I am homeless and wander aimlessly from place to place.
Just a wandrin' worker, I go from town to town.
I work odd jobs in different towns to survive.
And the police make it hard wherever I may go
Law enforcement makes my life difficult and adds to my struggles.
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
I feel like I don't belong anywhere in this world.
My brothers and my sisters are stranded on this road,
My fellow homeless companions are also stuck in this cycle.
A hot and dusty road that a million feet have trod;
The road we travel on is rough and has been traveled by many others in similar situations.
Rich man took my home and drove me from my door
A wealthy person has taken away my home and forced me to leave.
Was a-farmin' on the shares, and always I was poor;
I worked as a farmer but always struggled financially.
My crops I lay into the banker's store.
I had to give my crops to the bank and store instead of being able to sell them for my own profit.
My wife took down and died upon the cabin floor,
My wife passed away in our cabin, adding to my already difficult life.
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
I'm still homeless and don't feel like I belong anywhere.
I mined in your mines and I gathered in your corn
I worked hard in various industries to make a living.
I been working, mister, since the day I was born
I've been working hard since birth to overcome poverty and homelessness.
Now I worry all the time like I never did before
My struggles have led to constant worry and anxiety.
'Cause I ain't got no home in this world anymore
My lack of a permanent residence has led me to feel lost in the world.
Now as I look around, it's mighty plain to see
Upon reflection, I see the world and the wealth disparity more clearly.
This world is such a great and a funny place to be;
The world can be both wonderful and cruel at the same time.
Oh, the gamblin' man is rich an' the workin' man is poor,
The wealthy can become even richer through gambling while the working class still struggles with poverty.
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
Despite my hard work and efforts, I still feel like I don't belong in this world due to my lack of a permanent residence.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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