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 Heard That Lonesome Whistle
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heading south from caraloine
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
I got in trouble had to roam
I left my gal an' left my home
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
I went and broke my darling's heart
I guess i was too young to know
They took me off the georgia main
Locked me to a ball and chain
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
All alone i bear the shame
I'm a number not a name
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
All i do is sit an' cry
When that evenin' train goes by
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
I'll be locked here in this cell
Till my body's just a shell
An' my hair turns whiter than snow
I'll never see that gal of mine
I'm in georgia doin' time
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
In Bob Dylan's song "I Heard That Lonesome Whistle," the singer is riding on a train called number nine heading towards the south from a place called Caroline. He reminisces about his past mistakes, which led him to be locked in a cell, and hears the lonesome whistle of the train reminding him of his loss. He describes his heartbreak when he left his girlfriend and home and how he took a wrong turn and landed in prison, locked by a ball and chain. The shame haunts him, and he is reduced to a number rather than a name, waiting for the evening train, which only reminds him of his past mistakes. He is left in a cell and hopeless, knowing he might never see his love again.
The song reflects on the themes of loneliness, heartbreak, and redemption. It's a story of individuals who make the wrong choices and end up going down the solitary path, but they continue to hope that they may learn from their experiences and turn their lives around.
Line by Line Meaning
I was riding number nine
I was on the ninth train and moving south towards Carolina.
Heading south from caraloine
I was headed in a southern direction, leaving behind Carolina.
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
I heard a sad and forlorn whistle sound, echoing through the train station.
I got in trouble had to roam
I got into some trouble and had to leave my hometown and wander around.
I left my gal an' left my home
I left behind my girlfriend and my family's house.
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
The sound of that sad and forlorn whistle continued to haunt me wherever I went.
Just a kid actin' smart
I was a young and foolish child, thinking I knew everything.
I went and broke my darling's heart
I hurt my girlfriend's feelings and broke her heart by doing something foolish.
I guess i was too young to know
Looking back now, I realize that I was too young and inexperienced to fully understand the consequences of my actions.
They took me off the georgia main
I was arrested and taken away from the Georgia railway system.
Locked me to a ball and chain
I was handcuffed and chained to a heavy weight, making it impossible for me to escape.
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
Even in my imprisonment, I could still hear that sad and haunting whistle sound.
All alone i bear the shame
I am alone and carry the burden of my shame and regret for my past actions.
I'm a number not a name
I am no longer known by my name, but rather by an identification number assigned to me by the authorities.
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
That sad and haunting whistle sound still lingers in my mind and brings me back to my past mistakes.
All i do is sit an' cry
All I can do now is sit and cry, feeling trapped and hopeless in my prison cell.
When that evenin' train goes by
The sound of the evening train passing by only adds to my sadness and loneliness.
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
The sound of that sad and forlorn whistle continues to torment me, reminding me of my past and my current state of imprisonment.
I'll be locked here in this cell
I know that I will be stuck in this prison cell for the foreseeable future.
Till my body's just a shell
I will be here until I am old and frail, just a shell of my former self.
An' my hair turns whiter than snow
My hair will turn white from old age while I am still stuck in this prison cell.
I'll never see that gal of mine
I know that I will never see my girlfriend or be able to make things right between us.
I'm in georgia doin' time
I am currently serving time in a prison located in Georgia.
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
That sad and forlorn whistle sound serves as a constant reminder of the mistakes that led me to my current situation.
Contributed by Logan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
City Of Red Skies
And with this upload it has been one full month of daily uploads! Uploads will slow down from here on out. Maybe one a week at most until I find more material. There are a lot of tapes I could mine material from but unless the tape is of particular interest I'll probably pass on sharing it.
Remington Riders
What you have shared so far has been awesome! Thank you for all of them.
Mushrooms, Mythology, and Mind
Thanks for time - I for one appreciate it!
Five Head
Thanks for all the songs!
nissi
Thank you! 🙌
Bob does this Hank Williams cover really great!
Henderika
Gorgeous version🥰!! sung by young genius Bob with so much passion 😍👏!! A big thank you from my ❤for all the uploads 🙏
Darren Bird
I will say it one more time... The best channel on YouTube. Thank you for your work. It is very much appreciated.
Johnny Amorelli
I really love this one! I have some requests! The 1984 Letterman's punk performances and To Fall In Love With You!
Little Dan Tucker
Now that was just brilliant ! Thanks, from Nova Scotia, Canada !
Mushrooms, Mythology, and Mind
Pretty cheerful for this song.