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 Shall Be Free No. 10
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm just like him, the same as you
I'm everybody's brother and son
I ain't different than anyone
It ain't no use a-talking to me
It's just the same as talking to you
I was shadow-boxing earlier in the day
I said "Fee, fie, fo, fum, Cassius Clay here I come
26, 27, 28, 29, I'm gonna make your face look just like mine
Five, four, three, two, one, Cassius Clay you'd better run
99, 100, 101, 102, Your ma won't even recognize you
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, gonna knock him clean right out of his spleen
Well, I don't know, but I've been told
The streets in heaven are lined with gold
I ask you how things could get much worse
If the Russians happen to get up there first
Wowee, pretty scary!
Now, I'm liberal, but to a degree
I want ev'rybody to be free
But if you think that I'll let Barry Goldwater
Move in next door and mary my daughter
You must think I'm crazy
I wouldn't let him do it for all the farms in Cuba
Well, I set my monkey on the log
And ordered him to do the Dog
He wagged his tail and shook his head
And he went and did the Cat instead
He's a weird monkey, very funky
I sat with my high-heeled sneakers on
Waiting to play tennis in the noonday sun
I had my white shorts rolled up past my waist
And my wig-hat falling in my face
But they wouldn't let me on the tennis court
I gotta woman, she's so mean
She sticks my boots in the washing machine
Sticks me with buckshot when I'm nude
Puts bubblegum in my food
She's funny, wants my money, calls me honey
Now I gotta friend who spends his life
Stabbing my picture with a bowie-knife
Dreams of strangling me with a scarf
When my name comes up he pretends to barf
I've got a million friends
Now they asked me to read a poem
At the sorority sister's home
I got knocked down and my head was swimmin'
I wound up with the Dean of Women
Yippee
I'm a poet, and I know it
Hope I don't blow it
I'm gonna grow my hair down to my feet so strange
So I look like a walking mountain range
And I'm gonna ride into Omaha on a horse
Out to the country club and the golf course
Carry the New York Times, shoot a few holes, blow their minds
You're probably wondering by now
Just what this song is all about
What's probably got you baffled more
What this thing here is for
It's nothing
It's something I learned over in England
In "I Shall Be Free No. 10," Bob Dylan employs a surrealistic, stream-of-consciousness style, with disconnected verses and disconnected ideas meant to capture the confusion and craziness of modern life. Dylan begins by asserting his ordinariness and egalitarianism, emphasizing that he is "just average" and no different from anyone else. In the next verse, he imagines himself fighting Muhammad Ali, but then shifts his focus to heaven, wondering whether the streets are really made of gold and worrying about the Russians getting there first. Dylan then asserts his liberalism, declaring that he wants everyone to be free, but caveats that by saying he wouldn't let Barry Goldwater marry his daughter. The next verse is a surreal narrative about a monkey who won't do its owner's bidding, while the one after that is about Dylan not being allowed to play tennis because of his appearance. The following verse is about a wacky girlfriend who puts bubblegum in Dylan's food and shoots at him with buckshot, followed by a verse about a strange friend who dreams of killing Dylan with a scarf. Finally, in the last verse, Dylan declares his intention to let his hair grow and look like a mountain range before riding into Omaha on horseback, carrying the New York Times and shooting golf balls at the wealthy country club members.
"I Shall Be Free No. 10" was written and recorded by Dylan in the fall of 1963 and released on his album, Another Side of Bob Dylan, in 1964. Here are ten interesting facts about Dylan's whimsical, nonsensical song:
1. The song was recorded in one take.
2. It's the tenth and final song in Dylan's "I Shall Be Free" series, which he began with his first album in 1962.
3. The song was heavily influenced by the work of the New York-based surrealist poet, Ted Joans.
4. "I Shall Be Free No. 10" was Dylan's first song to use foot-stomping as percussion.
5. While the song is full of humor and absurdity, it also has serious undertones, reflecting Dylan's growing disillusionment with the world and his generation's seeming inability to effect real change.
6. Despite its free-associative structure, the song has a coherent theme: the difficulty of establishing oneself as a unique and independent individual in a conformist society.
7. The song has been covered by a number of artists over the years, including Phish, John Mellencamp, and The Tallest Man on Earth.
8. The song's stream-of-consciousness style was an early influence on the free-form writing style of the Beat poets.
9. The song's title may be a reference to the traditional protest song, "I Shall Be Released," which Dylan would record a few years later.
10. "I Shall Be Free No. 10" was one of the first of Dylan's songs to feature overtly humorous lyrics and absurd imagery, foreshadowing his turn toward a more lighthearted, playful style on subsequent albums.
Chords:
Verse:
G D7 G C G D7 G
Chorus:
C G D7 G C G D7 G
Bridge:
C G C G D7 G D7 G
Line by Line Meaning
I'm just average, common too
I'm not unique, just an ordinary guy
I'm just like him, the same as you
I'm no different from anybody else
I'm everybody's brother and son
I am a brother and son to everyone
I ain't different than anyone
I'm not different from anyone
It ain't no use a-talking to me
Talking to me is pointless
It's just the same as talking to you
It'll be the same as talking to anybody else
I was shadow-boxing earlier in the day
I was practicing boxing moves against an imaginary opponent
I figured I was ready for Cassius Clay
I thought I could beat Cassius Clay (the world champion boxer)
I said "Fee, fie, fo, fum, Cassius Clay here I come
I said a nonsense phrase to intimidate Cassius Clay
26, 27, 28, 29, I'm gonna make your face look just like mine
I will beat him so badly that his face will be as bruised as mine
Five, four, three, two, one, Cassius Clay you'd better run
I am counting down like a rocket launch, warning Cassius Clay to flee
99, 100, 101, 102, Your ma won't even recognize you
I will punch him so much that his mother wouldn't recognize his face
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, gonna knock him clean right out of his spleen
I will hit him so hard that his spleen will rupture and he'll be knocked out
Well, I don't know, but I've been told
I heard a rumor, but I'm not sure it's true
The streets in heaven are lined with gold
Heaven is a place of great wealth
I ask you how things could get much worse
I ask you how things could possibly get any worse
If the Russians happen to get up there first
If the Russians reach heaven before Americans do
Wowee, pretty scary!
That's a frightening thought
Now, I'm liberal, but to a degree
I'm a liberal, but not extremely so
I want ev'rybody to be free
I believe in freedom for all people
But if you think that I'll let Barry Goldwater
But don't think for a second that I would allow Barry Goldwater
Move in next door and mary my daughter
To become my neighbor and marry my daughter
You must think I'm crazy
You must be out of your mind
I wouldn't let him do it for all the farms in Cuba
I wouldn't let it happen no matter how much money or property was offered
Well, I set my monkey on the log
I placed my pet monkey on a log
And ordered him to do the Dog
I instructed him to dance the Dog
He wagged his tail and shook his head
The monkey replied by wagging its tail and shaking its head
And he went and did the Cat instead
But instead of dancing the Dog, he danced the Cat
He's a weird monkey, very funky
My monkey has a strange personality, and is very good at dancing
I sat with my high-heeled sneakers on
I wore my sneakers with high heels
Waiting to play tennis in the noonday sun
Waiting to play tennis at midday when the sun was very hot
I had my white shorts rolled up past my waist
I wore white shorts and rolled them up above my waist
And my wig-hat falling in my face
I had a wig-hat on my head, and it kept falling in my face
But they wouldn't let me on the tennis court
But they didn't allow me to play tennis
I gotta woman, she's so mean
I have a very mean girlfriend
She sticks my boots in the washing machine
She puts my boots in the washing machine without my permission
Sticks me with buckshot when I'm nude
She hits me with a shotgun when I'm naked
Puts bubblegum in my food
She intentionally contaminates my food with bubblegum
She's funny, wants my money, calls me honey
She has a sense of humor, but also wants my money and calls me Honey
Now I gotta friend who spends his life
I have a friend who spends most of his time
Stabbing my picture with a bowie-knife
Attacking a picture of me with a type of knife called a Bowie knife
Dreams of strangling me with a scarf
Having dreams of choking me with a scarf
When my name comes up he pretends to barf
He fakes vomiting when my name is mentioned
I've got a million friends
I have a lot of friends
Now they asked me to read a poem
I was asked to read a poem
At the sorority sister's home
At the house of a sorority sister
I got knocked down and my head was swimmin'
I got punched and my head was spinning
I wound up with the Dean of Women
I ended up talking to the Dean of Women
Yippee
An expression of excitement
I'm a poet, and I know it
I'm a poet and I'm aware of it
Hope I don't blow it
I hope I don't mess up
I'm gonna grow my hair down to my feet so strange
I'm going to grow my hair incredibly long, almost to the ground
So I look like a walking mountain range
So that I look like the hills and mountains
And I'm gonna ride into Omaha on a horse
I'm going to ride on a horse into Omaha
Out to the country club and the golf course
And then head to the country club and golf course
Carry the New York Times, shoot a few holes, blow their minds
Hold the newspaper the New York Times, shoot some rounds, and astound them
You're probably wondering by now
You're probably curious at this point
Just what this song is all about
What the meaning of this song is
What's probably got you baffled more
What might have you even more confused
What this thing here is for
What the point of the song is
It's nothing
It doesn't mean anything
It's something I learned over in England
It's something I picked up while in England
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bravetherainbow
"I've got a million friends" is one of the best punchlines in any song
@fatheroffive980
Always thought this was one of Dylan's funniest songs.
@LolosPy
Kinda like a boy named Sue of cash
@torbjrnengan3689
Agreed. Also Talking World War 3 blues is of his most funny songs i think.
@EliyNeverhood
"YEE-PEE!"
@duckydev5805
I love the high heeled sneakers part 😂
@3277373
Bob’s been rapping before … the most influential singer/songwriter of all time.
@dh88k
in the western world.
@shanehall9697
Bob Dylan is my favorite rapper
@OliviaDI
My younger brother and I would lay on the carpet in front of my 8 foot long Martell stereo with Organ lights With our head at a speaker listening to this album for the first time and laughing our asses off. Times changed and we with time but not in my love of Bob’s music.