Two earlier recordings by Dylan of the song, one live at New York's Philharmonic Hall dating from October 31, 1964, and one recorded with Ramblin' Jack Elliott on backing vocals during sessions for Another Side of Bob Dylan (also 1964), have recently been given official releases; they are available on The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall (2004) and The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home (2005) respectively. Videos of this song with Bob Dylan singing and playing it at the Newport Folk Festival of 1964 can be seen on No Direction Home, a documentary film by Martin Scorsese, and Murray Lerner's The Other Side Of The Mirror.
Structurally, the song is notable for the fact that it begins with an iteration of the chorus, rather than following the conventional pop song structure, which typically employs a brief instrumental introduction that leads into the first verse.
The song (in its complete version) has invoked many theories about its meaning and theme. Due to the high rating and placement in the top 10 Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, it could be considered one of Dylan's most evocative and poetic songs.
Bruce Langhorne, the Greenwich Village folk guitarist, may well have been an inspiration for the song by way of the giant Turkish tambourine-like frame drum he was often known to play in the time leading up to the song's composition;[3][4] he also recorded using the instrument with Richard and Mimi Fariña. The electric guitar accompaniment on the album version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" is among Langhorne's numerous credits on Bob Dylan's recordings. There are also other influences on the song. Dylan himself has cited Federico Fellini's movie La strada and the words "in the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you" are taken from a Lord Buckley recording.[5]
On the master recording, Dylan is playing an acoustic guitar in dropped D tuning, capoed at the third fret. An electric guitar plays a counter melody to back up Dylan's vocals.
Dylan's master recording clocks at 5' 28" and consists of four verses, while The Byrds' version used only the second verse and was two-and-a-half minutes long.
* Judy Collins covered the song on her Fifth Album (1965).
* Chad and Jeremy covered the song on their fifth album I Don't Want To Lose You Baby (1965).
* Kenny Rankin covered the song on his Mind-Dusters album (1967).
* Melanie Safka covered the song on her 1969 album Born to Be (aka My First Album).
* Gene Clark covered the song on his Firebyrd album (1984).
* Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson requested the song be played at his funeral while his ashes were shot out of a cannon and also dedicated Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to Dylan because of the song.
* Neil Aspinall, The Beatles' road manager and personal assistant, also had this song played by Pete Townshend at his funeral.
* William Shatner covered the song in a spoken-word recitation on his 1968 album, The Transformed Man.
* Les Fradkin covered the song on his CD "12" and as part of the "Timeless Flyte" tribute series.
* Former American Idol contestant Jason Castro covered this song on the show in 2008, forgetting one line of the lyrics. He later mentioned in an interview that, "Someone told me I Shot the Tambourine Man;" a reference to him also singing "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley that same week.
* The song was translated and sung in Russian by Olga Arefieva as Mister Beliy Grib.
* Genki Sudo translated the song along with ACIDMAN and performed the song on his CD Single, Love and Everything, while keeping 'Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me' in English.
* Müslüm Gürses has covered the song with different lyrics written in Turkish. The Turkish version of the song was called Hayat Berbat (Life is Awful).
* Mr Tambourine Man is used in the closing credits of the Christmas Special episode of the British TV comedy series One Foot in the Grave called 'Starbound'.
* They Might Be Giants wrote their rare song "Weep Day" after seeing this song's title overlapping the end of a line, inspiring the song about two characters named Mr. Tambo and Urine Man. The band has also been known to cover the song live at concerts.
* In Tom Wolfe's non-fiction novel The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Mr. Tambourine Man is mentioned numerous times about Dylan's "raunching and rheuming".
* Many indie bands have also covered this song, notably the Cincinnati experimental group Nevada Smith. The Minneapolis band Cloud Cult has also covered the song.
* It is one of several Dylan songs studied by the students in Dangerous Minds, where it is suggested that the title character is a drug dealer.
* It was translated into Romanian by Florian Pittiş and sung by Pasărea Colibri on their 1995 album "În căutarea cuibului pierdut".
* In Stephen King's book Carrie the song is mentioned amongst others as the Entretainment portion of the famous Prom Scene alongside 500 Miles, Cabaret and Lemon Tree
* A famous scene from BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave sees lead character Victor Meldrew played by Richard Wilson riding a motorised lawn mower whilst [unknowingly] under the influence of drugs singing Hey Mr Tambourine Man. He proceeds to drive into his employers dining room where his employer is in the middle of a meeting with several people including his former neighbour Patrick. He manages to give the carpet a good trim and then drives straight into his employers summer house.
* In the October, 1992 Bob Dylan 30th anniversary tribute concert at Madison Square Garden, Mr. Tambourine Man was performed by The Byrds' founder Roger McGuinn, backed by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, among others. The tribute used an arrangement similar to The Byrds' 1965 recording, with one additional verse.
* Bob Sinclar covered the song on his 2009 album titled Born In 69
* The Barbarians
# ^ "The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time #101 through #200". RollingStone.com. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/11028260/the_rs_500_greatest_songs_of_all_time/2. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
# ^ a b "The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time #1 through #100". RollingStone.com. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/11028260/the_rs_500_greatest_songs_of_all_time/1. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
# ^ "Richie Unterberger Interviews Bruce Langhorne, Part 2". Richie Unterberger. http://www.richieunterberger.com/langhorne2.html. Retrieved on 2009-07-13.
# ^ "Richie Unterberger Interviews Bruce Langhorne, Part 1". Richie Unterberger. http://www.richieunterberger.com/langhorne.html. Retrieved on 2009-07-13.
# ^ Sounes, Howard (2001). Down the Highway: The Life Of Bob Dylan. Doubleday. p. 182. ISBN 0-552-99929-6.
# ^ Eder, Bruce (1990). The Byrds (1990 CD box set liner notes)
# ^ "Billboard Hot 100 Mr. Tambourine Man". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=379&cfgn=Singles&cfn=The+Billboard+Hot+100&ci=3070319&cdi=8813307&cid=06%2F26%2F1965. Retrieved on 2009-07-13.
# ^ Brown, Tony (2000). The Complete Book of the British Charts. Omnibus Press.
# ^ a b c d e Rogan, Johnny (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited. Rogan House.ISBN 0-95295-401-X
# ^ a b "The Byrds Biography". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=THE. Retrieved on 2009-07-13.
Mr. Tambourine Man
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
Though I know that evening's empire has returned into sand
Vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand, but still not sleeping
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirling ship
My senses have been stripped
My hands can't feel to grip
My toes too numb to step
Wait only for my boot heels to be wandering
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade
Cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun
It's not aimed at anyone
It's just escaping on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facing
And if you hear vague traces of skipping reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time
It's just a ragged clown behind
I wouldn't pay it any mind
It's just a shadow you're seeing that he's chasing
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
And take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind
Down the foggy ruins of time
Far past the frozen leaves
The haunted frightened trees
Out to the windy beach
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky
With one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea
Circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate
Driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" is a dream-like escapade in which the singer pleads with the titular character to play a song and take him on a journey. Throughout the verses, there are themes of weariness, isolation, and a longing for escape from reality. The imagery of being stripped of senses and wandering aimlessly on ancient empty streets creates a feeling of disorientation.
The chorus of the song is an appeal to the Tambourine Man to take the singer on a trip through his music, away from the mundane world around him. The verse "And take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind" evokes the image of a drug-induced haze, common during the 1960s counterculture era. The lyrics suggest a desire to escape to a more carefree existence, where one can dance beneath a diamond sky and forget about today until tomorrow.
Overall, "Mr. Tambourine Man" can be interpreted as a metaphor for the human desire for release from the constraints of everyday reality. The singer is searching for something more than what exists in his daily life, and he is hopeful that the Tambourine Man's music can provide that escape.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
Request for the title character to perform music
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Currently alert and without plans
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
Will follow Mr. Tambourine Man in the near future
Though I know that evening's empire has returned into sand
Understand that past successes have been fleeting
Vanished from my hand
Those successes are no longer in my possession
Left me blindly here to stand, but still not sleeping
Despite this, I am not currently resting
My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet
Even though I am tired, I cannot stop moving forwards
I have no one to meet
No one currently awaits me
And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming
The empty road offers no solace
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirling ship
Request to be transported on a fantastical journey
My senses have been stripped
The journey has left me open and exposed
My hands can't feel to grip
My grasp has been weakened
My toes too numb to step
Cannot move forward on my own
Wait only for my boot heels to be wandering
Looking forward to the journey ahead
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Completely willing to embrace the unknown
Into my own parade
Ready to chart my own path forward
Cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it
Asks for the influence and guidance of Mr. Tambourine Man
Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun
Strange sounds may be heard in the distance
It's not aimed at anyone
No one is the subject of the strange sounds
It's just escaping on the run
The sounds are just fleeing
And but for the sky there are no fences facing
There are no boundaries, save for the sky itself
And if you hear vague traces of skipping reels of rhyme
In the sounds, there may be nonsensical tempos and melodies
To your tambourine in time
However, the sounds still follow the beat of the tambourine man
It's just a ragged clown behind
The source of the noise is likely insignificant
I wouldn't pay it any mind
There is no need to focus on the sounds
It's just a shadow you're seeing that he's chasing
The sounds only follow as shadows
And take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind
Another request for transportation, this time through their own thoughts
Down the foggy ruins of time
Continuing with the journey motif, this time through time itself
Far past the frozen leaves
Into a distant and foreign land
The haunted frightened trees
A land filled with impermanence and fear
Out to the windy beach
The journey concludes at a windy shoreline
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow
An escape from the perils of life's hardships
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky
A celebration of life's beauty and wonder
With one hand waving free
A surrender to the joy of the moment
Silhouetted by the sea
The surroundings provide a picturesque background
Circled by the circus sands
Even the mundane can become magical
With all memory and fate
All past experiences and future possibilities
Driven deep beneath the waves
Submerged into the depths of the subconscious
Let me forget about today until tomorrow
Allow me to escape from the present and its troubles
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DanielinLaTuna
“Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky
With one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea
Circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate
Driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow”
Genius
@user-fd1fc4hf7q
[Chorus]
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle mornin' I'll come followin' you
[Verse 1]
Though I know that evening's empire has returned into sand
Vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand, but still not sleeping
My weariness amazes me, I am branded on my feet
I have no one to meet
And my ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming
[Chorus]
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle mornin' I'll come followin' you
[Verse 2]
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship
My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wandering
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancin' spell my way
I promise to go under it
[Chorus]
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle mornin' I'll come followin' you
[Verse 3]
Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun
It's not aimed at anyone, it's just escaping on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facing
And if you hear vague traces of skipping reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it's just a ragged clown behind
I wouldn't pay it any mind
It's just a shadow you're seeing that he's chasing
[Chorus]
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle mornin' I'll come followin' you
[Verse 4]
And take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow
[Chorus]
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle mornin' I'll come followin' you
@oliveeisner8964
"Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky
With one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea
Circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate
Driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow"
At this point I'm full of joy but usually got a tear trailing down too. My Song of Songs.
@madiuch
This Bob Dylan song brings me to tears and I don't know why. I'm 76 years old and remember when it was new. It still is
@miguelraeder3005
Give my channel a boost. Visit it!! I covered this song. I hope you like it!!
@saturnoguildestern1124
Yes you know, just think--- I know it's hard ---
@HelianaSuper
Hello, Mário. This is a nostalgic feeling for the passing of the time. A "saudade" of a time whose dreams would seeming really. I know about it. I,m 71.
@madiuch
@@HelianaSuper Thank you for showing me a wonderful word "saudade" - Saudade is a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one cares for and/or loves. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never be had again. from Wikipedia - a perfect description of the feeling this song brings.
@HelianaSuper
@@madiuch Good evening, Mario. Exatly. It is a perfect description of "saudade". it can be too the love that stay forever...
@williamulsterman6771
RIP Paul Anthony Frederick 24th March 1952-19th June 2021. Bye Dad, thanks for everything. Till we all meet again.
@johnbarrientosiii6586
I’m sorry for your loss
@seangonewrong7429
Rest in peace Paul, a man with exceptional music taste from what I can see.
‘Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun
It's not aimed at anyone
It's just escaping on the run’
@matthewley1371
My dads favourite music too so know I’ll be feeling the same as you one day. We’re lucky they liked good music 👍