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
Muleskinner Blues
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well it's good...
Well it's good morning captain,
Good morning son...
Good morning captain,
Good morning son.
Good morning son.
You don't need another mule skinner
Out on your new road line.
Yodle-aa-heeee!
Yodle-aa-heeee!
Yodle-aa-heeee!
I can't do that one.
Well I like to work,
I'm rolling all the time.
Well I like to work,
I'm rolling all the time.
I can pop my initials
Right on the mules behind.
Well it's hey little waterboy,
Bring your water round.
Well it's hey little waterboy,
Bring your water round.
If you don't like your job,
Set that waterbucket down.
I'm a-working on the new road
At a dollar and a dime a day.
I'm a-working on the new road
At a dollar and a dime a day.
I got three women waiting on a saturday night
just to draw my pay
The song Muleskinner Blues by Bob Dylan is a tale of a muleskinner who wakes up early in the morning and is greeted by his captain and son, who also work with him. They tell him that they don't need another muleskinner on their new road line. The muleskinner then breaks into a yodeling refrain, followed by a proclamation that he enjoys working and can imprint his initials on the mule's behind. He then addresses a little waterboy and asks him to bring water around. However, he advises the waterboy that if he doesn't like his job, he should set the waterbucket down. The chorus is repeated, and the song concludes with the muleskinner revealing how he has three women waiting for him on a Saturday night eager to collect his pay.
The song speaks about the struggles and determination of a muleskinner, who works long hours but also takes pride in his job. The lyrics suggest the tough living conditions and low pay that the muleskinners received in the early days of western expansion. However, the muleskinner takes it all in stride and enjoys his work, despite the hardships. With the mention of the women waiting for him to draw his pay, there is a nod to the inherent danger and scarcity of work, as the men were paid only irregularly, and the women depended on them to provide for the family, making their income precarious.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it's good morning captain, Good morning son...
The singer greets the captain and his son, indicating their authority as overseers of a new road construction project.
You don't need another mule skinner Out on your new road line.
The singer is offering his services as a mule skinner, but recognizes that the captain and his son may not need or want another worker.
I like to work, I'm rolling all the time...
The singer enjoys working and is always ready to take on a new task.
I can pop my initials Right on the mules behind.
The artist is skilled at marking the mules with his initials, perhaps as a way of displaying pride in his work.
If you don't like your job, Set that waterbucket down.
The artist encourages the waterboy to quit if he is unhappy with his job, perhaps suggesting that he should pursue work he enjoys more.
I'm a-working on the new road At a dollar and a dime a day.
The singer works on the new road for a low wage, likely indicative of the difficult and low-paid nature of the work.
I got three women waiting on a saturday night just to draw my pay
Despite his low pay and difficult work, the singer boasts of having three women eagerly awaiting his paycheck on Saturday night, potentially indicating that he sees himself as successful or desirable.
Contributed by Abigail B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ashton W.
Good edit, the original tape has all those false start on this song.
fuzzyallan
Thanks. As a music lover, and fan. I try to edit no harm
Bob Sillas
bob is just a water boy and you know what happened to him
And A
Man, l love Bob, always have always will, but yodelling leave for someone else.. At least for this number..