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
New Pony
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Her name was Lucifer
(How much longer?)
(How much longer?)
I had a pony
Her name was Lucifer
(How much longer?)
She broke her leg and needed shooting
(How much longer?)
(How much longer?)
Sometimes I wonder
What's going on with Miss X
(How much longer?)
Sometimes I wonder
What's going on with Miss X
(How much, how much, how much longer?)
She got such a sweet disposition
I never know what the poor girl's gonna do to me next
(How much longer?)
(How much longer?)
Ah, I got a new pony
She knows how to fox-trot, lope and pace
(How much longer?)
Well, I got a new pony
She knows how to fox-trot, lope and pace
(How much longer?)
She got great big hind legs
And long black shaggy hair hanging in her face
(How much, how much, how much longer?)
(How much, how much, how much longer?)
Everybody says you're usin' voodoo
I've seen your feet walk by themselves
(How much, how much, how much longer?)
Oh, well, everybody says you're usin' voodoo
I've seen your feet walk by themselves
(How much, how much, how much longer?)
Oh, baby, that God that you've been prayin' to
Gonna give ya back what you're wishin' on someone else
(How much longer?, How much longer?)
Come over here pony, I want to climb up one time on you
(How much longer?)
Oh, well, come over here pony, I want to climb up one time on you
(How much longer?)
You know, so nasty and you're so bad
But I swear I love you, yes I do
(How much, how much, how much longer?)
(How much longer?)
The song "New Pony" by Bob Dylan is an enigmatic and cryptic piece, but one that can be interpreted as a narrative of a man's experiences with a woman and his horses. The song is driven by Dylan's unique voice and sparse guitar work, with simple, repetitive lyrics that are both evocative and suggestive.
The opening verse is about the singer's previous horse called Lucifer. The singer describes how the horse broke its leg and how hurting her, while putting her down, caused him more pain than her. The next section then shifts to a different focus, the woman Miss X. Dylan's lyrics suggest that the woman has a sweet disposition but is unpredictable and mysterious. The singer wonders what she's going to do to him next.
The next verse describes a new horse that the singer has acquired. The horse has a great ability to fox-trot, lope, and pace. The final section of the song is again focused on the woman. The singer notes that he has seen her shadow in the door in the morning and that he knows just what she wants. He then suggests that she is using voodoo, and that her feet move by themselves. Despite her mysterious nature, the singer still feels a strong attraction to her.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I had a pony, her name was Lucifer
I used to have a pony but had to put her down after she broke her leg. Her name was Lucifer.
Sometimes I wonder what's going on in the mind of Miss X
I often think about what Miss X is thinking but cannot predict her next move. She has a sweet disposition.
I got a new pony, she knows how to fox-trot, lope and pace
I acquired a new pony who is adept at fox-trotting, loping, and pacing. She has hind legs, hair above her face, and is black in color.
Well now, it was early in the mornin', I seen your shadow in the door
I saw your shadow at my door early in the morning.
They say you're usin' voodoo, your feet walk by themselves
Rumors say you practice voodoo because when you walk, it appears that your feet move on their own.
Come over here pony, I, I want to climb up one time on you
Come here, pony. I want to ride you once because despite your wild and tough nature, I still love you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@p1b1harper
I had a pony, her name was Lucifer
How much longer? How much longer?
I had a pony, her name was Lucifer
How much longer?
She broke her leg and needed shooting
I swear it hurt me more than it could ever have hurted her
How much longer? How much longer?
Sometimes I wonder what's going on with Miss X
How much longer?
Sometimes I wonder what's going on with Miss X
How much, how much? How much longer?
She got such a sweet disposition
I never know what the poor girl's gonna do to me next
How much longer? How much longer?
I got a new pony, she knows how to fox-trot, lope and pace
How much longer?
Well, I got a new pony, she knows how to fox-trot, lope and pace
How much longer?
She got great big hind legs
Long black shaggy hair hanging in her face
How much, how much? How much longer?
How much, how much? How much longer?
Everybody says you're usin' voodoo
I see your feet walk by themselves
How much, how much? How much longer?
Well everybody says you're usin' voodoo
I've seen your feet walk by themselves
How much, how much? How much longer?
Oh, baby, that God you been prayin' to
Gonna give ya back what you're wishin' on someone else
How much longer? How much longer?
Come over here, pony, I wanna climb up one time on you
How much longer? Well
Come over here, pony, I wanna climb up one time on you
How much longer?
You know so nasty and you're so bad
But I said I love you, yes I do
How much, how much? How much longer?
How much, how much longer?
How much, how much longer?
@taylorbad
I was listening to this album again ten years ago and marveled at how much the organ player added to the sound. His name is Alan Pasqua. I googled him and found that he was teaching music at a college in Hawaii. His email was readily available so I emailed him to tell him how much I enjoyed his playing from 35 years earlier. He answered back with a kind thank you. Low and behold, he showed up playing keyboards on Dylan's last album "Rough and Ways" over 40 years after first recording with Bob!
@littlewing6231
He answered me back and was quite cordial and friendly.
@prakis1958
So much of his work that was slagged off by the critics holds up so well all these years later.
@barryrobertson9188
Agreed.
@oleggorky906
Funny you should say that because I have been making a conscious effort to revisit all his previously less well received albums like this, Empire Burlesque, Infidels, Slow Train Coming, Saved, Shot of Love and Down in the Groove.
Even at his worst he’s still better than the rest anyway.
@michaelspaccarelli2342
150%
@anarghachakravorty6267
What a terrific album this is!
I can’t believe everyone looked off it in it’s time
@fredlibby8518
xactly
@chocodiledundee1
One the coolest song I’ve ever heard in my life , so raw so bold so bad ass , so Americana 🇺🇸 ❤ Bob Dylan is something else !
@burkos777
Well. Never gets old. Street Legal as a whole is timeless. Amazing writing. Gritty, Gorgeous. Sexy. Heartbreaking. Thoughful. Fucking Sweet Blues & Inspired
Groove. Dylan's voice is one of his best instruments, never get the continuing criticism. Master vocalist.