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
Nobody
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cept you, yeah you
And there's nothing to me that's sacred
'Cept you, yeah you
You're the one that reaches me
You're the one that I admire
Every time we meet together
Nothing matters to me
And there's nothing I desire
'Cept you, yeah you
Nothing 'round here I care to try for
'Cept you, yeah you
Got nothing left to live or die for
'Cept you, yeah you
There's a hymn I used to hear
In the churches all the time
Make me feel so good inside
So peaceful, so sublime
And there's nothing to remind me of that
Old familiar chime
'Cept you, uh huh you
Used to play in the cemetery
Dance and sing and run when I was a child
Never seemed strange
But now I just pass mournfully by
That place where the bones of life are piled
I know somethin' has changed
I'm a stranger here and no one sees me
'Cept you, yeah you
Nothing much matters or seems to please me
'Cept you, yeah you
Nothing hypnotizes me
Or holds me in a spell
Everything runs by me
Just like water from a well
Everybody wants my attention
Ev'rybody's got something to sell
'Cept you, yeah you
The song "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" by Bob Dylan narrates the singer's intense attachment and reliance on one person, and the title shows the negative effects of being poor or out of luck in society. The song begins with the singer expressing a lack of faith or trust in anything except the person he is emphasizing his devotion towards. As the song progresses, the singer continuously repeats that there is nothing he cares about or lives for, except for this person. He admires this person and reaches out for them every time he encounters a problem. The singer is not simply expressing love for the person, but is conveying the fact that anything connected to his life has lost its value, except for the one individual.
The second verse refers to the singer's childhood and the hymn he used to hear in church that used to make him feel so good inside. He implies that he no longer feels that way about the sacred hymn, and the only thing that reminds him of it is the person he admires. He further adds that everything around him, including people and their interests, no longer hold his attention or attract him, except for the one person he is completely devoted to. The singer feels like a stranger in his own community, and nobody sees him except the person he cares for.
Line by Line Meaning
There's nothing 'round here I believe in
I don't trust anything or anyone except for you
And there's nothing to me that's sacred
I don't hold anything else as important except you
You're the one that reaches me
You're the only one that truly understands me
You're the one that I admire
You're the one that I look up to and respect the most
Every time we meet together
Whenever we're together, my heart starts racing
My soul feels like it's on fire
I feel so alive when I'm with you
Nothing matters to me
Everything else in the world seems irrelevant compared to you
And there's nothing I desire
I don't want anything else as much as I want you
Nothing 'round here I care to try for
I don't have any goals or aspirations except for you
Got nothing left to live or die for
You're the only reason I'm still alive and have any purpose in life
There's a hymn I used to hear
I used to find comfort in a song I used to listen to
Make me feel so good inside
It gave me a sense of peace and happiness
So peaceful, so sublime
It made me feel calm and content
And there's nothing to remind me of that
There's nothing else in the world that makes me feel that way except for you
Used to play in the cemetery
When I was a child I used to act carefree and playful even in a place that's associated with death
Dance and sing and run when I was a child
I used to be able to enjoy life and have fun without any worries or fears
Never seemed strange
It never occurred to me that it was an unusual thing to do
But now I just pass mournfully by
Now when I see the cemetery it reminds me of the inevitability of death and it makes me sad
That place where the bones of life are piled
The cemetery is a place where the remains of people who once lived are buried
I know somethin' has changed
I've grown older and more aware of the fragility of life
I'm a stranger here and no one sees me
I feel like an outsider and no one really understands me except for you
Nothing much matters or seems to please me
There's nothing in the world that brings me joy or satisfaction except for you
Nothing hypnotizes me
I'm not easily swayed or affected by anything
Or holds me in a spell
Nothing has the power to captivate me or dominate my thoughts except you
Everything runs by me
Life goes on around me but I feel disconnected and disengaged from it
Just like water from a well
It's just something that happens naturally without my input or effort
Everybody wants my attention
Everyone is vying for my time and energy
Ev'rybody's got something to sell
Everyone is trying to convince me to buy into their idea or product
'Cept you, yeah you
But I'm not interested in anything they're selling because you're the only thing that matters to me
Lyrics © AUDIAM, INC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ski4Ever
I don't think this is a love song as one thinks of a traditional love song...but rather it is more of a Gospel love song. At least that is how I interpret the lyrics. See below:
There’s nothing ’round here I believe in
’Cept you, yeah you
And there’s nothing to me that’s sacred
’Cept you, yeah you
You’re the one that reaches me
You’re the one that I admire
Every time we meet together
My soul feels like it’s on fire
Nothing matters to me
And there’s nothing I desire
’Cept you, yeah you
Nothing ’round here I care to try for
’Cept you, yeah you
Got nothing left to live or die for
'Cept you, yeah you
There’s a hymn I used to hear
In the churches all the time
Make me feel so good inside
So peaceful, so sublime
And there’s nothing to remind me of that
Old familiar chime
'Cept you, uh huh you
Used to play in the cemetery
Dance and sing and run when I was a child
Never seemed strange
But now I just pass mournfully by
That place where the bones of life are piled
I know somethin’ has changed
I’m a stranger here and no one sees me
’Cept you, yeah you
Nothing much matters or seems to please me
'Cept you, yeah you
Nothing hypnotizes me
Or holds me in a spell
Everything runs by me
Just like water from a well
Everybody wants my attention
Everybody’s got something to sell
’Cept you, yeah you
Jack Cutler
The way Bob used the imagery of the cemetery as a place that once held a certain positive nostalgia and then it became a place where only "bones of life are piled". The guy is an utter genius
D41087 Tagad
💯
Maggie Bryan
What a great song ❤
William R
If anyone wants to call this the best Dylan love song ever, they won't get any argument from me.
Jack Cutler
Such a special little song. It's difficult to believe Bob didn't feel it worthy
Nick Knee
I originally heard the 16 Horsepower cover of this song in a sledding video and that version moved me so hard. I looked around everywhere for Bob's original version and I finally found it some ten years later.
William Fever
Bob Dylan, a walking musical encyclopedia!
Monica Tolipan
Think Bob Dylan deserves to know that I've researched almost a third part of this fantastic Forever Young Music. Loved this ❤
łukasz basta
Beautiful song ❤
Ski4Ever
I don't think this is a love song as one thinks of a traditional love song...but rather it is more of a Gospel love song. At least that is how I interpret the lyrics. See below:
There’s nothing ’round here I believe in
’Cept you, yeah you
And there’s nothing to me that’s sacred
’Cept you, yeah you
You’re the one that reaches me
You’re the one that I admire
Every time we meet together
My soul feels like it’s on fire
Nothing matters to me
And there’s nothing I desire
’Cept you, yeah you
Nothing ’round here I care to try for
’Cept you, yeah you
Got nothing left to live or die for
'Cept you, yeah you
There’s a hymn I used to hear
In the churches all the time
Make me feel so good inside
So peaceful, so sublime
And there’s nothing to remind me of that
Old familiar chime
'Cept you, uh huh you
Used to play in the cemetery
Dance and sing and run when I was a child
Never seemed strange
But now I just pass mournfully by
That place where the bones of life are piled
I know somethin’ has changed
I’m a stranger here and no one sees me
’Cept you, yeah you
Nothing much matters or seems to please me
'Cept you, yeah you
Nothing hypnotizes me
Or holds me in a spell
Everything runs by me
Just like water from a well
Everybody wants my attention
Everybody’s got something to sell
’Cept you, yeah you