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
Not Dark Yet
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's too hot to sleep and time is running away
Feel like my soul has turned into steel
I've still got the scars that the sun didn't let me heal
There's not even room enough to be anywhere
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
Well my sense of humanity is going down the drain
She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind
She put down in writin' what was in her mind
I just don't see why I should even care
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
Well I been to London and I been to gay Paree
I followed the river and I got to the sea
I've been down to the bottom of a whirlpool of lies
I ain't lookin' for nothin' in anyone's eyes
Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
I was born here and I'll die here, against my will
I know it looks like I'm movin' but I'm standin' still
Every nerve in my body is so naked and numb
I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from
Don't even hear the murmur of a prayer
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
In Bob Dylan's song Not Dark Yet, he paints a picture of a world that is slowly losing its light, both literally and figuratively. The singer talks about time running away and the feeling that his soul has turned into steel, indicating a sense of resignation and detachment. He also touches on the idea that there is no place to go, nowhere to escape the heat and the oppressive sense of time.
Dylan delves into the theme of pain and beauty that often go hand in hand. He mentions a letter he received that expressed the writer's thoughts and feelings, but he questions the point of caring about it. The sense of humanity is going down the drain, and there is a feeling of isolation and loneliness that pervades the lyrics.
The singer mentions traveling to different places, including London and Paris, but ultimately feeling lost and adrift. The whirlpool of lies that he has experienced has left him with a burden that is sometimes too heavy to bear. He ends with a sense of hopelessness, with every nerve in his body feeling naked and numb, and unable to remember what he was trying to escape from in the first place.
Overall, Not Dark Yet is a powerful meditation on the human experience and the darkness that can surround us. Dylan's lyrics touch on themes of pain, beauty, isolation, and ultimately, the search for meaning in a world that seems to be losing its light.
Line by Line Meaning
Shadows are falling and I been here all day
The day is coming to a close and I've been stuck in one place for too long.
It's too hot to sleep and time is running away
The heat prevents sleep and time seems to be slipping away too quickly.
Feel like my soul has turned into steel
I feel emotionless and unfeeling.
I've still got the scars that the sun didn't let me heal
I still carry wounds from the past that haven't fully healed.
There's not even room enough to be anywhere
I feel trapped and stuck in my current situation with no escape.
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
Although the situation isn't at its darkest point yet, it's rapidly approaching it.
Well my sense of humanity is going down the drain
I'm losing faith in humanity and the goodness of people.
Behind every beautiful thing, there's been some kind of pain
All beautiful things come with a cost or have been shaped by painful experiences.
She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind
Someone was kind enough to reach out to me and left a positive message.
She put down in writin' what was in her mind
She deeply expressed her thoughts and feelings through the letter.
I just don't see why I should even care
I feel so numb and indifferent that I struggle to care about anything.
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
Things are getting worse even though they're not at their darkest point yet.
Well I been to London and I been to gay Paree
I've traveled to different places and experienced different cultures.
I followed the river and I got to the sea
I've explored different paths and reached the end of some journeys.
I've been down to the bottom of a whirlpool of lies
I've experienced the depths of deceit and falsehood.
I ain't lookin' for nothin' in anyone's eyes
I'm not searching for validation or recognition from others.
Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear
The weight of my problems can be unbearable at times.
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
Even though things aren't completely dark, they are heading in that direction.
I was born here and I'll die here, against my will
I didn't choose to be born here, and I'll die here without any control over it.
I know it looks like I'm movin' but I'm standin' still
Although it looks like I'm making progress, I'm actually stuck in the same place.
Every nerve in my body is so naked and numb
I feel exposed and vulnerable with no sense of feeling or emotion.
I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from
I've forgotten why I wanted to escape from my problems in the first place.
Don't even hear the murmur of a prayer
I don't hear any words of hope or comfort in my darkest hour.
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
Although things aren't completely hopeless, they are rapidly heading in that direction.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@phoenixren9642
I'm a seventeen year old musician, I've had a passing interest in the music of Bob Dylan over the last year or so. Last week something just clicked for me, and I just 'got' his music all of a sudden. It just blew me away! I've been devouring it like crazy. My family is not into it, and my friends prefer modern artists. But dang do I love this stuff!
@tjjordan9715
He's a genius, kid. No, not a mathematical phenom with a 200 IQ, he has the ability to speak in the language of myth, of dreams, and whether he understands it or not, it's always packed with meaning for those who can. Human language is limited. It lives fully within the realm of the world of duality, the world of the 10,000 things. It can only convey the meanings of those things in this world. Few people can reach out into the territory of myth and dreams, the collective unconscious, the language of the holy scriptures, and bring back images capable of describing even God, that describe everything more perfectly and precisely because the images go to the exact heart of the subject.
You song writers are blessed here. You can write lyrics that appear from beyond the veil, so to speak, while a novelist has to stay within the rules of the world he's created ... worse, his writing has to actually make sense on a mundane level.
@zstalochify
Hey brother, hate to pull this shit on ya, but just keep digging, because this well of music only gets deeper as you grow older. I will never forget being 17 and listening to “it’s alright ma, I’m only bleeding”, blew my socks off. I’m 33 now, and still have no socks. Write Phoenix, the world can always use some more songs, that can’t be said of a lot of things.
@rhensontollhouse
For good reason Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, because of the poetry of his songs. It was long overdue.
@walkercatenaccio
People of my generation, who grew up with Dylan, have him embedded so deep in our conscious and unconscious minds that we can't imagine ourselves without him, like a native language and a personal religion rolled into one.
@deborahhall9086
@walkercatenaccio I never heard anyone see or say this before! Thank you!!!
You have expressed what I have lived since age 14, now 73.
I love Dylan's soul. He is deeply embedded within my whole life. He has blessed me and kept me strong through the worst tragedies and terrors of my life. He is one of God's living prophets. I thank him for living so courageously and generously. The man is immortal. But when he goes, there will be an outpouring of grief such as we have never seen, except for Lincoln, JFK, MLK.
They will bring Bobby on a train across the country and the people will line the tracks weeping and throwing flowers on him.
@tomeddy4441
One of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. Only Bob could create this masterpiece. I HAVE to listen to it every day.
@FleetwoodCaddy59
Agreed 🖤Beautiful
@brendangamble8824
She put down in writing what she had in her mind. This is not normal. I mean this is brilliant
@brendangamble8824
And my sense of humanity has gone down the drain