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
Obviously 5 Believers
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Early in the mornin'
I'm callin' you to
I'm callin' you to
Please come home
Yes, I guess I could make it without you
If I just didn't feel so all alone
Don't let me down
I won't let you down
I won't let you down
No I won't
You know I can if you can, honey
But, honey, please don't
I got my black dog barkin'
Black dog barkin'
Yes it is now
Yes it is
Outside my yard
Yes, I could tell you what he means
If I just didn't have to try so hard
Your mama's workin'
Your mama's moanin'
She's cryin' you know
She's tryin' you know
You better go now
Well, I'd tell you what she wants
But I just don't know how
Fifteen jugglers
Fifteen jugglers
Five believers
Five believers
All dressed like men
Tell yo' mama not to worry because, yes
They're just my friends
Early in the mornin'
Early in the mornin'
I'm callin' you to
I'm callin' you to
Please come home
Yes, I could make it without you, honey
If I just did not feel so all alone
In "Obviously 5 Believers," Bob Dylan addresses the feelings of loneliness and calls out to his lover to return home. The song starts with a plea to the lover to return home as Dylan seems to be struggling to cope up with the loneliness. He expresses that he can make it without his lover, but he feels so alone without her. The repeated line, "Don't let me down, I won't let you down, No, I won't," emphasizes that Dylan needs his lover's support and wants to assure her that he can be there for her too.
In the next two verses, Dylan talks about his black dog barking outside his yard, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for his loneliness. He then refers to the lover's mother's distress, but he doesn't know how to help her because he is struggling himself. The final verse refers to "15 jugglers and 5 believers all dressed like men," which could be an allusion to the circus performers and their lifestyle on the road. Dylan suggests that they are his friends and assures the lover's mother that she need not worry.
Overall, the song seems to be a plea to the lover to return home as Dylan is struggling to cope up with the loneliness without her. He expresses his need for her support and tries to assure her that he can also be there for her.
Line by Line Meaning
Early in the mornin'
Bob is trying to reach out to someone in the early morning.
I'm callin' you to
He is trying to reach out through a phone call.
Please come home
Bob is asking this person to return.
Yes, I guess I could make it without you
He thinks he could live without this person in his life
If I just didn't feel so all alone
But he feels lonely and wants them to come back.
Don't let me down
Bob is requesting for this person's support.
I won't let you down
He also assures them that he will not let them down
No I won't
He repeats this assurance again.
You know I can if you can, honey
Bob's support for this person is dependent on their support for him.
But, honey, please don't
He pleads with them to not let him down.
I got my black dog barkin'
Bob is referring to his emotions that are telling him something.
Yes it is now
He confirms that his emotions are real and present.
Outside my yard
They are affecting his environment.
Yes, I could tell you what he means
Bob understands what his emotions are saying.
If I just didn't have to try so hard
But it is difficult for him to articulate his feelings to this person.
Your mama's workin'
Bob changes the subject.
Your mama's moanin'
He talks about this person's mother.
She's cryin' you know
She is upset about something.
She's tryin' you know
She is putting in effort to make things work.
You better go now
Bob tells this person to go attend to their mother's needs.
Well, I'd tell you what she wants
But he doesn't know what the mother needs specifically.
But I just don't know how
He can't figure out what the mother needs from this person.
Fifteen jugglers
Bob uses imagery to refer to a group of people.
Five believers
He specifies that only five of these people believe in him.
All dressed like men
They are all dressed in a similar way.
Tell yo' mama not to worry because, yes
Bob speaks directly to this person's mother, telling her not to worry about the group of friends.
They're just my friends
Bob is assuring the mother that the group of friends is harmless and not to be worried about.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bryankeisling132
Lyrics:
Early in the mornin', early in the mornin'
I'm callin' you to, I'm callin' you to
Please, come home
Yes, I could make it without you
If I just didn't feel so all alone
Don't let me down, don't let me down
I won't let you down, I won't let you down
No, I won't
You know, I can and know a honey
But, oh, honey, please, don't
I got my black dog barkin', black dog barkin'
Yes, he is now, yes, it is
Outside my yard
Yes, I could tell you what he means
If I just didn't have to try so hard
Your mama's workin', your mama's moanin'
She's cryin' you know, she's tryin' you know
You better go now
Well, I'd tell you what she wants
If I, but I just don't know how
Fifteen jugglers, fifteen jugglers
Five believers, five believers
All dressed like men
Tell your mama not to worry because
Yes, they're just my friends
Early in the mornin', early in the mornin'
I'm callin' you to, I'm callin' you to
Please, come home
Yes, I could make it without you, honey
If I just did not feel so all alone
@user-ip9yu7lp1q
Lyrics:
Early in the mornin', I'm callin' you to
Please, come home
Yes, I could make it without you
If I just didn't feel so all alone
Don't let me down, I won't let you down
No, I won't
You know, I can and know a honey
But, oh, honey, please, don't
I got my black dog barkin', black dog barkin'
Yes, he is now, yes, it is
Outside my yard
Yes, I could tell you what he means
If I just didn't have to try so hard
Your mama's workin', your mama's moanin'
She's cryin' you know, she's tryin' you know
You better go now
Well, I'd tell you what she wants
If I, but I just don't know how
Fifteen jugglers, Five believers,
All dressed like men
Tell your mama not to worry because
Yes, they're just my friends
@olewetdog6254
He was just absolutely full of catchy lyrics. It's like every other sentence of every song has some really great play on words. Just amazing.
@TheDocRitchie
one of his best. raucous, surreal, bluesy, raw, and the musicians are full on.
@bethanylake59
This song is a banger.
@Carlossantanamusicinc
Hello Dear, it’s nice meeting you on here.
@wyattmund9286
This is peak among the Dylan songs where I have no idea what the fuck he’s talking about, but it goes so hard and I love it.
@louise_rose
The funniest lyrics on the entire album (along with "Memphis Blues Again"), totally disjointed, raucous but irresistible. This song is swinging hard every second!
@caricatureparty
Early in the morning, early in the morning, I"m watching Youtube. I'm watching Youtube.
@Blaugenballin
Bob can compose everything and do it with supreme brilliance.
@bryankeisling132
Lyrics:
Early in the mornin', early in the mornin'
I'm callin' you to, I'm callin' you to
Please, come home
Yes, I could make it without you
If I just didn't feel so all alone
Don't let me down, don't let me down
I won't let you down, I won't let you down
No, I won't
You know, I can and know a honey
But, oh, honey, please, don't
I got my black dog barkin', black dog barkin'
Yes, he is now, yes, it is
Outside my yard
Yes, I could tell you what he means
If I just didn't have to try so hard
Your mama's workin', your mama's moanin'
She's cryin' you know, she's tryin' you know
You better go now
Well, I'd tell you what she wants
If I, but I just don't know how
Fifteen jugglers, fifteen jugglers
Five believers, five believers
All dressed like men
Tell your mama not to worry because
Yes, they're just my friends
Early in the mornin', early in the mornin'
I'm callin' you to, I'm callin' you to
Please, come home
Yes, I could make it without you, honey
If I just did not feel so all alone
@ddeegz9766
this one cooks