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
One More Cup of Coffee
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth
On the pillow where you lie
But I don't sense affection
No gratitude or love
Your loyalty is not to me
But to the stars above
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
Your daddy, he's an outlaw
And a wanderer by trade
He'll teach you how to pick and choose
And how to throw the blade
He oversees his kingdom
So no stranger does intrude
His voice it trembles as he's calling out
For another plate of food
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
Your sister sees the future
Like your mama and yourself
You've never learned to read or write
There's no books upon your shelf
And your pleasure knows no limits
Your voice is like a meadowlark
But your heart is like an ocean
Mysterious and dark
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
In Bob Dylan's One More Cup of Coffee, he describes a woman who is physically beautiful and alluring, with her sweet breath, jewel-like eyes, straight back, and smooth hair. However, despite her captivating appearance, Dylan doesn't sense any affection or love from her. This is emphasized by the line "Your loyalty is not to me, but to the stars above." The woman's loyalty is not tied to Dylan, but rather to something celestial - something beyond Dylan's reach.
Dylan goes on to describe the woman's family - her father is an outlaw and a wanderer who teaches his daughter how to be independent, including how to "pick and choose" and "throw the blade." Her father is protective of his kingdom and his family, evidenced by his trembling voice when he calls out for "another plate of food." The woman's sister "sees the future," and they come from a family that values intuition and survival over book learning. Dylan ends the song with the repetition of the chorus, "One more cup of coffee for the road, one more cup of coffee 'fore I go, to the valley below."
The song is open to interpretation, but some have suggested that it may be about Dylan's turbulent relationship with his then-wife, Sara. However, as with most of Dylan's lyrical work, it can be interpreted in countless ways, leaving it up to the listener's discretion.
Line by Line Meaning
Your breath is sweet
Your breath smells pleasant
Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky
Your eyes are beautiful and shine like jewels
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth
Your posture is perfect and hair is shiny and soft
On the pillow where you lie
As you lay on your pillow
But I don't sense affection
I don't feel any loving emotions from you
No gratitude or love
You don't appreciate or love me
Your loyalty is not to me
You are not loyal to me
But to the stars above
You are loyal to something greater than me
One more cup of coffee for the road
I need another cup of coffee before I leave
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
I need one more cup of coffee before I leave
To the valley below
Where I am headed
Your daddy, he's an outlaw
Your father is a criminal
And a wanderer by trade
He travels for a living
He'll teach you how to pick and choose
He will show you how to make decisions
And how to throw the blade
And how to use a knife
He oversees his kingdom
He controls his territory
So no stranger does intrude
So no one can enter without permission
His voice it trembles as he's calling out
He speaks in a quivering voice as he calls out
For another plate of food
Asking for another meal
Your sister sees the future
Your sister can predict the future
Like your mama and yourself
Just like your mother and you
You've never learned to read or write
You have not acquired the skills to read or write
There's no books upon your shelf
You have no books on your shelf
And your pleasure knows no limits
You indulge without limits
Your voice is like a meadowlark
Your voice is sweet and melodic
But your heart is like an ocean
Your emotions are deep and unpredictable
Mysterious and dark
Hard to understand or interpret
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@juancamacho5746
Your breath is sweet
Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth
On the pillow where you lie
I don't sense affection
Nor no gratitude or love
Your loyalty is not to me but to the stars above
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee before I go
To the valley below
Your daddy, he's an outlaw
And a wanderer by trade
He'll teach you how to pick an' choose
And how to throw the blade
He oversees his kingdom
Where no stranger does intrude
His voice it trembles as he calls out
For another plate of food
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee before I go
To the valley below
Your sister sees the future
Like your momma and yourself
You never learned to read or write
There's no books upon her shelf
And your pleasure knows no limits
Your voice is like a meadow lark
But your heart is like an ocean
So mysterious and dark
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee before I go
To the valley below
🎻🎻
@mrsusan5672
"Your loyalty is not to me, but to the stars above."
This man is a poet as much as a musician.
@henlaojim
He is actually more of a poet than a musician. He has made some of the worst recordings I have ever heard. For example, take his recording of You Belong to Me, in whhich he doesn't seem to know either the words or the chords.
@dixonpinfold2582
@@henlaojim Somewhere here you can find a one-hour press conference he gave in SF in 1965 or 66. In it he specifies that he is "a song and dance man".
@decaffeinatedafrican5997
meh anything that has to do with stars or moonlight is instantly considered poetic
@NunesAlbert
Well... he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
@veraikra7650
🧚🏻♀️
@Winterveile
My older brother had pancreatic cancer and this was the very last song he heard. As we gathered around his bed we played this song and just like a movie moment when the song ended he took his last breath. Now when I hear this song I think of him and I’m learning to play this song with my flute. Thank you Mr Dylan
@cjclark3687
Prayers for you
@dearjoeymusic1146
May ur brother rest on beautifully
@TheSunkkiyeh
it's like a jorney. i am sure your brother is in the heaven peacefully.