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
Ramblin' Round
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ramblin' around your town
I never see a friend I know
As I go ramblin' 'round, boys
As I go ramblin' 'round
My sweetheart and my parents
I left in my old hometown
As I go ramblin' round, boys
As I go ramblin' round
The peach trees they are loaded
The limbs are bending down
I pick 'em all day for a dollar, boys
As I go a ramblin' 'round, boys
As I go a ramblin' 'round
Sometimes the fruit gets rotten
And falls upon the ground
There's a hungry mouth for every peach
As I go a ramblin' 'round, boys
As I go a ramblin' 'round
I wish that I could marry
I wish that I could settle down
But I cant' save a penny, boys
As I go a ramblin' 'round
As I go a ramblin' 'round
My mother prayed that I would be
A man of some renown
But I'm just a refugee
As I go a ramblin' 'round, boys
As I go a ramblin' 'round
The song Ramblin' Round by Bob Dylan speaks of a journey that takes the singer across different towns and cities as they search for work and opportunity. The lyrics convey a sense of loneliness as the singer notes that they never meet any friends as they ramble from place to place. The song is an effective commentary on the lives of seasonal workers who travel from place to place in search of work. We see this in the line "I pick 'em all day for a dollar, boys/ As I go a ramblin' 'round" where the singer is seen to be engaged in agricultural labor.
However, despite the hard work, the singer is unable to save any money, this is seen in the line "But I can't save a penny, boys/ As I go a ramblin' 'round." The life of the migrant worker proves to be a precarious and unstable one, they can't afford to settle down and start a family as the fruit picking gigs are seasonal and the work is not stable. The singer desires to marry and settle down, but this seems to an elusive dream as they are unable to save any money.
Overall, Ramblin' Round is a commentary on the lives of seasonal workers and the difficulties they face in trying to make a stable life for themselves. The lyrics are delivered in a plaintive and melancholic tone, which evokes a sense of empathy for those who are disenfranchised and struggling to make a living.
Line by Line Meaning
Ramblin' around your city
Traveling aimlessly through urban areas
Ramblin' around your town
Traveling aimlessly through rural areas
I never see a friend I know
Not encountering anyone familiar in one's travels
As I go ramblin' 'round, boys
Expressing an ongoing sense of wandering and restlessness
My sweetheart and my parents
Referring to loved ones left behind in previous location
I left in my old hometown
Departing from one's place of origin
I'm out to do the best I can
Attempting to make a living and establish oneself
The peach trees they are loaded
Referring to fruit trees in the area
The limbs are bending down
Describing the abundance of ripe fruit
I pick 'em all day for a dollar, boys
Working as a fruit-picker for low wages
Sometimes the fruit gets rotten
Referring to the perishable nature of the fruit
And falls upon the ground
Describing how the fruit may go to waste
There's a hungry mouth for every peach
Acknowledging the need for food and resources
I wish that I could marry
Expressing a desire for a stable home life
I wish that I could settle down
Desiring to establish roots and create a family
But I can't save a penny, boys
Unable to accumulate savings or build wealth
As I go a ramblin' 'round
Reiterating the sense of aimlessness and constant motion
My mother prayed that I would be
Highlighting the expectations and hopes of family
A man of some renown
Desiring status, success and recognition
But I'm just a refugee
Feeling like a wanderer or outcast
As I go a ramblin' 'round, boys
Concluding with a sense of ongoing restlessness and motion
Contributed by Lily R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ixoye
i think its crazy how few people in the world would have heard this
Youriami
At least I'm one of them.
MusicRevisited
And to think it's originally from a recording Dylan did for fun one day. Pretty amazing that songs like this were saved through the years.
Olga Tee
I have the vague idea Dylan himself took care of having a tape on most times.. He is like that.. taking care well of situations always. Even Today.. having live shows anno 2022.. WORLD WIDE ROUGH AND ROWDY TOUR ‘22-‘24💫💃🕺🌻🌷❣️🌺 ❤️
Rolling Ormond
My theme song in early middle-age.
Tom Dale
as a folk singer, Bob Dylan was phenomenal...as the "Rocker" that was booed at Newport, he was in a class that one could only say. "My God" and it doesn't end there, no sir he heads on down to Nashville...
dylanfan1969
I wish there was some way I could get this on a proper release. The entire tape.
Rapappport
These early songs were after he discovered Woody Guthrie, say when 19-20, yes at first in Minneapolis. Once he heard Woody's songs, it became all he was interested in, while having heard a large amount - all of them available - at age 14-19. I did not know he played a couple of songs that I thought came later - in NYC - but hearing this recording helps me to understand more about this man with a mostly-unknown, detailed past....
NWOALERT
One of my favorites
rn75188
Seriously. 99% of us here would gladly buy it if Dylan would just release this stuff officially. Then he could stop taking it off youtube