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
Soon After Midnight
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To sing your praises
I need to tell someone
It's soon after midnight
And my day has just begun
A girl named Honey
Took my money
It's soon after midnight
And the moon is in my eye
My heart is cheerful
It's never fearful
I've been down on the killing floors
I'm in no great hurry
I'm not afraid of your fury
I've faced stronger walls than yours
Charlotte's a harlot
Dresses in scarlet
Mary dresses in green
It's soon after midnight
And I've got a date with the fairy queen
They chirp and they chatter
What does it matter?
They lie and dine in their blood
Two timing Slim
Who's every heard of him?
I'll drag his corpse through the mud
It's now or never
More than ever
When I met you I didn't think you do
Its soon after midnight
And I don't want nobody but you
The singer in Bob Dylan's song "Soon After Midnight" is trying to capture the right words to express his feelings towards someone he loves. He tells us that he needs to find the right phrases to sing her praises and he's ready to tell someone about how he feels. The mood is set at the beginning of the song when he says, "It's soon after midnight, and my day has just begun." The feeling is that of anticipation, excitement, and passion.
He then recounts a moment when a girl named Honey took his money. The moon is in his eye, suggesting that he was captivated by her in some way, despite losing his money. But the singer seems to have a carefree attitude despite this setback. He says his heart is cheerful and never fearful. Having been through difficult situations, including facing danger on the "killing floors," the singer is not afraid of the person he's addressing. He claims to have faced "stronger walls" than theirs.
The song then takes on a dreamlike quality when the singer recounts his date with the fairy queen. Two women, Charlotte and Mary, are also mentioned, with Charlotte being labelled as a harlot in scarlet and Mary dressed in green. The men around him are described as liars and backstabbers, but the singer has only one thing on his mind: the person he loves.
Overall, "Soon After Midnight" captures the feelings of passion, excitement, and anticipation that come with falling in love. The lyrics portray a dreamlike quality and playful tone that make for an enjoyable listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm searching for phrases
I'm looking for the perfect words to express how I feel
To sing your praises
To praise and admire you
I need to tell someone
I want to share my feelings with someone
It's soon after midnight
It's late at night
And my day has just begun
But I'm just getting started
A girl named Honey
There is a woman called Honey
Took my money
She stole from me
She was passing by
She was walking past me
And the moon is in my eye
And I'm feeling a sense of mystery and intrigue
My heart is cheerful
I'm feeling happy and optimistic
It's never fearful
I'm not scared
I've been down on the killing floors
I've experienced tough times
I'm in no great hurry
I'm not in a rush
I'm not afraid of your fury
I'm not scared of your anger
I've faced stronger walls than yours
I've overcome bigger challenges than this
Charlotte's a harlot
There is a woman named Charlotte who is promiscuous
Dresses in scarlet
She wears red clothes
Mary dresses in green
Another woman named Mary wears green clothes
And I've got a date with the fairy queen
I have a meeting with a mystical and enchanting being
They chirp and they chatter
People talk and gossip
What does it matter?
Why does it even matter?
They lie and dine in their blood
People are deceitful and harmful to each other
Two-timing Slim
Someone named Slim is cheating on his partner
Who's ever heard of him?
He's not important
I'll drag his corpse through the mud
I'll expose his bad deeds and shame him
It's now or never
This is the moment of truth
More than ever
It's now or never, and it's the most important thing
When I met you I didn't think you do
When I first met you, I wasn't sure if you felt the same way
It's soon after midnight
It's late at night
And I don't want nobody but you
I only want to be with you right now
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@OneMoreCupOf
LYRICS:
I'm searching for phrases
To sing your praises
I need to tell someone
It's soon after midnight
And my day has just begun
A gal named Honey
Took my money
She was passing by
It's soon after midnight
And the moon is in my eye
My heart is cheerful
It's never fearful
I've been down on the killing floors
I'm in no great hurry
I'm not afraid of your fury
I've faced stronger walls than yours
Charlotte's a harlot
Dresses in scarlet
Mary dresses in green
It's soon after midnight
And I've got a date with the fairy queen
They chirp and they chatter
What does it matter?
They lie and they dine in their blood
Two timing slim
Who's ever heard of him?
I'll drag his corpse through the mud
It's now or never
More than ever
When I met you I didn't think you'd do
It's soon after midnight
And I don't want nobody but you
@bryankeisling132
Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
I'm searching for phrases
To sing your praises
I need to tell someone
It's soon after midnight
And my day has just begun
[Verse 2]
A gal named Honey
Took my money
She was passing by
It's soon after midnight
And the moon is in my eye
[Verse 3]
My heart is cheerful
It's never fearful
I've been down on the killing floors
I'm in no great hurry
I'm not afraid of your fury
I've faced stronger walls than yours
[Verse 4]
Charlotte's a harlot
Dresses in scarlet
Mary dresses in green
It's soon after midnight
And I've got a date with the fairy queen
[Verse 5]
They chirp and they chatter
What does it matter?
They're lying there dying in their blood
Two-timing Slim
Who's ever heard of him
I'll drag his corpse through the mud
[Verse 6]
It's now or never
More than ever
When I met you I didn't think you would do
It's soon after midnight
And I don't want nobody but you
@juancamacho5746
I'm searching for phrases
To sing your praises
I need to tell someone
It's soon after midnight
And my day has just begun
A gal named Honey
Took my money
She was passing by
It's soon after midnight
And the moon is in my eye
My heart is cheerful
It's never fearful
I've been down on the killing floors
I'm in no great hurry
I'm not afraid of your fury
I've faced stronger walls than yours
Charlotte's a harlot
Dresses in scarlet
Mary dresses in green
It's soon after midnight
And I've got a date with the fairy queen
🎵🎶🎵🎶
They chirp and they chatter
What does it matter?
They lie and dine in their blood
Two-timing Slim
Who's every heard of him?
I'll drag his corpse through the mud
It's now or never
More than ever
When I met you I didn't think you would do
It's soon after midnight
And I don't want nobody but you
@Laine369
He's got so many voices ~ this is one of my very favourites. Such an extraordinary, brilliant, genius, our Nobel Poet Laureate. Thank you, Mr Zimmerman ✨✨🙏🤍
@31Alden
@Lilain Duffy You said it perfectly…. Bob Dylan (Mr. Zimmerman) IS a man of many voices, richly deserving his Nobel Poet Laureate status. His brilliance is certainly part of my backstory. A rather major part.
@wendyeschbach7319
@Rhubarb 68Yes
@Lazariuk
Great to have Bob singing my praises
@jackwendigo6541
"When I met you, I didn't think you would do; now's it's soon after midnight, and I don't want nobody but you..." It's got shades of menace in there, but this line makes the bitter seem awfully sweet.
@denniswinters2541
Mary dresses in green.4 simple words, but so effective.
@Samu93c
The greatest poet of our times.
@joelleeeverett9169
He sure is
@wendyeschbach7319
We are all fortunate to be in the time of Bob Dylan
@melissadraz643
"I;m not afraid of your fury // I've faced stronger walls than yours"