Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota… Read Full Bio ↴Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, United States) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career spanning more than 60 years.
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

The Wicked Messenger
Bob Dylan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There was a wicked messenger
From Eli he did come
With a mind that multiplied
The smallest matter
When questioned who had sent for him
He answered with his thumb
For his tongue it could not speak, but only flatter

He stayed behind the assembly hall
It was there he made his bed
Oftentimes he could be seen returning
Until one day he just appeared
With a note in his hand which read
The soles of my feet, I swear they're burning

Oh, the leaves began to fallin'
And the seas began to part
And the people that confronted him were many
And he was told but these few words

Which opened up his heart
If you cannot bring good news, then don't bring any

Overall Meaning

Bob Dylan's song The Wicked Messenger describes a man who is a messenger from Eli. The messenger has a calculating and perceptive mind, which makes him multiply the smallest details. He can't speak, but he can only flatter. He stayed behind the assembly hall and made his bed there. He could be seen intermittently returning to that place until one day he appeared with a note in his hand reading, "The soles of my feet, I swear they're burning."

As the messenger travels, he faces people who confront him, and he is given a piece of advice that opened his heart. The advice implores the messenger that if he can't bring good news to not bring any news at all. The song is about not being deceived by false messengers or even thoughts. The messenger here is symbolic of a false teacher or preacher, and Eli could be symbolic of religion. The song has a spiritual message about the importance of not believing everything that is said and encouraging people to make their minds up by examining things thoroughly.

Line by Line Meaning

There was a wicked messenger
A deceitful person appeared on the scene

From Eli he did come
He came from an unknown place, possibly with a hidden motive

With a mind that multiplied, The smallest matter
He twisted even the smallest detail into a bigger issue

When questioned who had sent for him, He answered with his thumb
He refused to reveal who sent him, instead choosing to give a rude gesture

For his tongue it could not speak, but only flatter
He was a liar who only knew how to deceive and flatter people

He stayed behind the assembly hall, It was there he made his bed
He hid and rested near where important meetings were held

Oftentimes he could be seen returning, Until one day he just appeared
He frequently came back to the same spot, until one day he showed up unexpectedly

With a note in his hand which read, The soles of my feet, I swear they're burning
He had a message to deliver that implied he was in a dire situation

Oh, the leaves began to fallin', And the seas began to part
Strange things began to happen, perhaps as a result of the messenger's presence

And the people that confronted him were many
People were suspicious of his motives and confronted him

And he was told but these few words, Which opened up his heart
He was given a warning that caused him to reveal his true intentions

If you cannot bring good news, then don't bring any
People should only share positive information, and should not cause unnecessary trouble or spread negativity

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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