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
Whatcha Gonna Do?
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the shadow comes under your door?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes under your door?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes under your door?
O Lord, O Lord, what shall you do?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the devil calls your cards?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the devil calls your cards?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the devil calls your cards?
O Lord, O Lord, what shall you do?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When your water turns to wine?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When your water turns to wine?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When your water turns to wine?
O Lord, O Lord, what should you do?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When you can't play God no more?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When you can't play God no more?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When you can't play God no more?
O Lord, O Lord, what shall you do?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes creepin' in your room?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes creepin' in your room?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes creepin' in your room?
O Lord, O Lord, what should you do?
The lyrics of Bob Dylan’s song “Whatcha Gonna Do?” are existential in nature, seeking to evoke the listener’s contemplation around mortality, corruption, and one’s personal relationship with God. Each verse presents a hypothetical scenario that serves as an allusion to the inevitability of death and the afterlife. The opening verse poses the question of what one will do when the “shadow comes under your door,” representing death as an unstoppable force that one cannot evade. The repetition of this verse throughout the song amplifies the theme of mortality.
The second verse asks what one will do when “the devil calls your cards,” alluding to the biblical idea of death being the consequence of original sin. The next verse presents a scenario where the water turns to wine, a biblical reference to the miracles that Jesus performed. But even in the face of such divinity, the question remains the same - “What should you do?” This line can be interpreted as asking what one should do in response to something that is great and inexplicable.
The final two verses ask what one will do when they can no longer “play God” and, lastly, when the shadow comes creeping in your room. All in all, “Whatcha Gonna Do?” is a song that seeks to inspire introspection about one’s relationship with God and how mortality plays a part in that.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes under your door?
Ask yourself what you will do when fear and uncertainty come knocking at your door.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the devil calls your cards?
Consider how you will respond when the consequences of your actions catch up with you and you must face them.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When your water turns to wine?
Think about how you will handle success and unexpected fortune when they come your way.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When you can't play God no more?
Reflect on how you will react when circumstances are beyond your control and you must relinquish your sense of power.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes creepin' in your room?
Contemplate how you will face the inevitability of death and the fear it brings into your life.
Contributed by Ian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rajan Mahadevan
Hey, where did ya dig this one from.....never heard the title nor the song before. Mid 1960s, great soundbyte. THANKS for posting.
Ali Whitwell
Pure earthy Dylan. So prefer this to some of the commercial takes of his works.
TheEDZEPPELINBAND
really cool...reminds me of home....this is still all around...
Yes Man
Good old Americana music :)
ConnieLynchitz
@sassofortino1 You will find a version of this on "The Bootleg Series, Vol. 9- The Witmark Demos- 1962-1964"; an official release. But this is an alternate version from those original sessions only found on bootlegs.
linda from ga
can't hide from death and we all have an appointment with it.
Sharon Holland
Thanks. Keep finding more. ♡♡♡
ConnieLynchitz
Finding what exactly?
Sharon Holland
Songs. I keep Finding songs I haven't heard.