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
When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Smoke is in your eye, you draw a smile
From the fireplace where my letters to you are burning
You've had time to think about it for a while.
Well, I've walked over two hundred miles, look me over
It's the end of the chase and the moon is high
It won't matter who loves who
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling from the sky.
I can see through your walls and I know you're hurting
Sorrow covers you up like a cape
Only yesterday I know you've been flirting
With disaster you somehow managed to escape.
I can't provide for you no easy answers
Who are you that I should have to lie?
You'll know all about it,love
It'll fit you like a glove
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling from the sky.
I can hear your trembling heart beat like a river
You must have been protecting someone last time I called
I never asked you for nothing that you couldn't deliver
I've never asked you to set yourself up for a fall.
I saw thousands who could have overcome the darkness
For the love of a lousy buck, I've watched them die
Stick around, baby, we're not through
Don't look for me, I'll see you
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling from the sky.
In your teardrops, I can see my reflection
It was on the northern border of Texas where I crossed the line
I don't want to be a fool starving for affection
I don't want to drown in someone else's wine.
For all eternity I think I will remember
That icy wind that's howling in your eye
You will seek me and you'll find me
In the wasteland of your mind
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling from the sky.
Well, I sent you my feelings in a letter
When you were gambling for support
This time tomorrow I'll know you better
When my memory is not so short.
This time I'm asking for freedom
Freedom from a world which you deny
And you'll give it to me now
I'll take it anyhow
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling from the sky.
The lyrics of Bob Dylan's song "When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky" contains subtle complexities and nuances that can challenge even the most seasoned of interpreters. The song seems to revolve around the idea of crossroads, choices, and new beginnings. At first glance, it appears to be a love song, but a deeper analysis reveals a more profound meaning behind its words.
In the first stanza, the singer returns to his loved one. There is smoke in her eyes and a smile on her face as she burns his letters. He declares that he has walked over 200 miles, and it is the end of the chase with the moon high in the sky. The second stanza describes his recognition of her sadness despite her flirtations with disaster. He admits he has no easy answers for her.
In the third stanza, he hears her trembling heart and understands that she is protecting someone. He recalls thousands of people whom he has watched die for the love of money. In the final stanza, he reflects on his memory of her and recognizes that he has sent her his feelings before. He then declares that he is asking for freedom from a world which his lover denies him.
The meaning behind these lyrics is complex, but it appears that the song expresses a gathering of courage and strength to face individual or collective struggles. The singer is at a crossroads of his life and trying to understand his place in the world, searching for meaning and freedom. The song speaks of darkness, struggles, and hardships, but there is also the hope that the dawn will come.
Line by Line Meaning
Look out across the fields, see me returning
I'm back, and I hope you see me coming.
Smoke is in your eye, you draw a smile
You're trying to hide how you really feel about seeing me.
From the fireplace where my letters to you are burning
You're burning my letters because you're hurt and angry about what I wrote.
You've had time to think about it for a while.
You've had time to think about our situation while I've been gone.
Well, I've walked over two hundred miles, look me over
I've traveled a long way to come back to you.
It's the end of the chase and the moon is high
I've been chasing you for a long time, but now it's over and the moon is high in the sky.
It won't matter who loves who
It doesn't matter who loves who in this situation.
You'll love me or I'll love you
Either you will love me or I will love you.
When the night comes falling
When everything falls apart and we're left alone together.
I can see through your walls and I know your hurting
I can see that you're in pain and trying to hide it from me.
Sorrow covers you up like a cape
You're so sad that it's like you're wearing a cape made of sorrow.
Only yesterday I know you've been flirting
I know you've been talking to other people recently.
With disaster you somehow managed to escape.
You've been lucky to avoid a lot of terrible situations.
I can't provide for you no easy answers
I don't have any simple solutions for our problems.
Who are you that I should have to lie?
I shouldn't have to lie to you about anything.
You'll know all about it, love
You'll understand everything once it's all over.
It'll fit you like a glove
It will all make sense to you and feel right.
When the night comes falling
When the truth is revealed and we have to face the consequences.
I can hear your trembling heart beat like a river
I can hear how scared and nervous you are.
You must have been protecting someone last time I called
You were trying to keep someone else safe when I last spoke to you.
I never asked you for nothing that you couldn't deliver
I never asked too much of you.
I've never asked you to set yourself up for a fall.
I've never purposely tried to get you in trouble or harm you.
I saw thousands who could have overcome the darkness
I've seen so many people who could have succeeded despite the odds.
For the love of a lousy buck, I've watched them die
I've seen so many people die because of money.
Stick around, baby, we're not through
We still have things to work out between us.
Don't look for me, I'll see you
Don't worry about finding me, I'll find you instead.
When the night comes falling
When everything falls apart and we're forced to deal with it head-on.
In your teardrops, I can see my reflection
I can see how much I've hurt you by looking at your tears.
It was on the northern border of Texas where I crossed the line
I went too far and did something unforgivable, like crossing a line in the sand.
I don't want to be a fool starving for affection
I don't want to be so desperate for love that I'll accept anything.
I don't want to drown in someone else's wine.
I don't want to get caught up in someone else's problems or mistakes.
For all eternity I think I will remember
I'll never forget this moment.
That icy wind that's howling in your eye
The cold, harsh look in your eyes is haunting me.
You will seek me and you'll find me
You'll come to me when you're ready.
In the wasteland of your mind
When you're feeling lost and alone.
When the night comes falling
When everything has been stripped away and we have to face the truth.
Well, I sent you my feelings in a letter
I told you exactly how I feel in a letter.
When you were gambling for support
You were trying to find someone to help you, and I was there for you.
This time tomorrow I'll know you better
I'll know you better in the future.
When my memory is not so short.
Once I've had more time to think about things and reflect.
This time I'm asking for freedom
I'm asking for the freedom to be myself and live my own life.
Freedom from a world which you deny
Freedom from a world where you don't accept or understand me.
And you'll give it to me now
I need you to give me the freedom I'm asking for right now.
I'll take it anyhow
I'll do whatever it takes to get the freedom I need.
When the night comes falling
When everything falls apart and we have to start over.
When the night comes falling
When everything has been stripped away and we have to face the truth.
When the night comes falling from the sky.
When everything falls apart and we're forced to deal with it head-on.
Lyrics © BOB DYLAN MUSIC CO
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LoiSPiskorz
So many of his songs I have never heard. He can sing, lol. So many say his voice is bad. No way! He has a unique talent of using his voice in so many different tones.
@melihcoskundeniz3092
He sing folk rock.
@meerasingh3400
Right ! Different tones , so many !
@mrstambourinegirl397
This is the theme from road house 😊
@Niya847
No matter the decade, Dylan is unique and great!
@Carlossantanamusicinc
Hello dear, it’s nice meeting you on here.
@wyomingwindage135
Happy Birthday Bob Dylan. You brilliant bastard.
@CruisingCathy
My sister and I were in the audience for the filming of this video. This happens to be the gym inside the Hollywood Church used for the Back to the Future concert scene.
@jkckmarcumful
That's really cool.
@TheHollywood3524
OMG. I would of Loved to be there!!!