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
Will The Circle Be Unbroken?
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
one cold and cloudy day
and I saw the hearse come rolling
for to take my mother away.
Will the circle be unbroken,
by and by, lord, by and by
there's a better home a-waiting
I followed close behind her,
tried to hold up and be brave.
But I could not hide my sorrow
when they lowered her in her grave.
Will the circle be unbroken,
by and by, lord, by and by
there's a better home a-waiting
in the sky lord, in the sky.
In Bob Dylan's song "Will The Circle Be Unbroken," we see a heart-wrenching depiction of a man struggling to come to terms with the loss of his mother. The opening lines set the tone for the entire song, as we are introduced to a man standing at his window on a "cold and cloudy day" and watching the hearse come to take his mother away. Through the singer's eyes, we feel his pain and his struggle to remain brave in the face of this profound loss.
The chorus of the song, which repeats after each verse, adds to the sense of sorrow and longing that permeates the entire song. The singer wonders if the circle of life will ever truly be unbroken, if there is indeed a "better home a-waiting in the sky." This question is both a plea for understanding and a recognition of the pain that comes with loss; it asks us to consider what happens after we die, and whether or not we will one day be reunited with those we love.
Overall, "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" is a haunting, melancholy song that captures the complexities of grief and love. It speaks to the universal human experience of loss, and reminds us of the fragility of life and the importance of holding onto those we love, while we still can.
Line by Line Meaning
I was standing at my window
The singer was standing and looking out through their window.
one cold and cloudy day
The day was cold and cloudy.
and I saw the hearse come rolling
The singer saw a hearse approaching.
for to take my mother away.
The hearse was there to take the artist's mother, who had passed away, away from their home.
Will the circle be unbroken,
The artist is asking a rhetorical question about whether the 'circle' of life and death will be unbroken.
by and by, lord, by and by
The singer repeats their question, expressing a sense of uncertainty about what happens after we die.
there's a better home a-waiting
The singer believes that there is a better place waiting for us after death.
in the sky lord, in the sky.
This better home the artist speaks of is located in the sky, often interpreted as heaven.
I followed close behind her,
The artist followed closely behind the hearse carrying their mother's body.
tried to hold up and be brave.
The artist tried their best to be strong and courageous during this difficult time.
But I could not hide my sorrow
The singer struggled to conceal their sadness and grief.
when they lowered her in her grave.
The artist felt overwhelming sorrow when they saw their mother's body being lowered into a grave.
Contributed by Jake Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.