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
death of emmett till
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When a young boy from Chicago town stepped through a Southern door.
This boy's dreadful tragedy I can still remember well,
The color of his skin was black and his name was Emmett Till.
Some men they dragged him to a barn and there they beat him up.
They said they had a reason, but I can't remember what.
They tortured him and did some evil things too evil to repeat.
Then they rolled his body down a gulf amidst a bloody red rain
And they threw him in the waters wide to cease his screaming pain.
The reason that they killed him there, and I'm sure it ain't no lie,
Was just for the fun of killin' him and to watch him slowly die.
And then to stop the United States of yelling for a trial,
Two brothers they confessed that they had killed poor Emmett Till.
But on the jury there were men who helped the brothers commit this awful crime,
And so this trial was a mockery, but nobody seemed to mind.
I saw the morning papers but I could not bear to see
The smiling brothers walkin' down the courthouse stairs.
For the jury found them innocent and the brothers they went free,
While Emmett's body floats the foam of a Jim Crow southern sea.
If you can't speak out against this kind of thing, a crime that's so unjust,
Your eyes are filled with dead men's dirt, your mind is filled with dust.
Your arms and legs they must be in shackles and chains, and your blood it must refuse to flow,
For you let this human race fall down so God-awful low!
This song is just a reminder to remind your fellow man
That this kind of thing still lives today in that ghost-robed Ku Klux Klan.
But if all of us folks that thinks alike, if we gave all we could give,
We could make this great land of ours a greater place to live.
The Death of Emmett Till is a protest song against racial violence and injustice. The song recounts the brutal murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black boy, who was visiting relatives in Mississippi from his hometown in Chicago in 1955. One day, he allegedly wolf-whistled at a white woman in a grocery store, and a few days later, he was kidnapped, beaten, and shot. His body was found in a river, mutilated beyond recognition.
Bob Dylan's lyrics vividly describe the events leading up to and following Emmett Till's murder. The chorus is particularly potent, as it calls out to listeners who remain silent in the face of injustice to take a stand: "If you can't speak out against this kind of thing, a crime that's so unjust, your eyes are filled with dead men's dirt, your mind is filled with dust. Your arms and legs they must be in shackles and chains, and your blood it must refuse to flow, for you let this human race fall down so God-awful low." Dylan's lyrics force listeners to confront their own complicity in the systemic discrimination and violence faced by black Americans.
The Death of Emmett Till is a powerful example of protest music and its ability to challenge social norms and inspire change. Dylan's lyrics helped to bring attention to Emmett's murder and the broader issue of racial violence in America. The song remains relevant today, as the fight for racial justice continues.
Line by Line Meaning
Twas down in Mississippi no so long ago,
This event happened in the state of Mississippi not too long ago
When a young boy from Chicago town stepped through a Southern door.
A young boy from Chicago town went into a Southern establishment
This boy's dreadful tragedy I can still remember well,
The singer remembers the terrible tragedy that happened to this boy very well
The color of his skin was black and his name was Emmett Till.
The boy's name was Emmett Till and he was black
Some men they dragged him to a barn and there they beat him up.
Some men took him to a barn and physically assaulted him
They said they had a reason, but I can't remember what.
The men claimed to have a reason for the assault, but the singer does not recall what it was
They tortured him and did some evil things too evil to repeat.
The men committed horrific acts of torture on the boy
There was screaming sounds inside the barn, there was laughing sounds out on the street.
While the boy was being tortured, people inside the barn could hear him screaming, while people outside the barn were laughing
Then they rolled his body down a gulf amidst a bloody red rain
The men then disposed of his body by rolling it into a body of water with blood all around it
And they threw him in the waters wide to cease his screaming pain.
They threw him into the water to stop his screams and end his pain
The reason that they killed him there, and I'm sure it ain't no lie,
The men killed him just for the pleasure of it and the singer believes this to be true
Was just for the fun of killin' him and to watch him slowly die.
The men killed Emmett Till for the enjoyment of killing him and to watch him die a slow death
And then to stop the United States of yelling for a trial,
To prevent a trial from happening, two men confessed to killing Emmett Till
Two brothers they confessed that they had killed poor Emmett Till.
Two brothers confessed to the murder of Emmett Till
But on the jury there were men who helped the brothers commit this awful crime,
There were people on the jury who aided the brothers in committing this terrible crime
And so this trial was a mockery, but nobody seemed to mind.
The trial was a joke, but no one appeared to care
I saw the morning papers but I could not bear to see
The artist saw the morning newspaper, but couldn't bear to read it
The smiling brothers walkin' down the courthouse stairs.
The two brothers who had admitted to killing Emmett Till were seen leaving the courthouse with smiles on their faces
For the jury found them innocent and the brothers they went free,
The brothers were found not guilty by the jury and set free
While Emmett's body floats the foam of a Jim Crow southern sea.
Emmett Till's body is still in the water, a victim of the racist Jim Crow laws of the South
If you can't speak out against this kind of thing, a crime that's so unjust,
If you can't stand up against such an unfair crime
Your eyes are filled with dead men's dirt, your mind is filled with dust.
You're living in a state of ignorance and indifference
Your arms and legs they must be in shackles and chains, and your blood it must refuse to flow,
Your body may as well be bound in chains and your heart might as well stop beating
For you let this human race fall down so God-awful low!
You are responsible for allowing humanity to sink to such a low level
This song is just a reminder to remind your fellow man
This song serves as a reminder for people to inform others of this crime
That this kind of thing still lives today in that ghost-robed Ku Klux Klan.
The Ku Klux Klan is still perpetrating these types of crimes
But if all of us folks that thinks alike, if we gave all we could give,
However, if people who share the same beliefs band together and fully commit their efforts
We could make this great land of ours a greater place to live.
They could make America a better place to live
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@todos4708
LA MUERTE DE EMMETT TILL
Sucedió allá en Mississippi no hace mucho tiempo,/
Cuando un joven de Chicago cruzó una puerta sureña./
Todavía recuerdo bien la espantosa tragedia de aquel muchacho,/
El color de su piel era negro y su nombre Emmett Till.
Unos hombres le arrastraron hasta el granero, y allí le golpearon./
Dijeron tener una razón pero no recuerdo cuál./
Le torturaron e hicieron cosas demasiado terribles para ser contadas,/
Hubo gritos de dolor dentro del granero y risas en la calle.
Le tiraron por un terraplén entre una lluvia roja de sangre/
Y le arrojaron a las anchas aguas para acabar con sus gritos./
La razón para matarle, no me cabe duda alguna,/
Fue por simple diversión y para verle agonizar lentamente.
Y entonces para acallar el clamor del país pidiendo un juicio,/
Dos hermanos confesaron haber matado al pobre Emmett Till./
Pero en el jurado había hombres que les ayudaron a cometer su abominable crimen,/
Y así el juicio fue una burla, aunque a nadie pareció importarle.
Ojeé los periódicos de la mañana pero no pude soportar lo que vi,/
Los hermanos bajaban sonrientes las escaleras del juzgado./
El jurado les había declarado inocentes y los hermanos fueron puestos en libertad,/
Mientras el cuerpo de Emmett flota sobre la espuma de un mar sureño de Jim Crow.
Si sois incapaces de repudiar todo esto, un crimen tan injusto,/
Tenéis los ojos llenos de suciedad por tantos asesinatos, tenéis la mente llena de basura./
Vuestros brazos y piernas deben estar encadenados y vuestra sangre negarse a circular,/
Por permitir que el género humano caiga tan horriblemente bajo.
Esta canción es solo para que recordéis a todos/
Que ese Ku-Klux-Klan disfrazado de fantasma todavía hace estas cosas./
Pero si todos los que pensamos así, diéramos todo cuanto podemos dar,/
Podríamos hacer de esta gran tierra un sitio mejor para vivir.
@elijahwilliams3860
Emmett Till had only just turned 14 years old. Rest in Peace, Emmett.
@frxst_7836
Ha L
@AlarchyGaming
@@frxst_7836 What the fuck is so funny this is a tragedy
@user-tm6kl9ez1e
@@AlarchyGaming cos he’s black
@AlarchyGaming
@@user-tm6kl9ez1e that's fucked up man you dont laugh about shit like that what if it were your own kid
@keeyahnhakim6032
I hope that those 2 men who caused this incident get punished in hell
@lawrencetaylor4101
Emmet Till's Mother insisted that the funeral had an open casket.
She wanted the world to see. She made changes happen.
What a strong courageous act of defiance.
She deserved a song.
@rachelmackellar1874
The line that gets me the most is "While Emmett's body floats the foam of a Jim Crow southern sea"
@requix11
Rachel MacKellar same
@havahnageee
Requix wonderful line