All Along The Watchtower
Bob Dylan and Grateful Dead Lyrics

There must be some way outta here
The joker is expressing his need for a way to escape the current situation.

Said the joker to the thief
The conversation is between two different people with different perspectives.

There's too much confusion here
The current situation is unclear and chaotic.

I can't get no relief
The artist is unable to find any solace from the situation.

Businessmen, they drink my wine
Those in power take what is rightfully the artist's.

Plowmen dig my earth
The common man works to maintain what the singer has built.

None of them know along the line
No one seems to understand the true value of what the singer has created.

What any of this is worth, yeah
The artist questions whether any of his work and efforts hold any true worth or value.

No reason to get excited
The thief is urging the other person to not become overly emotional or upset by the current situation.

There are many among us
There is a large group of people who view life as a joke or meaningless.

Who think that life is but a joke
Those people view life as being without purpose or meaning.

But you and I, we've been through that
The two people have already experienced and overcome this way of thinking.

And that is not our fate
The singer and the other person are not destined to believe that life is a joke without meaning.

So let us not talk falsely now
The singer is urging honesty and an end to any falsehoods in their conversation.

Because the hour is getting late, hey, hey, hey
The situation is growing more urgent and serious by the minute.

All along the watchtower
The setting is a watchtower where people are keeping watch and paying attention to their surroundings.

Princes kept the view
Those in power are the ones watching and monitoring things from the top.

While horsemen came and went
Others come and go, but the ones in power remain in control.

Barefoot servants, too
Even those with no power or shoes are still present and aware of what is happening around them.

All I got is a red guitar
The artist has very little in the way of possessions or material goods, but does have a guitar.

Three chords and the truth
The artist's simple guitar playing is about raw truth and honesty.

The rest is up to you
The artist is relying on someone else to take his simple guitar playing and create something more meaningful and lasting with it.

You and I, we've been through that
The two people have already gone through the experience of viewing life as meaningless or a joke.

And that is not our fate, at least today
The artist and the other person are not destined to live their lives without purpose or meaning.

Late, late, yeah
The situation has become even more urgent and serious, adding to the sense of tension and danger present.