The members of The Band first worked together as The Hawks, the backing band of rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins from 1959 until 1963. Shortly afterwards, Bob Dylan came to Toronto and recruited the quintet for his history-making 1965/1966 world tour. The Band also worked with Dylan on the initial Blonde on Blonde sessions which, bar two tracks, were ultimately abandoned in favour of versions recorded with Nashville session musicians.
After a motorcycle accident in mid-1966, Dylan retreated from the public eye to his country house near Woodstock, New York. He was joined by the Band for some informal jam sessions starting in the autumn of 1967, nearly all of which were recorded. After being heavily bootleged, Columbia Records finally released The Basement Tapes in 1975, a selection of the better tracks recorded during the sessions along with new recordings by The Band.
Bob Dylan and The Band were reunited in 1974, recording Planet Waves for Asylum Records, Dylan's first album recorded for a record label other than Columbia. Although the album was released under Dylan's name alone, The Band joined Dylan for his first tour in eight years in support of Planet Waves, with some of the material recorded and released on the 1975 concert record Before the Flood.
Columbia Records finally released The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete in November 2014, featuring every surving recording from the original sessions in Woodstock.
I'm Alright
Bob Dylan and The Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We've never had it so good
House in Hampstead, fallout bunker
Done everything we could
Fitted the Rolls with a shatterproof windscreen
Soon as we heard the news
Harrods do a nice little teargas
Even a woman can use
All good men at Number Ten
Everything's understood
Don't you worry, I'm alright, Jack
We've never had it so good
Don't you worry, I'm alright, Jack
We've never had it so good
There's plenty of grouse at the country house
We're eating as we should
Hugh's at Sandhurst, everything's safe
With Perkins running the farm
Half a dozen shotguns in the Land Rover
Ready for the call to arms
Gin traps down around the grounds
Trip wires out in the wood
Don't you worry, I'm alright, Jack
We've never had it so good
The song "I'm Alright" by Bob Dylan and The Band is a satirical take on the mentality of the English upper class in the 1960s. The lyrics describe a wealthy family living in Hampstead, who have everything they need to survive a nuclear attack. They have a fallout bunker, a Rolls with a shatterproof windscreen, teargas from Harrods, and even plenty of grouse to eat at their country house. The family seems to be preparing for the worst, with Hugh at Sandhurst, Perkins running the farm, and half a dozen shotguns in the Land Rover. They have set up gin traps and trip wires around the grounds, ready for any danger.
Despite all of this preparation, the family seems to be in a state of denial. The chorus repeats, "Don't you worry, I'm alright, Jack. We've never had it so good." The repeated line reveals that the family is not worried about the future because they are so sure that they will be alright. The mention of "all good men at Number Ten" is a reference to the British prime minister's residence, suggesting that the government is in control and that everything is under control.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the privileged mindset of the wealthy and their preparedness for disaster, while also highlighting their inability or refusal to acknowledge the real risks they face.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you worry, I'm alright, Jack
I'm not worried about anything, I am satisfied with my current situation.
We've never had it so good
Life has never been better than it is now.
House in Hampstead, fallout bunker
We have a house in a posh area and a nuclear fallout shelter.
Done everything we could
We have taken all the necessary steps to protect ourselves and maintain our lifestyle.
Fitted the Rolls with a shatterproof windscreen
We have taken measures to protect ourselves while driving.
Soon as we heard the news
We are always alert and ready to take action when something happens.
Harrods do a nice little teargas
We have access to non-lethal weapons to protect ourselves.
Even a woman can use
The weapons we have are easy to use, even by inexperienced people.
All good men at Number Ten
The country is being led by capable leaders.
Everything's understood
The current situation is clear and we know what to do.
There's plenty of grouse at the country house
We are enjoying our luxurious lifestyle in the countryside.
We're eating as we should
We are living a lavish life without any worries about shortage of food.
Hugh's at Sandhurst, everything's safe
We have people in our circle who are trained in warfare and can protect us if needed.
With Perkins running the farm
We have someone who is looking after our farm, ensuring its smooth functioning.
Half a dozen shotguns in the Land Rover
We have guns in our vehicle, ready to be used in case of an emergency.
Ready for the call to arms
We are always ready to defend ourselves.
Gin traps down around the grounds
We have traps set up to catch any uninvited visitors.
Trip wires out in the wood
We have installed trip wires to alert us of any potential threats.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Wuei108
[Verse 1]
Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, the child's balloon
Eclipses both the sun and moon
To understand you know too soon
There is no sense in trying
[Verse 2]
Pointed threats they bluff with scorn
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fools gold mouthpiece the hollow horn
Plays wasted words, proves to warn
That he not busy being born
Is busy dying
[Verse 3]
Temptation's page flies out the door
You follow, find yourself at war
Watch waterfalls of pity roar
You feel to moan, but unlike before
You discover that you'd just be one more
Person crying
[Chorus]
So don't fear if you hear
A foreign sound to your ear
It's alright, Ma, I'm only sighing
[Verse 4]
As some warn victory, some downfall
Private reasons, great or small
Can be seen in the eyes of those that call
To make all that should be killed to crawl
While others say don't hate nothing at all
Except hatred
[Verse 5]
Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark
Make everything from toy guns that spark
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without lookin' too far
That not much is really sacred
[Verse 6]
While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
Goodness hides behind its gates
But even the President of the United States
Sometimes must have to stand naked
[Chorus]
And though the rules of the road have been lodged
It's only people's games that you got to dodge
And it's alright, Ma, I can make it
[Verse 7]
Advertising signs that con
You into thinking you're the one
That can do what's never been done
That can win what's never been won
Meantime, life outside goes on
All around you
[Verse 8]
You lose yourself, you reappear
You suddenly find you got nothing to fear
Alone you stand with nobody near
When a trembling distant voice, unclear
Startles your sleeping ears to hear
That somebody thinks they really found you
[Verse 9]
A question in your nerves is lit
Yet you know there is no answer fit
To satisfy, ensure you not to quit
To keep it in your mind and not forget
That it is not he, or she, or them, or it
That you belong to
[Chorus]
But though the masters make the rules
For the wise men and the fools
I got nothing, Ma, to live up to
[Verse 10]
For them that must obey authority
That they do not respect in any degree
Who despise their jobs, their destiny
Speak jealously of them that are free
Do what they do just to be
Nothing more than something they invest in
[Verse 11]
While some on principles baptized
To strict party platform ties
Social clubs in drag disguise
Outsiders they can freely criticize
Tell nothing except who to idolize
And say "God bless him"
[Verse 12]
While one who sings with his tongue on fire
Gargles in the rat race choir
Bent out of shape from society's pliers
Cares not to come up any higher
But rather get you down in the hole
That he's in
[Chorus]
But I mean no harm, nor put fault
On anyone that lives in a vault
But it's alright, Ma, if I can't please him
[Verse 13]
Old lady judges watch people in pairs
Limited in sex, they dare
To push fake morals, insult and stare
While money doesn't talk, it swears
Obscenity, who really cares
Propaganda, all is phony
[Verse 14]
While them that defend what they cannot see
With a killer's pride, security
It blows the minds most bitterly
For them that think death's honesty
Won't fall upon 'em naturally
Life sometimes must get lonely
[Verse 15]
My eyes collide head-on with stuffed
Graveyards, false goals, I scuff
At pettiness which plays so rough
Walk upside down inside handcuffs
Kick my legs to crash it off
Say, okay, I've had enough
What else can you show me?
[Chorus]
And if my thought-dreams could be seen
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine
But it's alright, Ma, it's life, and life only
@JackMySmack
Love the poetry in protesting that Dylan revolutionised. Not a lot of people can make songs that are angry and just without actually sounding angry or using swear words anymore.
"Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark
Make everything from toy guns that spark,
To flesh-coloured Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without looking too far,
That not much is really sacred."
Thank you, Dylan. And a belated happy 80th birthday!
@Funktaro5
"Money doesn't talk, it swears." What a fucking line.
@wingone4438
Ain't that the truth!
And all these years later it seems those kinda times, still ain't changin much! Some haven't figured out yet that it's children that pay the price of parents and other adults choices!
Ya know what a good many adults are in other words? A- Dolts.
Your so very important post reminds us to think from motivation and intent. To Always remember to see through the heart and minds eyes of a child and to be kind. And for that, I Thank- You and of course, Mr.D too!
@ajaypalsinghbhatti8901
Ask a man who is dying he just want a day more to live not money or women.
@dixonpinfold2582
I loved it when I heard it at 16, not so much now. The ones I like are the last ones. I don't think he just concludes with them, I think they're the conclusions he comes to:
"And if my thought-dreams/ Could be seen
They'd probably put my head/ In a guillotine.
But it's alright ma
It's life and life only."
It's hard to do better than that.
@midnightok3er
100
@thegreenbird795
fucking a!
@mator2339
One of the best songs ever written in the history of mankind.
@paulobrien7557
That's a big like from me
@pavlovsunhappydog
And me..
@hippiecheezburger5457
It’s life and life only