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.
Nothing Was Delivered
Bob Dylan and The Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I tell this truth to you
Not out of spite or anger
But simply because it's true
Now, I hope you won't object to this
Giving back all of what you owe
The fewer words you have to waste on this
The sooner you can go
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Take care of yourself, get plenty of rest
Nothing was delivered
But I can't say I sympathize
With what your fate is going to be
Yes, for telling all those lies
Now you must provide some answers
For what you sold that's not been received
And the sooner you come up with them
The sooner you can leave
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Take care of yourself, get plenty of rest
Now you know nothing was delivered
And it's up to you to say
Just what you had in mind
When you made everybody pay
No, nothing was delivered
Yes, and someone must explain
And as long as it takes to do this
Then that's as long that you'll remain
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Take care of yourself, get plenty of rest
In Bob Dylan and The Band's song "Nothing Was Delivered," Dylan tells a story of someone who promised something but wasn't able to deliver. The song is not a rant nor a rant of anger. In the opening verse, Dylan explicitly states that he shares this truth not because of pure spite or anger. He is merely stating the fact. The song's theme is about holding someone accountable for not delivering what they promised, and the person's fate for not fulfilling their obligations. Dylan is advocating for accountability and is giving the person a chance to make restitution by giving back all that they owe.
Dylan seems to be putting himself into the shoes of someone who wants to make things right in the song but didn't receive what they were expecting to receive. In the end, the song's message is simple: if you make a promise, deliver on it. Otherwise, you will have to answer to the person who relied on you for whatever it was you promised.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing was delivered
The promised goods or services were not provided
And I tell this truth to you
The singer is stating a truthful fact
Not out of spite or anger
The singer is not motivated by negative emotions
But simply because it's true
The artist is stating a fact without embellishment
Now, I hope you won't object to this
The artist hopes their statement won't be met with resistance
Giving back all of what you owe
The recipient of the message owes something and needs to return it
The fewer words you have to waste on this
The singer wants to keep the conversation short
The sooner you can go
The artist wants the recipient to leave as soon as possible
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Nothing at all is preferable to a bad situation
Take care of yourself, get plenty of rest
Self-care is important in difficult times
Nothing was delivered
The promised goods or services were not provided
But I can't say I sympathize
The artist doesn't feel sorry for the recipient
With what your fate is going to be
The singer believes the recipient will face negative consequences
Yes, for telling all those lies
The recipient lied and is now facing the consequences
Now you must provide some answers
The recipient needs to explain what happened
For what you sold that's not been received
The recipient sold something that wasn't delivered
And the sooner you come up with them
The artist wants the recipient to provide answers quickly
The sooner you can leave
The singer wants the recipient to leave as soon as possible
Now you know nothing was delivered
The recipient has been informed of the lack of delivery
And it's up to you to say
The recipient is responsible for explaining the situation
Just what you had in mind
The recipient needs to clarify their intentions
When you made everybody pay
The recipient charged others for goods or services
No, nothing was delivered
The promised goods or services were not provided
Yes, and someone must explain
The situation needs to be clarified
And as long as it takes to do this
The singer is willing to wait for a full explanation
Then that's as long that you'll remain
The singer will not let the recipient leave until there's a full explanation
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Nothing at all is preferable to a bad situation
Take care of yourself, get plenty of rest
Self-care is important in difficult times
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@josephjaffe4740
Nothing was delivered
And I tell this truth to you
Not out of spite or anger
But simply because it's true
Now, I hope you won't object to this
Giving back all of what you owe
The fewer words you have to waste on this
The sooner you can go
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Take care of yourself, get plenty of rest
Nothing was delivered
But I can't say I sympathize
With what your fate is going to be
Yes, for telling all those lies
Now you must provide some answers
For what you sold that's not been received
And the sooner you come up with them
The sooner you can leave
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Take care of yourself, get plenty of rest
Now you know nothing was delivered
And it's up to you to say
Just what you had in mind
When you made ev'rybody pay
No, nothing was delivered
Yes, 'n' someone must explain
That as long as it takes to do this
Then that's how long that you'll remain
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Take care of yourself, get plenty rest
@johnnyb93
I am patiently waiting for a new refrigerator from Lowes for the second day without fulfillment. All I can think of is this fine song by Bob.
@alisonmadden6471
Nothing is better nothing is best - take care of yourself and get plenty of rest
@alisonmadden6522
One of my all time favorite songs
@josephjaffe4740
Nothing was delivered
And I tell this truth to you
Not out of spite or anger
But simply because it's true
Now, I hope you won't object to this
Giving back all of what you owe
The fewer words you have to waste on this
The sooner you can go
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Take care of yourself, get plenty of rest
Nothing was delivered
But I can't say I sympathize
With what your fate is going to be
Yes, for telling all those lies
Now you must provide some answers
For what you sold that's not been received
And the sooner you come up with them
The sooner you can leave
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Take care of yourself, get plenty of rest
Now you know nothing was delivered
And it's up to you to say
Just what you had in mind
When you made ev'rybody pay
No, nothing was delivered
Yes, 'n' someone must explain
That as long as it takes to do this
Then that's how long that you'll remain
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Take care of yourself, get plenty rest
@JorgeLMarquezsM
Ante todo un estilo el de estas grabaciones con los canadienses
@susiefairfield7218
Happy Birthday Levon Helm 5-25-23
@johnlornie9741
It is what you think it is I guess, if it's not delivered, well there's still hope! Lol
@maggiebryan2355
❤
@fredfat3128
everythings been paid that was owed
@mariajosesastre8904
Eres el mejor del mundo junto a Van Morrison