The Intro
Dylan Lyrics


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Oh my name it ain't nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I was taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side

Oh, the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh, the country was young
With God on its side

The Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War, too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I was made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side

The First World War, boys
It came and it went
The reason for fighting
I never did get
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side

The Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And then we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now, too
Have God on their side

I've learned to hate the Russians
All through my whole life
If another war comes
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side

But now we got weapons
Of chemical dust
If fire them, we're forced to
Then fire, them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side

Through many a dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ was
Betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side

So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor




That if God's on our side
He'll stop the next war

Overall Meaning

The song "The Intro" by Bob Dylan is a reflection on American history and its tendency to justify violence and war through the idea of divine providence. The first few lines of the song express Dylan's detachment from his own identity as he defines himself through negation: his name does not mean anything and his age carries no significance. He goes on to assert his Midwestern origins and the fact that he was raised to follow the country's laws. However, he is also aware that America's past is marked by violence, particularly towards Native Americans and other nations that were seen as opposing American interests. Despite these dark moments, Dylan argues that the country has always legitimized its actions by invoking God's support.


The song goes on to give examples of American wars where the narrative of divine backing was used to justify horrific acts. The Spanish-American War, the Civil War, and both World Wars are mentioned, with Dylan questioning the reasons for fighting and the high death toll. He also highlights the hypocrisy of forgiving Germany for the Holocaust while still harboring hatred towards Russia during the Cold War. The final verses express Dylan's fears about the dangers of nuclear weapons and his doubts about whether God is really on anyone's side.


Overall, "The Intro" presents a critical view of American history and its self-justification through a divine mantle. Dylan exposes the contradictions and fanaticism that have led to countless deaths and suffering, and his urgent plea for peace and reason still resonates today.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh my name it ain't nothin'
My name is not important.


My age it means less
My age is irrelevant.


The country I come from Is called the Midwest
I am from the central region of the United States.


I was taught and brought up there The laws to abide And that land that I live in Has God on its side
I was raised with a strong sense of morality and patriotism, and I believe that God is on the side of the United States.


Oh, the history books tell it They tell it so well
The history books present a biased and incomplete narrative.


The cavalries charged The Indians fell The cavalries charged The Indians died Oh, the country was young With God on its side
The United States committed genocide against Native Americans, but justified it as God's will.


The Spanish-American War had its day And the Civil War, too Was soon laid away And the names of the heroes I was made to memorize With guns in their hands And God on their side
The United States fought wars and glorifies the soldiers who fought in them, casting them as heroes with divine approval.


The First World War, boys It came and it went The reason for fighting I never did get But I learned to accept it Accept it with pride For you don't count the dead When God's on your side
I don't understand the reasons for war, but I was taught to blindly accept it and not consider the loss of life because I believe God is on our side.


The Second World War Came to an end We forgave the Germans And then we were friends Though they murdered six million In the ovens they fried The Germans now, too Have God on their side
We forgave Germany for the Holocaust and now portray them as allies who also have God's approval.


I've learned to hate the Russians All through my whole life If another war comes It's them we must fight To hate them and fear them To run and to hide And accept it all bravely With God on my side
I have been conditioned to hate and fear Russians and accept the idea of going to war with them because I believe God is on our side.


But now we got weapons Of chemical dust If fire them, we're forced to Then fire, them we must One push of the button And a shot the world wide And you never ask questions When God's on your side
We possess extremely dangerous weapons, and if we are compelled to use them, we will without questioning their morality because we believe that God is on our side.


Through many a dark hour I've been thinkin' about this That Jesus Christ was Betrayed by a kiss But I can't think for you You'll have to decide Whether Judas Iscariot Had God on his side
I have reflected on the nature of betrayal and the betrayal of Jesus Christ in particular, but ultimately the question of whether even the most notorious betrayer had God on his side is a matter of individual interpretation.


So now as I'm leavin' I'm weary as Hell The confusion I'm feelin' Ain't no tongue can tell The words fill my head And fall to the floor That if God's on our side He'll stop the next war
As I depart, I am filled with weariness and confusion regarding the conflict between war and morality. However, I believe that if God is truly on our side, he will prevent the next war from happening.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, AUDIAM, INC
Written by: BOB DYLAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Jay Vandyke

this is way better than the first intro

MikesMemoriesfromthePast89

That's a nice new theme song except they don't have the cast names in the opening credits. What the heck?

That One Local Seaboard X Michigan Productions 🍁

Yeah lol!

Elopepe

It's better than the first one coz it has the whole family together it makes it special

King Kris

It's called young Dylan because it's mainly bout him.

Chris

and it’s got rebbe a

Hatib X

I like the old intro but this new intro is way better it’s so amazing

OLiver G

Yeah

Montel Gathers

@OLiver G SAME

Christy M

That theme is 🔥

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