All along The Watchtower
Simone Kopmajer Paul Urbanek Reinhardt Winkler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief
Businessmen, they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None will level on the line
Nobody any of it is worth
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too
Outside in the distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
And the wind began to howl
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too
No reason to get excited
The thief, he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now
The hour is getting late
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too
Outside in the cold distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
And the wind began to howl
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too
Outside in the cold distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
And the wind began to howl
The song "All Along the Watchtower" by Simone Kopmajer feat. Paul Urbanek & Reinhardt Winkler is a cover of Bob Dylan's original. The lyrics are sung from the perspectives of three characters: the Joker, the Thief, and the Princes on the Watchtower. The Joker and the Thief are conversing about their confusion and desire to escape their current situation. The Princes on the Watchtower are watching the events unfold, and in the end, it is revealed that two riders are approaching, and the wind begins to howl. The song's lyrics have been interpreted as a commentary on the divisiveness and chaos of the 1960s.
The opening line of the song, "There must be some way out of here," has become a popular cultural reference used in movies and TV shows. Jimi Hendrix's cover of the song is often considered the definitive version and is ranked as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time. The song has also been covered by many other artists, including Dave Matthews Band, U2, and Eddie Vedder. In 1994, Bob Dylan himself performed a revised version of the song for the album "MTV Unplugged."
Line by Line Meaning
There must be some way out of here
Said the joker to the thief
The joker and the thief are both seeking a way out of their current situation or dilemma.
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief
The singer is overwhelmed by the amount of chaos and disorder in their life, and can't find any relief from it.
Businessmen, they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None will level on the line
Nobody any of it is worth
The singer is frustrated that people in different social classes take advantage of them without offering any real help or support.
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too
The watchtower was guarded by royalty while servants and women came and went, highlighting the power dynamics and social hierarchies of the time.
Outside in the distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
And the wind began to howl
The setting is tense and foreboding, with a wild animal growling and two riders approaching accompanied by howling wind.
No reason to get excited
The thief, he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
The thief is trying to calm down the singer by acknowledging that many people view life as a game or joke without any real purpose.
But you and I, we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now
The hour is getting late
The singer and the thief have experienced life's ups and downs before, and they believe that they have a different fate than those who see life as a joke. They urge each other to be honest and truthful, as time is running out.
Contributed by Chase E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.