Dylan started his musical odyssey in 1959 when he began playing in Dinkytown, Minneapolis while attending the University of Minnesota. Shortly after starting to play he changed his stage name to Bob Dylan, after being influenced by the poetry of Dylan Thomas before legally changing his name in 1962.
Much of his best known work is from the 1960s, when he became an informal documentarian and reluctant figurehead of American unrest, promoted by Joan Baez. Some of his songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'", became anthems of the anti-war and civil rights movements, with Joan Baez and Dylan singing together at the March on Washington in 1963. However he later became disenchanted with the civil liberty protest scene, feeling that he had been used by them.
His album Bringing It All Back Home marked a move away from the folk scene and a move towards rock and roll and Dylan began to consciously distance himself from his early association with civil rights. He also started to become irritated when being interviewed, often given facetious or irreverent answers to questions. Bringing It All Back Home was a controversial album as it the first on which he played electric guitar. This was seen by some of his fans as a betrayal of this folk roots, with some saying that it obscured his meaningful and poetic lyrics.
The second half of the 1960s was marked by a string of well received releases, with his song "Like a Rolling Stone", released in July of 1965, later being named "The Greatest Song of All Time" by Rolling Stone magazine in 2004, placing #1 in a list of 500 titles. It also marked the formation of Dylan's backing band The Hawks (who would later call themselves simply The Band). Dylan embarked on a world tour of Australia and Europe in 1966, during which he seemed to be under a lot of strain and pressure by both his fans, the music press and his own promoters. Dylan himself admitted that he began taking drugs seriously whilst on this tour, and found it immensely hard work. On returning to New York he crashed his motorbike, sustaining serious injuries in the process, and went into a period of withdrawal while he recuperated. During the late 1960s, Dylan again changed stylistic tradition, moving away from the psychedelic culture of the time. It was then that he recorded All Along the Watchtower, perhaps more famously recorded by Jimi Hendrix.
The 1970s were a period during which Dylan was more sporadic in his output, releasing some poorly received LPs. He rarely appeared in person until 1974, when he began touring again with his backing band The Band. He also wrote one of his most extensively covered songs, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, as well as what is now recognised as one of his best albums Blood On The Tracks. Towards the end of the 1970s, Dylan discovered Christ, and released some albums of gospel music. He started to talk to the crowd about his faith during his performances, and wouldn't play any of his early work, which alienated some of his previous fans.
Dylan today still remains an influential and popular artist; despite a period of little note between 1980-2000, his 2006 album Modern Times reached the US chart at #1, as did his 2009 album Together Through Life, in the US, Britain, France and several other countries. His 2012 album Tempest was also critically acclaimed. Since 1988, Dylan has been on the so-called Never Ending Tour, during which his performances have provoked controversy, with some critics claiming that his lyrics have become incomprehensible, an experience which is not helped by his tendency to change his set-list and vocals almost every performance.
Bob Dylan's strong influence over the past few years is becoming even more prominent amongst a growing group of younger emerging artists such as George Ellias and Devendra Banhart. Dylan's early lyrics incorporated politics, social commentary, philosophy and literary influences, defying existing pop music conventions and appealing widely to the counterculture of the time. While expanding and personalizing musical styles, Dylan has shown steadfast devotion to traditions of American song, from folk and country/blues to rock and roll and rockabilly, to Gaelic balladry, even jazz, swing and Broadway.
Dylan performs with the guitar, keyboard and harmonica. Backed by a changing lineup of musicians, he has toured steadily since the late 1980s. He has also recently performed alongside other iconic artists, such as Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Tom Petty and Eric Clapton. Although his contributions as a performer and recording artist have been central to his career, his songwriting is generally held as his highest accomplishment.
Nobel Prize for Literature (2016) - On October 13, 2016, Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. The prestigious award has been given annually since 1901 and previous Nobel Laureates for Literature include Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett. Here is the speech written by Dylan, although unable to attend:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/10/arts/bob-dylan-nobel-prize-acceptance-speech.html?_r=0
Goodbye Jimmy Reed
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Women in the churches wear powder and paint
Where the Jews and the Catholics and the Muslims all pray
I can tell they're Proddie from a mile away
Goodbye, Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Reed, indeed
Give me that old time religion, it's just what I need
For thine is kingdom, the power and the glory
Tell it in that straightforward, puritanical tone
In the mystic hours, when a person's alone
Goodbye, Jimmy Reed, godspeed
Thump on the Bible, proclaim a creed
You won't amount to much, the people all said
'Cause I didn't play guitar behind my head
Never pandered, never acted proud
Never took off my shoes, throw 'em in the crowd
Goodbye Jimmy Reed, goodbye, goodnight
Put a jewel in your crown and I put out the lights
They threw everything at me, everything in the book
I had nothing to fight with but a butcher's hook
They had no pity, they never lend a hand
I can't sing a song that I don't understand
Goodbye, Jimmy Reed, goodbye, good luck
I can't play the record 'cause my needle got stuck
Transparent woman in a transparent dress
Suits you well, I must confess
I'll break open your grapes, I'll suck out the juice
I need you like my head needs a noose
Goodbye, Jimmy Reed, goodbye and so long
I thought I could resist her but I was so wrong
God be with you, brother, dear
If you don't mind me asking, what brings you here?
Oh, nothing much, I'm just looking for the man
Need to see where he's lying in this lost land
Goodbye Jimmy Reed, and everything within ya
Can't you hear me calling from down in Virginia?
In "Goodbye Jimmy Reed," we can see that Bob Dylan is speaking about a place that he calls home, albeit with a few ironies. He lives on a street named after a saint, where women in churches wear makeup and where people of different faiths congregate to pray. Dylan suggests how differences exist among these faiths by remarking on the Protestants, who he can identify "from a mile away." He then says his goodbyes to Jimmy Reed, a blues musician who passed away in 1976, while evoking elements of religious language in his lines. Dylan is speaking about religion when he says, "Give me that old time religion, it's just what I need" and "Thump on the Bible, proclaim a creed." He then goes on to talk about his struggles as an artist, which might feel like a contradiction to the religious tone of the songs' earlier parts. He explains how people told him that he wouldn't amount to much because he couldn't play the guitar behind his head or throw off his shoes. Yet, despite the challenges, Dylan managed to survive by using his wit and humor to overcome the obstacles thrown at him.
Line by Line Meaning
I live on a street named after a Saint
I reside on a saintly street
Women in the churches wear powder and paint
Ladies at the church hide their marks with makeup
Where the Jews and the Catholics and the Muslims all pray
Where people of all faiths offer their prayers
I can tell they're Proddie from a mile away
I can recognize Protestants from far away
Goodbye, Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Reed, indeed
Jimmy Reed, I bid you farewell
Give me that old time religion, it's just what I need
I crave for the traditional faith
For thine is kingdom, the power and the glory
Everything belongs to God, who reigns supreme
Go tell it on the mountain, go tell the real story
Spread the truth across the land
Tell it in that straightforward, puritanical tone
Preach the pure, strong message
In the mystic hours, when a person's alone
In the strange moments when one is alone
Goodbye, Jimmy Reed, godspeed
Jimmy Reed, farewell and good luck
Thump on the Bible, proclaim a creed
Recite scripture to herald a belief
You won't amount to much, the people all said
People had low expectations of me
'Cause I didn't play guitar behind my head
Because I didn't show off my guitar skills
Never pandered, never acted proud
I never compromised my principles, never acted arrogant
Never took off my shoes, throw 'em in the crowd
Never threw my shoes in the crowd as a sign of admiration
Goodbye Jimmy Reed, goodbye, goodnight
Goodbye Jimmy Reed, I'll be off to bed
Put a jewel in your crown and I put out the lights
He will leave with pride and I will turn off the lights
They threw everything at me, everything in the book
They used every possible attack against me
I had nothing to fight with but a butcher's hook
I had only a meat hook to defend myself
They had no pity, they never lend a hand
They never gave mercy or helped me
I can't sing a song that I don't understand
I cannot sing a song that makes no sense to me
Goodbye, Jimmy Reed, goodbye, good luck
Jimmy Reed, goodbye and good fortune
I can't play the record 'cause my needle got stuck
I cannot play the record because the needle is stuck
Transparent woman in a transparent dress
A transparent lady in a transparent frock
Suits you well, I must confess
Suits you perfectly, I will admit
I'll break open your grapes, I'll suck out the juice
I will split open your grapes and drink the juice
I need you like my head needs a noose
You are my downfall
Goodbye, Jimmy Reed, goodbye and so long
Jimmy Reed, farewell and goodbye for long
I thought I could resist her but I was so wrong
I assumed I'd resist her, but I was mistaken
God be with you, brother, dear
May the almighty watch over you, my beloved brother
If you don't mind me asking, what brings you here?
With your permission, may I ask why you're here?
Oh, nothing much, I'm just looking for the man
Just searching for someone, without a definitive plan
Need to see where he's lying in this lost land
I need to find out where he lies in this forsaken land
Goodbye Jimmy Reed, and everything within ya
Goodbye Jimmy Reed, with everything that was inside you
Can't you hear me calling from down in Virginia?
Can't you hear me calling from far away in Virginia?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@theloniouscoltrane3778
Reestablished? Nothing against
Nick Drake
L. Cohen
Neil Young
Paul Simon
Sting
Tom Waits
Or any songwriter who puts poetry in lyrics.
But BOB DYLAN wrote the RULE BOOK of POETIC LYRICAL SONGWRITING.
Born. 1941.
And releases this new album of all original tracks.
No one can top that.
Read the lyrics of each of his song on this album. Mind-blowing!
You can't write him off. He will always be relevant. The man. The legend. The Bob Dylan.
@reonprinters
Lyrics:
I live on a street named after a Saint
Women in the churches wear powder and paint
Where the Jews, and Catholics, and the Muslims all pray
I can tell they're Proddie from a mile away
Goodbye Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Reed indeed
Give me that old time religion, it's just what I need
For thine is kingdom, the power, the glory
Go tell it on the mountain, go tell the real story
Tell it in that straightforward, puritanical tone
In the mystic hours when a person's alone
Goodbye Jimmy Reed, godspeed
Thump on the Bible, proclaim a creed
You won't amount to much, the people all said
'Cause I didn't play guitar behind my head
Never pandered, never acted proud
Never took off my shoes, throw 'em in the crowd
Goodbye Jimmy Reed, goodbye, goodnight
Put a jewel in your crown and I put out the lights
They threw everything at me, everything in the book
I had nothing to fight with but a butcher's hook
They had no pity, they never lend a hand
I can't sing a song that I don't understand
Goodbye Jimmy Reed, goodbye, good luck
I can't play the record 'cause my needle got stuck
Transparent woman in a transparent dress
Suits you well, I must confess
I'll break open your grapes, I'll suck out the juice
I need you like my head needs a noose
Goodbye Jimmy Reed, goodbye and so long
I thought I could resist her but I was so wrong
God be with you, brother dear
If you don't mind me asking what brings you here?
Oh, nothing much, I'm just looking for the man
Need to see where he's lying in this lost land
Goodbye Jimmy Reed, and everything within ya
Can't you hear me calling from down in Virginia?
@SoulStylistJukeBox
I hope this man lives forever. What a terrific album.
@sfender2182
I hope he lives long enough to release about 4 or 5 more albums of original material and then unites in heaven with all of us!
@utube83100
He will. He's a believer in Jesus.
@ryansanders419
Exactly
@geoffreycoulson2039
He won't live forever,but his music will.
@moondancer9066
@@utube83100 He claims to worship Satan.
@sadeyedlady
Groovy song. I like it. I also looked up Jimmy Reed on Wikipedia. Interesting man.
@joankearns4490
He never lost it. Love you Dylan.
@ferociousgumby
"I can tell a Proddie from a mile away."
@ferociousgumby
@Luke Combs Buzz off, Luke.