by John Toscano

Created on: April 18, 2008

There are many different ways to view Bob Dylan's legacy but for me, his legacy lies in his songs and most especially in his lyrics. He is a singer, songwriter and musician, whose lyrics are enduring and continue to influence and inspire the many people who still listen to them regularly. I was too young to take in much of the music of the sixties and my real musical interests started well after the peak of the Dylan era. When I started to listen closely to his songs I became fascinated by the unique insight he revealed in his rich and often poetic lyrics. I was enthralled at how you could listen to one of his songs and a whole story could unfold.

There is so much to choose from but I have picked out a few striking and memorable Dylan lyrics to illustrate his prose. Some are just phrases from songs but I have also included some full verses which seem to lose something if not quoted in their entirety. I may say here that many of the greatest Dylan songs were heard at their very best through the performances of artists other than the man himself. Most notably, The Byrds produced many fine Dylan covers and their performances of his songs sometimes added an extra dimension to the music he had created.

I start this discussion with Like a Rolling Stone, a song that numerous artists have covered without coming close to surpassing the 1965 Dylan original, featuring Al Cooper on keyboards. Despite all the mistakes made during this recording, audible to the discerning ear, it still stands out as a quite brilliant version and an absolute classic.

"You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns when they all came down and did their tricks for you.
You never understood that it ain't no good you shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you".

Later in the same song, Dylan came up with that immortal phrase, "When you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose".

All Along the Watchtower has always intrigued me and I find the lyrics quite compelling, without being sure exactly what they mean.

"No reason to get excited, the thief he kindly spoke, there are many here amongst us who feel that life is just a joke".

The Jimi Hendrix version of "All Along the Watchtower" is one of the most amazing rock songs ever recorded, partly because of the astounding guitar riffs but Hendrix's rendition of the lyrics is also very powerful.

The verses of Mr Tambourine Man have an incredible meandering, dreamy, mystical rhythm to them, quite unlike any other lyrics I have

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