I HAVE TO POINT THIS OUT........
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My good friend dermahrk said (in another thread)...
"Actually, Dylan gave up politics, what, 35 years ago and hasn't written a "protest" song for a long, long time."
I think it would be closer to the truth to say that Dylan backed off the simplistic blacknwhite nature of his earlier protest songs because they're obvious traps. "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" is a pounding, powerful song. Pointing fingers scolding assorted cartoon ne'er do wells with vivid imagery & fevered humor. Dylan as the thundering "Voice Of A Generation". Yet its all so two-dimensional as to be parody.
"High Water Rising" from 2001's Love & Theft is a far superior song, in every respect. Musically its a work of pure genius. From the unresolved banjo riff to the almost subliminal thunder of the ominous drum-rolls that start each verse. The music establishes tension without release, no easy answers. And Lyrically this song slips into his Bobness's top ten song ever. The vivid images are chaotic now without the purposeful surrealism of his earlier songs. "High Water Rising" derives it's tension, it's surreal atmosphere through a jaundiced lens of experience. There are no pointing fingers, He's tryin' too hard to stay in the boat...(lookin' for Dignity?)
This makes for masterful "protest" music.
Thunder On The Mountain.....my god, is there a better portrayal of a world scooped hollow, left without meaning?
This makes for masterful "protest" music.
Comments (26)
Great post although you forgot to take one thing into consideration. Bob's songwriting does not lend itself to the pop ego of today's youngster listening rap rock. And younger people today do not seem to me to behold the kind of protest mentality as our previous generation embraced.
Bob is old and kids are wishy washy.
"Bob is old and kids are wishy washy."
I am sure the above sentiment was expressed by more than a few sets of parents of the '60's Flower Child Generation....Considering that your values are different (not better - who judges this anyway?) than your succeeding generation of leaders; it may be time to get with the new program which emphasizes tolerability of human differences, rather than the past generation's practice of isolating or destroying groups who hold oppossing cultural preferences. A want for a peaceful world is not in any way wishy-washy; but one can regress to such a state if he begins to accept compromised values....
Allow the younger generation to tell you who speaks to them rather than making assumptions - you know what they say about these....
Let's face it....The kids are not concerned.....yet. As driftersescape7 so amply illustrates.....moral relativism has replaced moral truth. To boldly assert that each culture is equal to every other is patently absurd on it's face. Yet it has become an accepted dogma of .....certain folks.
Wishy-washy? Robert Frost said a Liberal is someone without the sense to pick his own side in a fight.
I only see illness and degradation of tolerance in today's youth. Kind of naive but all knowing at the same time. If there is so much tolerance then why does the U.S.have such a large army and navy? Obama or not tolerance has grown thin.
I just had to visit Atlanta or New Orleans or try to cross the border to find that trust has been comprimised.
In terms of the differences between generations:
"Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
You old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'."
If you only see "illness and degradation of tolerance" in my generation, you're looking in the wrong places. Every generation has its morons, no exceptions.
i believe there are some political tunes on his upcoming record.
"If you only see "illness and degradation of tolerance" in my generation, you're looking in the wrong places."
Well said Jules...
Moral relativism in the United States is not new at all. The country was pretty much founded that way.
Generally speaking the majority of youth are being sucked into the economic vacuum and will be spit out with debt upon debt in new world. I guess one has to take into consideration socioeconomic status when generalizing about today's youth. The ones who are sheltered by my generation will be okay.The ones that aren't better come up with a plan to pave their own paths.Video gaming is not work.
"Moral relativism in the United States is not new at all. The country was pretty much founded that way."
>>>An astute observation and quite correct. Folks have been comparing cultures/& religious beliefs since the first dawn. They have been judgemental in their comparisons & thought to improve upon what was. In 21st century terms moral relativism has replaced "judgement" with "tolerence" .....the great talisman of the left. Without an absolute moral truth there will never be the tolerence we truly seek.
We....(the west) can be as tolerent as we want....we are "Christians" after all, turning other cheeks ad infinitum. So yes.......that brings us to...
"......it may be time to get with the new program which emphasizes tolerability of human differences, rather than the past generation's practice of isolating or destroying groups who hold oppossing cultural preferences. A want for a peaceful world is not in any way wishy-washy; but one can regress to such a state if he begins to accept compromised values...."
>>>>I wonder if we can get get everyone to play this game.
True.I agree, I have been with the program and I hate to be arrogant but history has shown a steady demise of the human condition.You just have to look at east vs.west and know in your heart that nothing is getting better in relation to the relations of the earth's inhabitants.
There are many examples time after time of human not learning from history and the West is running out of fuel.
We are taking a big step backwards.
Deadman said...
"we are "Christians" after all"
Speak for yourself, or those who have admitted such an affiliation. I am not a Christian; I am not a Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or Rasta. Ask some of the young folks that you chastize so frequently where they obtain their value system. You will get a million different anwers. Now whose job is it to instill in these kids the "common truths" that you claim exist in the world? I'll tell you....It is the job of their parents, who I might mention are deadmans "so noble" peers....So fault yourself if you don't like your kids piercings or politics, it is your monster.
deadman said...
"Robert Frost said a Liberal is someone without the sense to pick his own side in a fight"
Frost was entitled to his opinion. And I am entitled to mine.....'Not beng able to pick a side' is called promoting peace!!! When you take a side in anything, you create an enemy. The US has been on so many sides of different foreign affairs initiatives that we no longer need to worry about AN enemy; we need to worry about our ability to make friends. The US cannot pull out if this economic crisis without the aid of our culturally-different foreign allies, and even some who may not be allies. Asian nations like China, Japan, and Taiwan can help the turnaround occur quicker, but I guess you are hoping to wake up to a new economy....Sorry deadman, that's what happens when you lose your leader, you must wait for the things you desire...
You were full of quotables today deadman....
"In 21st century terms moral relativism has replaced "judgement" with "tolerence" .....the great talisman of the left."
For this to be true, the bearers of such a talisman would not have declared any religious affiliation, or even spoken of the topic. Obama has publicly acknowledged his Christian faith, but he does not feel the need to shove it down the throats of every audience while speaking, but GW loves to talk God....a trait common of the born-again type. My point is, your statement implies that Liberals just go with whatever, they are social chameleons; if you would have included Republicans and Democrats of all generations, I would agree. But once again deadman, you seem to be ignorant of the perspective of America's intellectual youth. Personally, I have nothing aganst Republicans, but I hold a great deal of animosity for Republicans who cannot admit that they could have gotten it wrong.
Oh. By the way, it was John McCain that lost to Barak, not GW. If you recall, GW finished his second term already - with the lowest approval rating in the history of the Presidency. You pick real champions to publicly defend....
So, to get back to Dylan..His nuanced newer music; muddy,murky, and more complex...but does it approach absolute moral truth? Or is (to quote another famous guy coming to grips with being older in a more complex world) "this ever changing world in which we live in" just what it is and his Bobness is just reporting that to us?
@drifter......you are skilled in rhetoric....you have internalized the faux intellectualism of the wordsmith.
To not recognize that the USA was founded on a Judeo-Christian Ethic is to be willfully obtuse. Your claim to speak for anyone but yourself is precious.
"But once again deadman, you seem to be ignorant of the perspective of America's intellectual youth." .....yes...and you've got the finger on the pulse, huh?
I am the pulse. I am the youth. Your generation is retiring; but not so gracefully. As for faux itelligence.....well anytime you would like to test my level of "actual" intelligence, aptitude, brightnesss, or potential; feel free to send any test you feel can measure such traits and I would be happy to prove my ranking among the "true intellectuals" of the world. Or maybe I could email you my transcripts that point out the 98th percentile range of test scores I produced. Or possibly perusing my "letters of recommendation" from a few profs from the several classes where I successfully obtained every available point. I have never claimed, or asked for intelligence; but it has apparently been thrust upon me. Deadman, you act as if I read nothing; test this........Be careful of the tendency to underestimate those younger than yourself. Youth does not equal ignorance, but I think that failing to recognize when one's torch-passing moment has arrived could qualify....
And Deadman, I meant what I said when I mentioned your natural writing style, but to refer to my own as rhetoric?? More than just your tongue was in cheek when this statement was clacked out of your keyboard. Whatever was in your ass when your head migrated this direction was probably the accompanying mouth-filler.
Your argument regarding the religious founding of the US indicates that you feel that this aspect of American culture is permanent. If the deadman would rise from whatever northeastern corner crypt he calls home, and look around a bit, he may see the change already occurring. More and more of the intellectual youth are denouncing all forms of organized religion because of its fundamental nature as a divider of people, rather than the so often wrongly claimed as unifying qualities of flock membership. These kids are not, however, withouth faith or spirituality; eastern models have offered perspective the perspective that escapes most people. We are not introduced to eastern philosophy in American schools for a reason.....and not because it is bunk....or because the youth is lazy. The lazy folks are those who resist change.....
Oh please. Tell me more Magister Ludi...
..."You've been with the professors and they all liked your looks. With great lawyers you have discussed lepers & crooks.......
...You're very well read, its well known......
.............A young man who is a conservative has no heart. An older man who is a liberal has no brain.......Winston Churchhill
Read a little about Churchhill and you wll find that he lacked a brin in youth as well....a spoiled brat is what he was!
a spoiled brat is what he was!.....yeah, a spoiled liberal youth. Thank god he learned, and evolved.
Listen....my granddaddy taught me there're only two kinds of fools in this world....Those that know everything.......and those that argue with them.
So with that thought in mind............
Oh, and BTW: I have boundless faith in today's youth. And I am not at all religious.
After reading through this entire post and realizing that witty banter would not be just, I got to studying the lyrics and researching the people and places Bob cites. While I learned much unknown, I wasn't any closer to having anything to really "say" about this discussion. Was just about to put this away when the dialogue of one of Bob's old interviews where he (tongue-in-cheek?) told reporters he thought of himself as a vaudville performer - flashed through my mind - and simultaneously the (paraphrased) old saying ' you can please some of the people some of the time..." well, whatever then.
Bob Dylan-High Water (For Charley Patton)
High water risin' - risin' night and day
All the gold and silver are being stolen away
Big Joe Turner lookin' East and West
From the dark room of his mind
He made it to Kansas City
Twelfth Street and Vine
Nothing standing there
High water everywhere
High water risin', the shacks are slidin' down
Folks lose their possessions - folks are leaving town
Bertha Mason shook it - broke it
Then she hung it on a wall
Says, "You're dancin' with whom they tell you to
Or you don't dance at all."
It's tough out there
High water everywhere
I got a cravin' love for blazing speed
Got a hopped up Mustang Ford
Jump into the wagon, love, throw your panties overboard
I can write you poems, make a strong man lose his mind
I'm no pig without a wig
I hope you treat me kind
Things are breakin' up out there
High water everywhere
High water risin', six inches 'bove my head
Coffins droppin' in the street
Like balloons made out of lead
Water pourin' into Vicksburg, don't know what I'm going to do
"Don't reach out for me," she said
"Can't you see I'm drownin' too?"
It's rough out there
High water everywhere
Well, George Lewis told the Englishman, the Italian and the Jew
"You can't open your mind, boys
To every conceivable point of view."
They got Charles Darwin trapped out there on Highway Five
Judge says to the High Sheriff,
"I want him dead or alive
Either one, I don't care."
High Water everywhere
The Cuckoo is a pretty bird, she warbles as she flies
I'm preachin' the Word of God
I'm puttin' out your eyes
I asked Fat Nancy for something to eat, she said, "Take it off the shelf -
As great as you are a man,
You'll never be greater than yourself."
I told her I didn't really care
High water everywhere
I'm getting' up in the morning - I believe I'll dust my broom
Keeping away from the women
I'm givin' 'em lots of room
Thunder rolling over Clarksdale, everything is looking blue
I just can't be happy, love
Unless you're happy too
It's bad out there
High water everywhere
The Big Joe Turner story begins in Kansas City, Missouri on May 18, 1911. Joe was four years old when an unfortunate train accident killed his father. He spent most of his youth living with his mother, grandmother and sister. He took to music early, singing in the Church choir and on the street corners with his friends. Joe was bigger than the rest of the kids his age and while still in his mid-teens, he was able to sneak into some of the clubs. Later, he even put on a pencil mustache and wore his father's hat to sneak into a club to see the bands play.
Bertha Mason
Bertha Mason is a complex presence in Jane Eyre. She impedes Jane's happiness, but she also catalyses the growth of Jane's self-understanding. The mystery surrounding Bertha establishes suspense and terror to the plot and the atmosphere. Further, Bertha serves as a remnant and reminder of Rochester's youthful libertinism.
Yet Bertha can also be interpreted as a symbol. Some critics have read her as a statement about the way Britain feared and psychologically "locked away" the other cultures it encountered at the height of its imperialism. Others have seen her as a symbolic representation of the "trapped" Victorian wife, who is expected never to travel or work outside the house and becomes ever more frenzied as she finds no outlet for her frustration and anxiety. Within the story, then, Bertha's insanity could serve as a warning to Jane of what complete surrender to Rochester could bring about.
One could also see Bertha as a manifestation of Jane's subconscious feelings—specifically, of her rage against oppressive social and gender norms. Jane declares her love for Rochester, but she also secretly fears marriage to him and feels the need to rage against the imprisonment it could become for her. Jane never manifests this fear or anger, but Bertha does. Thus Bertha tears up the bridal veil, and it is Bertha's existence that indeed stops the wedding from going forth. And, when Thornfield comes to represent a state of servitude and submission for Jane, Bertha burns it to the ground. Throughout the novel, Jane describes her inner spirit as fiery, her inner landscape as a "ridge of lighted heath" (Chapter 4). Bertha seems to be the outward manifestation of Jane's interior fire. Bertha expresses the feelings that Jane must keep in check.
Clarksdale
Mississippi is the Birthplace and World Capital of the Blues and location of the famous Crossroads intersection of Highway 61 and 49Charlie Patton
, better known as Charley Patton (May 1, 1891 – April 28, 1934) is best known as an American Delta blues musician. He is considered by many to be the "Father of Delta Blues" and therefore one of the oldest known figures of American popular music. He is credited with creating an enduring body of American music and personally inspiring just about every Delta blues manHe He you rattled that cage that time didnt ya mate. For what its worth I think Im seeing in my kids world what my Dad saw in my world and even though things have changed I think its hard to put yourself in the shoes of youth and vice versa, maybe its all just part of the journey
I have always expressed the notion that value-orientation is relative, and eternally changing. On a personal level, many people take the path that deadman mentioned earlier, birthed as liberals but die as conservatives. This paradox is the yin and yang of life. No one escapes this reality wholly. We all know people who appear to regress behaviorally as they age, or act like kids at 40; but the surface shields the soul.
Furthermore, shoud we allow the older folks, the retired gen, tell us we are fools for expressing hope for the realization of a societal norm which emphasises the elimination of violence as an acceptable means of conflict resolution? How is learning to avoid, or eliminate the "assumed need" to kill people (of any race or culture - I will be honest deadman, some of your recent posts have presonally created a sense of a racist tone in your arguments regarding the "rightness" of a world community.You seem to want isolation, which a peaceful, unified world would still allow for. I am a huge Hunter S Thonpson fan. His early letter and essays were some of the most brilliantly scripted pieces of riting I have ever read. His fiery passion and wreckless abondon toward impulse satisfaction was a recipe for genius (because of the exposure to unusual perspectives) and disaster (because his rep, like Jacko Kerouaco's, was not built on the practice of healthy living, mentally or physically - and we both know how he resolved his internal dillema as an aging adolescent old man.....
I too feel the struggle to be pulled back towards the conservative edge of the political cliff, because politics is a sort of Russian-roullette game if you practice partisanship. I know to you, I seem to sit somewhere outside the foul line of left field politically, but if we had more discussions invovling issues other than judging the actions of our political leaders (they are all egomaniacs, like writers...) then we would see that largely, our values follow a similar path. I will never stop criticizing and recommending as my present vantagepoint demands. My personal view of purpose does not involve telling others how to live their lives, or which form of civil, or uncivil living is correct or right for them. How would I know if I do not ask?
Maybe hes just winding ya up?