At the end of this month a new DVD comes out, followed by the TV filming a week later, of No Direction Home : Bob Dylan.
Dylan was surely a great songwriter, and here is one of my favourite Dylan songs (though maybe not his best ?) ;
The times they are a-changin', by Bob Dylan
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
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
Your 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'.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.
Very good Digiwizz, and here is one of Dylan's biggest hits that I really like ;
Mr. Tambourine Man, by Bob Dylan
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
Though I know that evenin's empire has returned into sand,
Vanished from my hand,
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping.
My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet,
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship,
My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip,
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin'.
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way,
I promise to go under it.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
Though you might hear laughin', spinnin', swingin' madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone, it's just escapin' on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin'.
And if you hear vague traces of skippin' reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it's just a ragged clown behind,
I wouldn't pay it any mind, it's just a shadow you're
Seein' that he's chasing.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind,
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
Yes I like Dylan's Mr Tambourine Man too Clare - but prefer The Byrds version really.
A fairly skillful comedian wrote a funny parody Of Mr Tambourine Man ;
I Made a Tangerine Flan, by Phil Alexander
I made a tangerine flan, made it for my tea
Wasn't easy, there's no recipe I'm keeping to
I made a tangerine flan, come and share with me
I'll be back in just one minute and I'll have some with you
If you feel a gritty taste, well that just might be some sand
I forgot to wash my hands
Though the taste is rather bland - no don't stop eating
I made this tasty flan with a tin of tangerines
And some mouldy old baked beans
And some shredded magazines - eat up, no cheating
I made a tangerine flan, made it for my tea
Wasn't easy, there's no recipe I'm keeping to
I made a tangerine flan, come and share with me
I'll be back in just one minute and I'll have some with you
I know that you've not stopped to figure out exactly what
That you're eating, 'cause it's hot
And afore you eat a lot
You are wond'ring if it's snot - no it's not, it's knotty
And rather chewy
Now I'm sure that you don' care if what you find in there
Makes you say a little prayer
I don't think it's pubic hair
So don't go huey
I made a tangerine flan, made it for my tea
Wasn't easy, there's no recipe I'm keeping to
I made a tangerine flan, come and share with me
I'll be back in just one minute and I'll have some with you
You feel like throwin', vomitin' or emptyin' your tum
Please don't aim at anyone,
It's just escapin' on the run
And the loo's that way, so please don't hit the sofa
And if you hear see vague traces of what you think might be cream
It's a recurring theme
Well, a little bit extreme
Feeling much too sick to scream
No, I'm sure it isn't semen there all over
I made a tangerine flan, made it for my tea
Wasn't easy, there's no recipe I'm keeping to
I made a tangerine flan, want to share with me?
I'll be back in just one minute and I'll have some with you
Pick out the toenail clippings and the eggshell you can find
And the tangerine-y rind, and the bits of frozen peas
And the mozarella cheese, and the forty-day-old peach
The used tissues underneath, the Mask of Zorro
Then cover it with Worcester sauce and hottest chilli seeds
So that you don't taste the weeds or the long elastic bands
You say it's a taste you hate, well I reckon it tastes great
Don't think 'bout how you're gonna feel tomorrow
I made a tangerine flan, made it for my tea
Wasn't easy, there's no recipe I'm keeping to
I made a tangerine flan, want to share with me?
I'll be back in just one minute and I'll have some with you
Another great singer that sang a number of Bob Dylan songs very well was Joan Baez.
She also recorded quite a few good old folk songs and ballads, and interestingly sang male songs as a man rather than change song lyrics. But sometimes she would change a song lyric to make it more meaningful or more musical.
Joan Baez may never have been the most popular of singers, but many have considered her the greatest of singers. Below is her in 1965 singing live Dylan's 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right', and some other good songs including some folk songs and ballads, as follows ;
1. I'm A Rambler, I'm A Gambler
2. There But For Fortune
3. Copper Kettle
4. Mary Hamilton
5. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
6. I'm Troubled And I Don't Know Why
7. We Shall Overcome
8. With God on Our Side
9. The Joys of Love, or Plaisir d'amour
And in the second part of this concert she sang some more great songs, as follows ;
1. Silver Dagger
2. Oh Freedom
3. She's A Troublemaker
4. The Unquiet Grave
5. It Ain't Me Babe
6. Isn't It Grand
7. 500 Miles
8. Portuguese song
9. The Joys of Love, or Plaisir d'amour
And for those who may be interested, below is a list of songs recorded by Loan Baez to 2022 ;
33rd Of August, The
A Mi Manera
Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around
All In Green Went My Love Riding
All My Trials
All The Pretty Little Horses
All The Weary Mothers Of The Earth
Altar Boy And The Thief, The
Amazing Grace
Amsterdam
And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
Angel Band
Angeline
Annabel Lee
Annie Had A Baby
Asimbonanga
Ate Amanha
Auctioneer
Ave Maria
Away In A Manger
Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5
Ballad Of Sacco And Vanzetti, The
Banks Of The Ohio
Barbara Allen
Battle Hymn Of The Republic
Be Not Too Hard
Before The Deluge
Best Of Friends
Biko
Birmingham Sunday
Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair
Blessed Are...
Blowin' In The Wind
Blue Sky
Blues Improv
Boots Of Spanish Leather
Boulder To Birmingham
Boxer, The
Brand New Tennessee Waltz, The
Brothers In Arms
Cambodia
C'era Un Ragazzo Che Come Me Amava
Cantique De Noel (O Holy Night)
Careless Love
Carol Of The Birds, The
Carrickfergus
Carry It On
Caruso
Casida Of The Lament
Catch The Wind
Cherry Tree Carol, The
Childhood III
Children And All That Jazz
Children Of Darkness
Children Of The 80's
China
City Called Heaven, A (Pilgrim Of Sorrow)
Colours
Colours (poem)
Come All Ye Fair And Tender Ladies
Come All Ye Fair And Tender Maidens
Copper Kettle
Coventry Carol
Crack In The Mirror
Cry Me A River
Cucurrucucu Paloma
Daddy, You Been On My Mind
Danger Waters
Dangling Conversation
Danny Boy
Dark As A Dungeon
De Colores
Dear Landlord
Death Of Queen Jane, The
Deportee (Plane Wreck At Los Gatos)
Diamonds & Rust
Dida
Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
Don't Cry For Me, Argentina
Don't Make Promises
Don't Think Twice It's Alright
Don't Weep After Me
Donna Donna
Down In Yon Forrest
The Dream Song
Drifter's Escape
East Virginia
Edge Of Glory
El Preso Numero Nueve
El Rossinyol
El Salvador
Eleanor Rigby
Ellas Danzan Solas (Cueca Sola)
Engine 143
Epitaph For A Poet
Esquinazo Del Guerrillero
Every Night
Evil
Fairfax County
Famous Blue Raincoat
Fare Thee Well (10,000 Miles)
Farewell, Angelina
Farewell To This Today
February
Fennario
Fifteen Months
Fishing
Freedom Now
For All We Know
For Sasha
Forever Young
Fountain Of Sorrow
Free At Last
Freight Train
Gabriel And Me
Gacela Of The Dark Death
Geordie
Ghetto
Glad Bluebird Of Happiness
Go 'Way From My Window
Goodnight Saigon
Gospel Ship
Gracias A La Vida
Green, Green Grass Of Home
Greenwood Side, The
Guantanamera
Gulf Winds
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Hand To Mouth
Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, A
Heartfelt Line Or Two, A
Heaven Help Us All
Hello In There
Help Me Make It Through The Night
Henry Martin
Here's To You
Hickory Wind
Hitchhikers' Song, The
Honest Lullaby
House Carpenter
House Of The Rising Sun
Hush Little Baby
I Dream of Jeannie
I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine
I Gave My Love A Cherry
I Live One Day At A Time
I Pity The Poor Immigrant
I Saw The Vision Of Armies
I Shall Be Released
I Still Miss Someone
I Wonder As I Wander
If I Knew
If I Were A Carpenter
If I Wrote You
I'm Blowin' Away
I'm With You
Imagine
In Forty Days
In Guernica
In The Pines
In The Quiet Morning
Isaac & Abraham
Island In The Sun
It Ain't Me Babe
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Jackaroe
James And The Gang
Jaria Hamuda
Jesse
Jimmy Brown
Joe Hill
John Hardy
John Riley
Johnny Cuckoo
Johnny, I Hardly Knew Yeh
Jolie Blonde
Just A Closer Walk With Thee
Kinder (Sind So Kleine Hande)
Kingdom Of Childhood
Kitty
Kumbaya
La Bamba
La Colombe (The Dove)
La Llorona
Lady Came From Baltimore, The
Lady Di And I
Lady Gay
Lady Mary
Land Of A Thousand Dances, The
Las Madres Cansadas
Lass From The Low Country, The
Last, Lonely and Wretched
Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream
Last Thing On My Mind, The
Le Deserteur
Legend Of A Girl Child Linda
Less Than The Song
Let It Be
Let Us Break Bread Together
Let Your Love Flow
Light A Light
Lily
Lily Of The West, The
Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts
Lincoln Freed Me Today (The Slave)
Little Darlin'
Little Drummer Boy, The
Little Moses
Llego Con Tres Heridas
London
Lonesome Road
Lonesome Valley
Long Black Veil
Love Inside, The
Love Is Just A Four-Letter Word
Love Minus Zero, No Limit
Love Song To A Stranger
Love Song To A Stranger, Part Two
Low Down Chariot
Lowlands
Luba The Baroness
Magic Wood, The
Mama Tried
Mama, You Been On My Mind
Man Of Constant Sorrow
Man Smart, Woman Smarter
Manha De Carnaval
Many A Mile To Freedom
Maria Dolores
Marie Flore
Marriott USA
Mary Call
Mary Hamilton
Mary's Wandering
Matty Groves
Me And Bobby McGee
Mercy Bound
Michael
Milanese Waltz
Minister Of War
Miracles
MLK
Money For Floods
Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, The
My Good Old Man
My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains
Myths
Natalia
Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer
Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, The
No Expectations
No Mermaid
No Man Is An Island
No Nos Moveran
No, Woman No Cry
North
North Country Blues
'Nu Bello Cadillo
O Brother!
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
O What A Beautiful City
O'Cangaceiro
Of The Dark Past
Oh Freedom
Oh, Happy Day
Oh, Little Child
Old Blue
Old Welsh Song
Once I Had A Sweetheart
Once I Knew A Pretty Girl
One Too Many Mornings
Only Heaven Knows
Outside The Nashville City Limits
Pack Up Your Sorrows
Pajarillo Barranqueno
Pal Of Mine
Parable Of The Old Man And The Young, The
Partisan, The
Paso Rio
Pauvre Ruteboeuf
Pilgrim Of Sorrow
Plaisir D'Amour
Play Me Backwards
Please Come To Boston
Poems From the Japanese
Poor Wayfaring Stranger
Portland Town
Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man
Prendre Un Enfant
Pretty Boy Floyd
Prison Trilogy (Billy Rose)
Put Your Hand In The Hand
Queen Of Hearts
Railroad Bill
Railroad Boy
Rainbow Road
Rake And Rambling Boy
Rambler Gambler
Ranger's Command
Recently
Restless Farewell
Reunion Hill
Riddle Song, The
Rider, Pass By
Ring Them Bells
River In The Pines, The
Rock Salt And Nails
Rose, The
Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands
Sagt Mir Wo Die Blumen Sind
Saigon Bride
Sail Away Ladies
Sailing
Salt Of The Earth, The
San Francisco Mabel Joy
Satisfied Mind
Scarlet Ribbons
Seabirds
Seven Bridges Road
She's A Trouble Maker
She's Got A Ticket
Silent Night
Silkie
Silver Dagger
Simple Twist Of Fate
Sing Me Back Home
So Soon In The Morning
So We'll Go No More A-Roving
Somebody Got Lost In A Storm
Song At The End Of The Movie, The
Song For David, A
Song In The Blood
Song Of Bangladesh
Soyuz Druzyei
Speaking Of Dreams
Steal Across The Border
Stephanie's Room
Stewball
Still Waters At Night
Stones In The Road
Strange Rivers
Stranger In My Place, A
Streets Of Laredo
Suzanne
Swallow Song, The
Sweet Sir Galahad
Sweeter For Me
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Take Me Back To The Sweet Sunny South
Te Ador
Te Recuerdo Amanda
Tears In My Eyes
Tears Of Rage
There But For Fortune
Three Fishers
Three Horses
Through Your Hands
Time Is Passing Us By
Time Rag
To Bobby
Told My Captain
Tous Les Enfants, A
Tramp On The Street, The
Trees They Do Grow High, The
Troubled And I Don't Know Why
Tumbleweed
Turquoise
Twelve Gates To The City
Txoria Txori
Unquiet Grave, The
Vagabond (The Hitchhikers' Song)
Virgin Mary Had One Son
Wagoner's Lad
Walkin' Down The Line
Walls Of Redwing, The
Warriors Of The Sun
Water Boy
Water Is Wide, The
We Are Crossing Jordan River
We Shall Overcome
Welcome Me
Wenn Unsere Bruder Kommen
What Child Is This
What Have They Done To The Rain
What You Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby
When Time Is Stolen
When You Hear Them Cuckoos Hollerin'
Where Are You Now, My Son?
Where Have All The Flowers Gone
Whispering Bells
Who Do You Think I Am
Who Murdered The Minutes
Wild Mountain Thyme, The
Wildwood Flower
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Willie Moore
Winds Of The Old Days
Windrose
With God On Our Side
Wozu Sind Kriege Da
Yellow Coat
Yesterday
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
You're Aging Well
Young Blood
Young Gypsy, A
Yes and even US President Obama had Joan Baez sing "We Shall Overcome" in the White House in 2010, though she has maybe never exactly been a friend of any government and almost everybody has sung at the White House. She sang many good old traditional folk songs as well as numbers of songs by the great songwriter Bob Dylan (perhaps often singing them better than he sang them himself ?).
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