The Times They are a Changin- 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 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'
This song became an anthem for the changes that occurred in the 60’s.
This song was written by Dylan in the early 1960’s at the dawn of the Hippie
Movement and the Civil rights movement. Both these movement brought about
major changes in society.
Task
Use you tablet to briefly research each of these movements, and write a
summary of some of the major changes that resulted.
The Song
In the first verse of the song, Dylan is asking for unity to take place and for
others ‘to admit that the waters around you have grown.’ This is pointing to the
flaws of government and in society. In the second verse, he is addressing the
writers who promote negativity. Dylan sees change on the way and it is a
change for the better. In the third stanza Dylan is addressing politicians. He is
urging them to listen to those who want change. The fourth stanza implores
parents to be open minded in their dealing with the younger generation.
Questions
Four of the verses open with the use of the imperative, ‘Come...’ What impact
does this have on the listener?
List other examples of imperatives and explain how they contribute to the
overall meaning of the song.
Explain how the images of water are used in the first verse to convey a message
about change.
Explain how images of buildings are used in the third verse to convey a
message about change.
What does Dylan mean with the phrase ‘your sons and daughters are beyond
your command’?
What is the message about change contained in the following lines of the poem?
‘Your old road is rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand’
Dylan views societal change as a force that cannot be halted. He also shows that
this change needs to be embraced. What evidence from the song shows this?