Gabriel Elstrodt
Musc0065
12/11/2015
Bob Dylan and Political Transcendence through Social Commentary
During his career Bob Dylan was persistently critical of his labeling as a Protest
singer, denying the protest value of his lyrics. However, one can’t deny the power
which numerous of his prophetic compositions had as and outlet for social protest and
how adequately these songs related to Protest movements occurring during his time as
a performer such as the Civil rights movements and Vietnam war movement and
Women’s liberation movement. Regardless of his degree of interest in being a
representative of the movements, Dylan was continually able to capture the cultural
and social atmosphere of the 60s, whether political or existential. 1 The songs’
seemingly coincidental relevance to the movements can be explained by their timeless
essence. Dylan’s “Blowing in the wind”, “The Times They are A-Changin’” and
““Only A Pawn In Their Game” undertook pivotal roles in the Civil Rights movement
and anti-war movements, and additionally, through poetically wide-ranging lyrics and
universal themes, had the aptitude to transcend their time, conforming to protest
through human nature rather than issues in a specific time period; with symbolisms
and metaphors remaining open for each listener’s philosophical interpretation. Due to
this lyrical nature, these same songs can also be connected to movements that
occurred before and after the time period of their creation.
Bob Dylan’s “Blowin in the wind”, “Times are a Changin’” and “Maters of War”
became anthems for the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War Movement. In
2008, Dylan was awarded the Pulitzer Award for his “profound impact on popular
music and American Culture, marked by lyrical composition of extraordinary poetic
Lemieux, Nicole, "Bob Dylan and the Sixties: A Social Commentary Reflecting Politics and Existentialism" (2006). Honors
College Theses. Paper 39
1
Gabriel Elstrodt
Musc0065
12/11/2015
power”.2 He became a catalyst of cultural change and became by many, considered
the most influential singer of the twentieth century, not only to the public, but to
rising singers such as the Beatles, Rolling stones Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and Jimi
Hendrix as well.3 Dylan also took an important role on the Folk revival movement
when at its peak in the 1960s, with his songs taking inspirations from country, jazz,
blues and finally rock music, accompanied mainly by guitars, keyboards and
harmonicas. The evocation of the folk genre takes an important role on his career as a
transcendental composer because although his music is grounded in modern America,
“his adoption and manipulation of the folk idiom, literally the 'music of the people,'
with its frequent use of timeless, natural symbols (wind, rain, floods) and biblical
prophecy, [becomes] a key element of his democratic agenda.”4
Although many of Dylan’s songs worked as powerful protest songs, serving various
protest movements and making him a social protest leader, Dylan was always quick to
deny that he was a protest singer, “This here ain’t a protest song or anything like that,
‘cause I don’t write protest songs. I’m just writing it as something to be said, for
somebody, by somebody”. 5 Despite the seeming parallel between Blowin’ in the
Wind and the Civil Rights movement for example, Dylan assured that it was not a
political statement. He even went as far as calling politics trivial after getting himself
inebriated at the Civil Liberties Committee’s Annual Bill of Rights Dinner, “There's
no black and white, left and right to me anymore. There's only up and down, and
down is very close to the ground, and I'm trying to go up without thinking about
2 The Pulitzer Prizes | Citation." The Pulitzer Prizes | Citation. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
3B o b D y l a n :
A n I m p a c t o n A m e r i c a n S o c i e t y i n t h e 1 9 6 0 ’ s , "BobDylan Documents." Docslide.us. Lemieux, Nicole, "Bob Dylan and the Sixties: A Social Commentary Reflecting Politics and
Existentialism" (2006). Honors College Theses. Paper 39.
Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
4 Campbell, Gregg M. “Bob Dylan and the Pastoral Apocalypse.” Journal of Popular
Culture. 8.4 (1975): 696-707.
5 "The Political Bob Dylan | Dissent Magazine." Dissent Magazine. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
Gabriel Elstrodt
Musc0065
12/11/2015
anything trivial such as politics.”6 (13th December 1963, receiving Tom Paine Award
at the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee’s Annual Bill of Rights Dinner). This
would go on throughout his career as he insisted his songs weren’t “inherently
political, rather mere socially inspired songs that could be related to political issues.”7
From this, we are given to options (taking he is telling us the truth): his songs related
to protest movements at his time by coincidence, or his songs are, as mentioned
previously, timeless, and able to transcend political preoccupations of his time
periods. The latter will be regarded and his “social inspiration” analyzed in this paper;
his lyrics will be studied on how they relate to specifically the civil rights movement,
but by their nature, are also adaptable to any other movement seeking social change
through commenting on human values rather than political issues.
In Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind”, Dylan draws symbolic images to achieve
three verses of a “universal quality that makes them open to various interpretations
and allows listeners to read their own concerns into the lyrics.”8 In the lines “How
many roads must a man walk down/ Before you call him a man?” Dylan questions
how much a man (symbolic of both man and woman) must endure before he can be
recognized by society; the roads representing the amount of work needed for ultimate
attainment. This relates to he civil rights movement, where African Americans
questioned how much they would have to go through, how much racism they would
have face and how much they would have to battle for racial equality. But the thought
transcends the movement because it is basically a question encompassing every
amount of struggle and resilience involved in achieving a certain goal. By questioning
"Bob Dylan's Breaks from Politics: The 1963 ECLC Speech." About.com Entertainment. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
Lemieux, Nicole, "Bob Dylan and the Sixties: A Social Commentary Reflecting Politics and Existentialism" (2006). Honors
College Theses. Paper 39
8 "The Political Bob Dylan." Truthout. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
6
7
Gabriel Elstrodt
Musc0065
12/11/2015
that, one is protesting against the excessive, and sometimes seemingly redundant,
amount of work needed to promote change. Moreover, the lines “How many years
can a mountain exist/Before it’s washed to the sea?” uses natural symbolism to imply
a timeless protest. Dylan essentially questions how much time it will take until society
sees some change; in the contest of the civil rights movement, how much time for
African American to be granted equal rights. The mountains represent the current
societal structure and the sea represents a movement that will erode the mountain
away, eventually altering the present structure. The civil rights movements eventually
promoted racial equality after constant waves of social protest. But like in any social
protest movement, how much protest will be needed for change is always an
unanswered question, until it actually occurs. By using timeless natural symbolism
Dylan implies the immutability of his message; the sea has always and will always, as
long as it exists, slowly erode mountains, altering present reality. A connection can
also be drawn to the song “Time are Changin’”, where Dylan emphasizes the
inevitability of change. In the two previous examples, Dylan creates powerful protest
lyrics by asking the same questions the Civil rights movement campaigners asked,
connecting to their feelings, thoughts and ambitions. Additionally, the lyrics can
potentially connect to anyone seeking social change, giving the song the aptitude to
transcend its time, essentially becoming timeless. The lines, “Yes, ’n’ how many
times must the cannonballs fly/Before they’re forever banned?”, adequately related to
chemical bombs being used dropped in Vietnam by the American Military, but could
also be commenting on any war based on aerial warfare. Furthermore the lines, “How
many times and a man turn his head/Pretending he just doesn’t see?”, appeal to
humanities egotism and ability to disregard conspicuous problems, ‘blowing in their
face’. This related to the Civil Rights movement where people, especially government
Gabriel Elstrodt
Musc0065
12/11/2015
officials, would see racism but choose to ignore it. But in essence, it relates to
humanity’s preference of choice of looking away from a problem instead of facing it,
simply because it is easier to disregard problems than trying to solve them. As
Lamieux puts it, Dylan implies that “by ignoring the problem and not taking a stand
in protest, one is equally guilty in contributing to the further growth of
discrimination.”9 In principle, a protest against lack of human empathy and ambition.
Dylan protests against society, which in turn transcends his protest to any social
protest. Finally, the recurring versus, “The answer my friend/ Is blowin’ in the wind”,
uses the metaphysical nature of wind to comment on the ambiguous nature of the
solutions to societies problems. Is it blowing in our faces, right there under our noses,
or simply blowing past us, hardly graspable because of the abstract nature of wind?
This question again, will be left for interpretation for years to come. In addition,
because of the song’s simple melody that can be played and adopted easily, the lyrical
assertion of “my friend” is used to further promote unity and sympathy between the
protestors who chant the song besides each other.10
“Only a pawn in their game”, concerns the murder of Medgar Evers who was a
significant civil rights activist in the 1950s. Through this song, Bob Dylan comments
on the “innocence” of the white killer by advocating that he was merely a part of the
system or a “pawn in their game”. Through the lines “But the poor white man’s used
in the hands of them all like a tool” and “To kill with no pain/ like a dog on a chain”,
Dylan expresses the killer to be submissive to the system, with limited control of his
actions, as he is compared to a tool and a chained dog. Regarding the civil rights
Lemieux, Nicole, "Bob Dylan and the Sixties: A Social Commentary Reflecting Politics and Existentialism" (2006). Honors
College Theses. Paper 39
10 Lemieux, Nicole, "Bob Dylan and the Sixties: A Social Commentary Reflecting Politics and Existentialism" (2006). Honors
College Theses. Paper 39
9
Gabriel Elstrodt
Musc0065
12/11/2015
movement, the message relates to white Americans being deceived by constant lifelong teachings that Afro-Americans are inferior for their skin color and a threat to
society; racist ideology being not merely a set irrational beliefs, but a chief
mechanisms employed by the rulers for the maintenance for domination society. 11 He
illuminates the “the fact that the true perpetrator in a crime such as the murder of
Medgar Evers is not the individual who pulled the trigger, but rather the establishment
which cultivates and encourages such a killer” 12 . And with a croaky voice,
“staggering from line to line with a rhythmically-broken guitar accompaniment enacts
the futility of the vicious circle he is describing”.
13
The song thus powerfully
connects to the root of the problem that evoked the civil rights movement, but also,
despite being a topical song, comments on a message ascribable to any behavior
influenced by nurture rather than nature.
“The times are a Changin issues a prophetic warning against compliancy”.14 Dylan
again uses natural symbolism such as “And admit that the waters/Around you have
grown” to create timeless lyrics adaptable to any movement. The song centers on the
fact that as time passes civil structures alter together with culture, ideas and principles
of the emerging youth. The song strongly associated to the change in state of mind
regarding racism in the 1960s where the younger generation was finally, in greater
amounts, escaping the domineering system mentioned in “Only a Pawn in their
game”, and realizing the mindlessness behind racial inequality. The waters described
in the quote is the change coming to “sink” the ones who don’t start “swimming”, in
Campbell, Gregg M. “Bob Dylan and the Pastoral Apocalypse.” Journal of Popular
Culture. 8.4 (1975): 696-707.
12 Lemieux, Nicole, "Bob Dylan and the Sixties: A Social Commentary Reflecting Politics and Existentialism" (2006). Honors
College Theses. Paper 39
13 Campbell, Gregg M. “Bob Dylan and the Pastoral Apocalypse.” Journal of Popular
Culture. 8.4 (1975): 696-707.
14 Lemieux, Nicole, "Bob Dylan and the Sixties: A Social Commentary Reflecting Politics and Existentialism" (2006). Honors
College Theses. Paper 39
11
Gabriel Elstrodt
Musc0065
12/11/2015
other words, overwhelm the ones who don’t adopt to the contemporary way of
thought. The song was extremely powerful for the civil rights movements as
protesters chanted the lyrics to those who were stubborn towards racial equality,
regarding specifically the ‘older’ government officials, “senators, congressman”,
responsible for judicial change. The message is however highly universal and
timeless, as times are always changing and new ideas always emerging. Literary critic
Christopher Ricks comments on this idea with his concluding remark, “Once upon a
time it may have been a matter of urging square people to accept the fact that their
children were, you know, hippies. But the capacious urging could then come to mean
that ex-hippie parents had better accept that their children look like becoming
yuppies. And then Republicans...". In essence, the song greatly related to political
protest occurring time simply due to its timeless significance, and is thus able to
transcend political preoccupations of the specific time period. Today, the song could
be used in the protests taking place in Brazil for a new Political Party, in anti-war
movements, environmental movements, and maybe in the near future in anticonsumerism movements. The youth could sing the song advocating the educational
value of YouTube to their technologically ignorant parents.
Stevie wonder, before performing “Blowin’ in the wind” at bob Dylan’s 30th
Anniversary Show 1992, made the following statement, “Now the significance of this
song to me is that it’s a song that will last unfortunately for a long, long time. And
when I say “unfortunately”, I’m talking about the fact that it will always be relevant
to something that is going on in this world of ours. In the 60s the song related to the
civil rights movement and the war in Vietnam. In the 70s, Watergate, Steven Deco
and the struggling South Africa. In the 80s still, relevant to the fighting against the
Gabriel Elstrodt
Musc0065
12/11/2015
apartheid in South Africa, the fighting to end starvation. “ 15 The statement
exemplifies the transcendence of Dylan’s lyrics, and their adaptability to numerous
other movements besides the ones of the time period of the songs’ releases. Through
timeless, natural symbolism and comments on human nature rather than specific
political issues, Bob Dylan created protest songs that will be compatible for
movements in years to come. Arguably, unwillingly and maybe unintentionally Bob
Dylan created the most powerful type of protest song, the type that can adapt to any
circumstance and always be successful, because every political issue is primarily
fashioned by humanity and rooted in human imperfection.
15 "Pop Culture, Politics, and the Social Movements: Bob Dylan and The Civil Rights Movement - The Political Science Club."
The Political Science Club. N.p., 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
Gabriel Elstrodt
Musc0065
12/11/2015
Sources:
Friedman, Jonathan C. The Routledge History of Social Protest in Popular Music.
Hampton, Wayne. Guerrilla Minstrels: John Lennon, Joe Hill, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan. Knoxville:
U of Tennessee, 1986. Print.
“Blowin’ in the Wind.” Rollingstone.com 9 Dec. 2004. 24 Mar. 2008.
<http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595859/blowin_in_the_wind>.
Campbell, Gregg M. “Bob Dylan and the Pastoral Apocalypse.” Journal of Popular
Culture. 8.4 (1975): 696-707.
"Pop Culture, Politics, and the Social Movements: Bob Dylan and The Civil Rights Movement - The
Political Science Club." The Political Science Club. N.p., 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
Dylan, Bob. “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.” BobDylan.com 2008. Sony BMG Music
Entertainment. 25 Mar. 2008.
<http://bobdylan.com/moderntimes/lyrics/main.html>.
Dylan, Bob. “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.” The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Sony Music
Entertainment Inc., 2003.
Dylan, Bob. “Blowin’ in the Wind.” BobDylan.com 2008. Sony BMG Music
Entertainment. 25 Mar. 2008.
<http://bobdylan.com/moderntimes/lyrics/main.html>.
Dylan, Bob. “Blowin’ in the Wind.” The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Sony Music
Entertainment Inc., 2003.
Dylan, Bob. “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” BobDylan.com 2008. Sony BMG
Music Entertainment. 25 Mar. 2008.
<http://bobdylan.com/moderntimes/lyrics/main.html>.
Bob Dylan: An Impact on A merica n S ociet y i n t he 1 9 6 0 ’ s ,
"BobDylan - Documents." Docslide.us. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
"The Political Bob Dylan." Truthout. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.