Like A Rolling Stone-Analised

Lisnaholic · 07-23-2011, 06:47 AM

A reason to discuss Dylan`s lyrics is always welcome, and I read the analysis of Like A Rolling Stone with great interest. As you say, it`s one of Dylan`s rather unkind put-down songs, but he does it with such relentless scorn and style that his anger is always convincing.
In contrast, from the same album, Ballad Of A Thin Man sounds to me like a very ill-judged exercise in bragging; "we`re cool and you`re not, Mr.Jones". What`s this song about, apart from revelling in the recently created Generation Gap ? Maybe David Bowie had this song in mind when he wrote, "You turned a few more people on but put the fear in a whole lot more."

Thanks to your analysis I can now see some things in the lyrics that I hadn`t noticed before, like the importance of the line "Like a complete unknown". Also, I had no idea that the song was about a specific girl.
However, I think you come down a bit hard on Dylan in this section :

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moshe

But the rest of the verse sees Dylan so imersed in his tiny world that he loses sight of reality

You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags (Napoleon wore a french army uniform, not rags) and the language that he used(He spoke French)
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse (Napoleon was LONG dead by the 1960's)
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose(Nothing to lose? She was a rich girl who simply went back to her bourgoise life)
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.(Here again Dylan reveals his obsession with fame and "hipdom"
"You're invisible" being another form of "complete unknown"
Oooh, Shudder!!

Any comments?

Firstly, when he talks about Napoleon, I imagine he could be talking about someone who just reminds him of Napoleon in some way, and not the actual historical figure. If he is talking about the real Napoleon, I`m sure Dylan, like the rest of us, is well aware that he`s dead. When Dylan sings, "Now Shakespeare he`s in the alley", does he imagine that Shakespeare is alive ?
"Napoleon in rags" is a tremendous phrase. Once he thought of it, I bet Dylan couldn`t bear to let it go! Perhaps he uses it to conjure up Napoleon`s period of exile on the island of Elba.
"When you ain`t got nothing, you got nothing to lose" is one of Dylan`s greatest epigrams. If you take it out of the context of the song he seems to be saying, " People without a lot of material possessions can be more adventurous in their lives", so I prefer to go with that interpretation.

To sum up, though, it`s a really great analysis. Any chance of more of the same ?
In the meantime, instead of analysis, here`s a little quiz question :
Besides Napoleon and Shakespeare, how many other famous people does Dylan mention by name in his songs ?

Moshe · 07-23-2011, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisnaholic

A reason to discuss Dylan`s lyrics is always welcome, and I read the analysis of Like A Rolling Stone with great interest. As you say, it`s one of Dylan`s rather unkind put-down songs, but he does it with such relentless scorn and style that his anger is always convincing.
In contrast, from the same album, Ballad Of A Thin Man sounds to me like a very ill-judged exercise in bragging; "we`re cool and you`re not, Mr.Jones". What`s this song about, apart from revelling in the recently created Generation Gap ? Maybe David Bowie had this song in mind when he wrote, "You turned a few more people on but put the fear in a whole lot more."

Thanks to your analysis I can now see some things in the lyrics that I hadn`t noticed before, like the importance of the line "Like a complete unknown". Also, I had no idea that the song was about a specific girl.
However, I think you come down a bit hard on Dylan in this section :

Firstly, when he talks about Napoleon, I imagine he could be talking about someone who just reminds him of Napoleon in some way, and not the actual historical figure. If he is talking about the real Napoleon, I`m sure Dylan, like the rest of us, is well aware that he`s dead. When Dylan sings, "Now Shakespeare he`s in the alley", does he imagine that Shakespeare is alive ?
"Napoleon in rags" is a tremendous phrase. Once he thought of it, I bet Dylan couldn`t bear to let it go! Perhaps he uses it to conjure up Napoleon`s period of exile on the island of Elba.
"When you ain`t got nothing, you got nothing to lose" is one of Dylan`s greatest epigrams. If you take it out of the context of the song he seems to be saying, " People without a lot of material possessions can be more adventurous in their lives", so I prefer to go with that interpretation.

To sum up, though, it`s a really great analysis. Any chance of more of the same ?
In the meantime, instead of analysis, here`s a little quiz question :
Besides Napoleon and Shakespeare, how many other famous people does Dylan mention by name in his songs ?

I was being deliberately obtuse. I had thought "Napoleon in rags" refered to some street charechter, but Il Duces' casting him as Andy warhole is interesting

Lisnaholic · 07-23-2011, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moshe

I was being deliberately obtuse.

Sorry ! I missed that.

Moshe · 07-23-2011, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisnaholic

Sorry ! I missed that.

That's OK. I didn't make it clear! I was being a bit sarky about Dylan
He did have a nasty side back then