Another part of a video series from Wordonfire.org. Bishop Barron will be commenting on subjects from modern day culture. For more visit www.wordonfire.org.
This was a spot-on and brilliant interpretation of Dylan's enigmatic masterpiece. Like many others, I have heard this song thousands of times and always been fascinated by the imagery and symbolism. Another really interesting interpretation of the song, and the entire John Wesley Harding LP, is based on the fact that Dylan recorded it at the height of the flower-power era, in 1967, which he basically sat out by hanging out in upstate NY with his young family and members of the Hawks/Band. I've always thought he was observing and commenting at the civil unrest of the late 60s from a biblical point of view. I think he was also saying to people "Look I know there's a lot of social upheaval going on-Vietnam, the Civil Rights struggle, the Generation Gap, changing morals, etc.-but civilization has been through stuff like this before we'll get through it this time too."
Listen carefully to the lyrics to All Along the Watchtower, and then read the book of the prophet Isaiah and tell me that I'm just projecting my beliefs.
Thank you for this talk Bishop Barron. I have often wondered about this song after having a series of 3 inter-connected dreams around 8 or so, years ago, where the Jimi Hendrix version of this song played throughout one of the dreams.
It parallels many parts actually, (partly because the the old testament parallels the new)but yes mainly Isiah, revelation and Daniel. The joker and the thief relates to the two people crucified with Jesus, the one thief who got saved on the cross., The watchmen also relate to the end times and revelation, and the part towards the end is basically the watchmen of the end times seeing the end come,a wild cat did growl(Daniel 13:2) two riders( 2 of the 4 horsemen) were approaching and the wind began to howl, (the first time the Jews heard the name Yahweh it was in the wind)
There is sooooo much like this in all music it's unreal tho, there are actually more biblical messages in rock and heavy metal songs than actual "Christian" or gospel music. Music itself is actually also very special. And music was actually also king David's Main weapon, just look into that
BishopRobertbarron I'm a Catholic. And how u describe everything is so how I feel in my heart. I have suffered father from addiction and always thought that it's gods will. I want to use my pain for good. As u said. Love. I pray God knows I love him. I've been beaten by drugs very ashamed. I don't want to hurt my self no more. I want God to shine though me. As I know he will. I'm all in. Thanks for being a man I respect. I man I know God sees as a equal.. God bless. Please say a prayer for me Johnny wajda. My mother Joan who prays for everyone 3 hours everyday but leaves her self and wish's out. Please pray for my father John. Who is s suffering from alcoholism and was abused in his life for being a man not a statistic. Please 🙏 pray for us. As I am ready to let God heal my heart and put out my trails of fire. I pray it all happened as it has to lead us to a road of love and gratitude. I truly love u lord God. Jesus ur son. Holy spirit please come into my family's hearts and help us.. please. Bishop Robert. Please pray for us. Ty sir. Sincerely. John m wajda...1108pm. 7-23-22. God bless amen...
Your analysis is wonderful and makes so much sense. The joker is cynical and joins the doubters and the mockers. You are right the thief admits his sin and imperfection and he has faith enough to accept Jesus, repent, and says: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom…” Then Jesus answers, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 31: 41-43 Therefore, this is a beautiful example of being saved by faith as found in Scripture. Two come to my mind: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved…” And: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
@@michaela.754 my man this was two years ago. I wasn’t saying it from a point of authority I was simply saying it from a viewpoint outside of being Christian.
What my dad said years ago about this, I've never forgot... "It's like a 4 minute album". Bishop Robert Barron puts across such powerful points in this video.
Stubbled on this because I was listening to the good Bishop talk on the Trinity. I never was a Dylan fan or Hendrix for that matter. But now having asked Alexa to play the song I have a lot to ponder now I have to get my Bible out. Funny how a teacher can have his lesson flow through time.
I have a Jimmy Hendrix cd in my car and recently have been listening to it quite a bit and then I came across this lesson by Bishop Barron and it gives now more meaning which I like a lot
Hello Fr. Barron. I love Bob Dylan. He walked by me in a hotel lobby once. I didn't get to talk to him. I must have seen him over 15 times. I really enjoy all of your videos. I am seriously thinking about returning to the Catholic Church. I grew up Catholic. But when I was 19 I went to the Protestant Church. However, my heart is being moved to return home. Thank you for your videos.
HI You should return ONLY to the Bible! Too much pagan traditions in the Hierarchical Roman Catholic Church. You CAN'T mix the two! Shalom to us only in Christ Yeshua.
Having listened to a few of your Dylan Vlogs i have to say i think i have finally found a reviewer (after 40 years of looking) who actually 'gets' Bob Dylan. As well, you make a lot of sense on many topics besides. Thank You!
Bishop Robert Barron - But do you ever suspect that Dylan is a gifted wordsmith who reads a lot, but his songs don’t really have a message? I go back and forth. When he’s good he sounds inspired, but - man - the things he admits he feels no obligation to be truthful about give me pause.
What a brilliant analysis by Bishop Barron of one of Dylan’s most mystical and beautifully poetic songs. All Along The Watchtower has long spoken to me in a direct, instinctive way, but I now have a deeper intellectual appreciation of it.
Excellent!!! I had already made the connection with Isaiah 21 but the one between the watchtower and the Cross is simply billiant! Well done, God bless you!
+Brian McKeever Dylan does not. Hear his Bobness talk: "But the enemy I see Wears a cloak of decency All nonbelievers and men stealers talkin’ in the name of religion" Read more: www.bobdylan.com/us#ixzz3jvxi5FeS
Spot on, I think. Get this other Dylan message: 'On this earthly domain/full of disappointment and pain...you'll never see me frown.' Wonderfully spiritual. Death is not the end.
a great interpretation, I was just reading that Dylan wrote this after 18 months of being laid up from the motorcycle crash and then hearing that his hero Woody Guthrie died, does set the atmosphere of looking for hope while in despair.
"While all the women came and went" is from the chorus of T.S. Elliot's "Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock": "In the room the women come and go Talking of Michelangelo."
@Bishop Robert Barron as a traditional Catholic, who attends Latin Mass, all I really have to say is this: 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' Tradition is the new counter-culture, the first one now, will later be last.
Bishop Robert Barron the loser now will be later to win, Excellency. I’m rooting and patiently waiting for the comeback of the the Catholic Church, which can restore our literally burning civilization. Young people yearn for transcendence, not 1960’s aesthetic in Liturgy. Thus, the growth of the TLM, and even the thriving of the Ordinariate. All of this speaks to the larger point. Please lead us.
It’s also a fascinating way to end the song because it really sounds like it should be the opening: Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl… ‘There must be some kind of way out of here’… It creates an impression of a cycle, a snare we get trapped in if we are not careful
My Favourite Dylan song about Jesus Suddenly I turned around and she was standing there With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns "Come in" she said"I'll give you shelter from the storm". In a little hilltop village they gambled for my clothes I bargained for salvation and they gave me a lethal dose I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn "Come in" she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm".
Beautiful Bishop Barron. I will rant a bit why this moved me. Searching for voices in the Church, I reflect upon a comment you made in an introduction highlighting the teaching of Bishop Fulton Sheen. You made the bold, brave, statement regarding Bishop Sheen that he is a challenge for ‘our dumbed down modern Church’. I hope I am not taking you out of context. To me you were saying that the scholarly Bishop Sheen was able to embrace the Fullness of Truth, while lovingly and respectfully embracing secular thought. He understood literature, art, films, philosophy, psychology, history-the humanities. His faith was not a means of conquering, dividing, and denouncing. He did not seek to rule, rather to lovingly spread the Gospel-Good News. I hear and associate with Traditionalist Catholics and I become nauseous. The authoritative demand, the declarative statements and judgements, the division they create within the Church, the extreme politics-constant hysteria and conspiracies, calling the Pope by his last name, associating Vatican II to demonic influence, so much ugliness; challenging everyone to understand them, while they refuse to understand anyone. Father Chad Ripperger, a Latin Mass and devotee to traditional practices, is acute in his criticism of the self-proclaimed traditionalist. He stresses the gossiping and competitive nature of the parishes, the constant criticism of priests and the hierarchy of the Church; narrow minded and an overall improper education of the Church in terms of being dominated by self-will and agenda driven, in the sense, of only finding what supports one’s self-righteousness. Father Ripperger makes the statement: while denouncing Modernist, traditionists are some of the worst Modernist. Franciscan thought of ‘seek to understand, rather than be understood’ is demolished. Then to the opposite extreme, there is the liberal aspect of the Church, I will not name names or religious orders, yet have a couple specific local churches I associate with in mind. Everything is grounded in secular politics, again the imposition of personal agenda and self-will dominating. The parishes tend to be well educated, not the self-taught know-it-all traditionalist, and also charismatic and nice people to socialize with. However, instead of opening one’s self to the world with trust and understanding of the Fullness of Truth we embrace as Catholics, there is a constant challenge for change, the approval of secular academia, and the demands of the world dominating, while also embracing a passive aggressive nature that is extremely confrontational and insulting to anyone who does not agree with them. I also find the lack of prayer, especially contemplative prayer such as a daily Holy Hour, troubling. Both extremes are overly-sensitive, aggressively defensive and offensive, absolutely intolerant of anyone who does not support them-the demonizing of others habitually evolving into a way of life. So, as I accept the challenge in my own life of moving away from opinions (so much work to be done), deepening my faith through the decreasing of myself, it is a pleasure to find a voice that brings peace and understanding. I do not enjoy clashing with others. It is something I have to overcome--'too much confusion, I can't get no relief...Then the thief he kindly spoke'.
"There must be some way out of here" Said the joker to the thief "There's too much confusion I can't get no relief Businessmen, they drink my wine Plowmen dig my earth None of them along the line Know what any of it is worth" "No reason to get excited" The thief, he kindly spoke "There are many here among us Who feel that life is but a joke But you and I, we've been through that And this is not our fate So let us not talk falsely now The hour is getting late" All along the watchtower Princes kept the view While all the women came and went Barefoot servants too Outside, in the distance A wildcat did growl Two riders were approaching The wind began to howl
I’ve always loved Bob Dylan…and, surely God has placed into the heart of Bishop “Bob” Barron (whom I also love) the interpretation he so eloquently and spiritually provides. Hallelujah! 🙏❤️
Thank you Fr. Barron, I love this interpretation! I also enjoy looking into the deeper spiritual meaning of popular music and movies. I would love to see your interpretation of songs by Twenty One Pilots, especially on their album, "Blurryface". God Bless.
What a revelation! Babylon has fallen There is a new world! Wow so there has been a spiritual element in Dylan's songs right from the start Thank you so much Bishop Barron and bless you Bob for spreading the Good News for so many years!
What was Paul doing on the Areopagus when he praised aspects of the religious philosophy of the Greeks? He was reaching out to the environing culture for points of contact with the Gospel. This strategy was practiced, in turn, by Origen, Augustine, Irenaeus, Thomas Aquinas, and practically every other major theologian.
Yes, Bishop, but did they give up (water down, ignore - choose any similar word -) their own beliefs to accommodate those of others, or did they stand firm in their own faith and insist upon their own faith being the fullest one and the only means of salvation?
True, Dylan's songs have a strong spiritual component. Thanks for your analysis! About your reference to God breaking through into our circumstance (2:42)...He, may I say, from the beginning has already absolutely and Lovingly done that! Emmanuel can never not be Emmanuel again.
To paraphrase Tolkien in the Silmarillion, ‘God uses all things for His purposes, even if evil thinks otherwise’. Yep, rough paraphrase but the point is the He knows. Bishop Barron is a great soul.
This with "Don't Fear the Reaper" are my great jam songs. A vi-V-IV progression that is the mainstay of rock, that you will hear everywhere even in "Stairway To Heaven." The lyrics of Watchtower almost don't matter because the focus is usually on great guitar playing -- the rockers all do this song so the real statement is usually found in their solos. Worlds open up in the solos from Neil Young sputtering and stuttering to Eric Clapton (God) being inspired to reach out and make a mistake!, to Richie Kotzen (dressed like Johnny Depp who was dressed like Keith Richards in "Pirates of the Caribbean") doing it like an R&B version of "Beast of Burden" to flatter the Rolling Stones that he opened up for on one of their many world tours, to Jimi Hendrix's manic psychedelia, to countless other musicians who make it their own. "The wind begins to howl" with these guys because there is a Spirit there. And there is a knock at the Watchtower's door. Who is there? Death? The two riders approaching, to my mind, symbolize the two motorcyclists that accompany lady Death in Jean Cocteau's movie Orphee. So this is my take, one guitar players take, one amongst many....
Most people seem convinced of 'one' interpretation of the song, ie. Spiritual OR Sociopolitical. Yet maybe, Dylan's genius resides in his ability to convey dual meanings in his allegorical lyrics!!
great commentary. I really like your interpretation of the watchtower as being up on the cross and seeing the world from Jesus and the two criminal's POV. I love Bob Dylan but never made this connection before. Thanks for your wise insight! Please do more dylan commentaries!
i love how literally everyone has a different interpretarion of the meaning of this song and yet... i feel like the meaning is somewhere in between them all
Lyrics "There must be some way out of here" said the joker to the thief "There's too much confusion", I can't get no relief Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth None of them along the line know what any of it is worth. "No reason to get excited", the thief he kindly spoke "There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late". All along the watchtower, princes kept the view While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too. Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.
Very good interpretation. I have a different opinion of the meaning of these lyrics, but this was a great breakdown and could very well be the true meaning.
And I hear it as an inner discussion between 2 of his own sides of a popular songwriter. Inspired by bible for sure but a personnal poetic way to express his own state of soul.
Thank you, i never knew what to make of this text. I'm not sure many did. But what would be the purpose that the song was so popular as non-understood?
The last verse of this song sounds like it should be the first verse. The riders arrive, then the rest happens….I doubt Dylan would say that the bishop’s interpretation was his but he wouldn’t say it wasn’t either. Dylan’s songs can mean whatever they mean to anyone who listens.
Also, it has been reported that during the period when he wrote "Watchtower", he was living in his country home in Woodstock & his most often-read book was a Bible which he kept on a bookstand in his study, according to an interview with his mother (& other friends) - as noted in several bios of him. He did say about that song he'd been reading the Prophets & that he wrote it during a thunderstorm.
G'day Fr Bob, thank you for your insight into the meaning of this absolutely legandary song , which by the way the late great Jimi Hendrix version put more than just meaning to, which I do wonder if Dylan's original penning of the song was religiously orietatated or maybe written with a differant perspective with a coincidental similarity to the biblical overtones!! Either way I respect all insights, God bless.
Hi, thanks for your critique. I was wondering if you could tell me whether you came across any problems with regards to copyright infringements through using his lyric?. Thanks.
@bongolongo Then you've ruled out 99.9% of all literary interpretation! Last time I checked, we can't discuss the meaning of Moby Dick with Herman Melville or the themes of Oliver Twist with Charles Dickens. That doesn't stop the informed critic from analyzing as far as he can, the forms on display in the work.
Late to the party, but oddly the joker and thief references also evoked in me for awhile now the same image of the two thieves executed on either side of Jesus. The joker - mocking, dismissive of any meaning to life; the thief - a wrongdoer who nevertheless recognizes his wrong, which means he also recognizes what's right. The joker knows neither wrong nor right. He is a nihilist, like so many modern sages. That's what I hear, anyway.
Father Barron, I am becoming a huge fan of yours! I am particularly impressed by how you are letting the world know that we are not all Biblical literalists. I believe you mentioned in one of your videos how the new atheism is a direct result of Christian fundamentalism. I couldn't agree more. I wrote a little piece on Facebook about The Who's Eminence Front and its relation to the Book of Ecclesiastes. I wish I could post a link but I don't think this is possible. Keep up the good work!
It's how you analyze the song , remember there were great thinkers in the past that try to free people conciousness, not to be trap in the history that others is telling you .
Hmm thats a very neat way of looking at the song. I new it was probably his most biblical song but didnt exactly know where the story was. I think I'll check out those parts of the Bible now.
Isaiah is one of my favorite books of the Bible and i never realized i am so attached from a girl as i am very spiritual based not demonic but i love Bob Dylan and i love God
Blimey, that’s a completely different interpretation I’ve had all my life since buying it on a 45 record by the Jimi Hendrix Experiences. Incidentally Long Hot Summer was on the B side on Track Records in the UK. It was aired on the BBC’s Top of the Pops music show with Pan’s People dancing to it. It was the first 45 I ever bought with my own money!
Interesting interpretation from a Biblical scholar . Much of Dylan’s verses are intended to sound cool , to appear cryptic and but without meaning enabling the listener to enjoy and interpret as they wish . Dylan said so himself after being awarded the Nobel Prize for literature . ‘ sing in me o muse and through me tell your story ‘
(start here) Fr Barron, I hope you are still around to chat. In Dylan's "Talk'n New York," Dylan provides this: "Now, a very great man once said That some people rob you with a fountain pen It don't take too long to find out Just what he was talking about A lot of people don't have much food on their table But they got a lot of forks and knives And they gotta cut somethin' " Dylan is providing cultural commentary on the rich establishment and the populace. "All along the watchtower is similar." The joker is the populace. The thief is the elites. The thief may own the land, technically, but the joker is the worker that is intimately connected to the land. The land is valuable only because the desperate starving jokers will work the land. The joker recognizes that the land is really his. There are communist overtones here. The idea that the populace should own the means of production. To me, this is the scene, or backdrop, for all along the watchtower.
Fr. Barron, I would love to hear your comments on the new Battlestar Galactica series. Yeah, that's no small request if you haven't seen it as it's 4 seasons of TV, but it's a very religion themed and driven show framed in a sci-fi/military concept. At the end of the third season, All Along the Watchtower literally becomes an integral part of the show and the developments of the final season, which is interesting since the show is set in a totally different world than ours.
@wordonfirevideo Did Pink Floyd write 'Dark Side Of The Moon' to match the Wizard of Oz movie? I'd like to know, because they match up perfectly too. Never underestimate the human capacity for seeing patterns where there are none. Have you asked Mr. Dylan if your interpretation is correct? I don't think I'd presume to know what other people thought during a creative process before I had asked them in person. It's very, very presumptious to do so on your own.
(continue 3) Fr Barron, I'd liked to hear your breakdown and provide commentary on the Isaiah passage, aside from Dylan. Contextualize it and help it make sense. I can't understand the Isaiah passage, in any meaningful sense.
(continued 1) I am not a communist in the classical sense, but today, more so ever in my life, I see what might be a GROWING struggle between the modern elites, and the vast populace. The world does not need to be Karl Marx socialism, but the populace MUST HAVE real and substantial representation, and not just representation, but actual wealth and ownership. The elites MUST BE generous, but their wicked hearts are bent on enslaving. The populace has a wicked side too. None of us work well together, unfortunately. Another difficulty is that the populace is often not united. For example, recall the American revolutionaries vs the British sympathizers at the founding of America.
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This was a spot-on and brilliant interpretation of Dylan's enigmatic masterpiece. Like many others, I have heard this song thousands of times and always been fascinated by the imagery and symbolism. Another really interesting interpretation of the song, and the entire John Wesley Harding LP, is based on the fact that Dylan recorded it at the height of the flower-power era, in 1967, which he basically sat out by hanging out in upstate NY with his young family and members of the Hawks/Band. I've always thought he was observing and commenting at the civil unrest of the late 60s from a biblical point of view. I think he was also saying to people "Look I know there's a lot of social upheaval going on-Vietnam, the Civil Rights struggle, the Generation Gap, changing morals, etc.-but civilization has been through stuff like this before we'll get through it this time too."
Listen carefully to the lyrics to All Along the Watchtower, and then read the book of the prophet Isaiah and tell me that I'm just projecting my beliefs.
Thank you for this talk Bishop Barron. I have often wondered about this song after having a series of 3 inter-connected dreams around 8 or so, years ago, where the Jimi Hendrix version of this song played throughout one of the dreams.
It parallels many parts actually, (partly because the the old testament parallels the new)but yes mainly Isiah, revelation and Daniel. The joker and the thief relates to the two people crucified with Jesus, the one thief who got saved on the cross., The watchmen also relate to the end times and revelation, and the part towards the end is basically the watchmen of the end times seeing the end come,a wild cat did growl(Daniel 13:2) two riders( 2 of the 4 horsemen) were approaching and the wind began to howl, (the first time the Jews heard the name Yahweh it was in the wind)
There is sooooo much like this in all music it's unreal tho, there are actually more biblical messages in rock and heavy metal songs than actual "Christian" or gospel music. Music itself is actually also very special. And music was actually also king David's Main weapon, just look into that
BishopRobertbarron I'm a Catholic. And how u describe everything is so how I feel in my heart. I have suffered father from addiction and always thought that it's gods will. I want to use my pain for good. As u said. Love. I pray God knows I love him. I've been beaten by drugs very ashamed. I don't want to hurt my self no more. I want God to shine though me. As I know he will. I'm all in. Thanks for being a man I respect. I man I know God sees as a equal.. God bless. Please say a prayer for me Johnny wajda. My mother Joan who prays for everyone 3 hours everyday but leaves her self and wish's out. Please pray for my father John. Who is s suffering from alcoholism and was abused in his life for being a man not a statistic. Please 🙏 pray for us. As I am ready to let God heal my heart and put out my trails of fire. I pray it all happened as it has to lead us to a road of love and gratitude. I truly love u lord God. Jesus ur son. Holy spirit please come into my family's hearts and help us.. please. Bishop Robert. Please pray for us. Ty sir. Sincerely. John m wajda...1108pm. 7-23-22. God bless amen...
Your analysis is wonderful and makes so much sense. The joker is cynical and joins the doubters and the mockers. You are right the thief admits his sin and imperfection and he has faith enough to accept Jesus, repent, and says: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom…”
Then Jesus answers, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 31: 41-43 Therefore, this is a beautiful example of being saved by faith as found in Scripture. Two come to my mind: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved…” And:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
This was a great interpretation of Dylan song and Dylan is one of the greatest singer-songwriters and Poets of all time
The greatest
Hey, the good father likes good music! ✌️
Absolutely incredible take on one of my most favorite songs.
+Jesús Pedroza Incredible indeed.
Actually curious in favorites!!! Sympathy For The Devil is definitely in my book!!!
Even as an atheist this is the most accurate and best understanding of the song.
Just because you're an atheist. Doesn't give you any sort of authority. So shut up.
I say this as an atheist.
@@michaela.754 my man this was two years ago. I wasn’t saying it from a point of authority I was simply saying it from a viewpoint outside of being Christian.
@@michaela.754As a Christian (and former Atheist) I appreciate it.
U ain’t atheist quit lying you just spiritually immature
I've ALWAYS wondered what this song is about. Great analysis! Goosebumps on the good thief analogy
What my dad said years ago about this, I've never forgot... "It's like a 4 minute album". Bishop Robert Barron puts across such powerful points in this video.
Stubbled on this because I was listening to the good Bishop talk on the Trinity. I never was a Dylan fan or Hendrix for that matter. But now having asked Alexa to play the song I have a lot to ponder now I have to get my Bible out. Funny how a teacher can have his lesson flow through time.
Honestly this is a great analysis about this song
I'm 65 and Catholic. Growing up I listened to far more Dylan than to priests. Now I can see I wasn't going in opposite directions.
I have a Jimmy Hendrix cd in my car and recently have been listening to it quite a bit and then I came across this lesson by Bishop Barron and it gives now more meaning which I like a lot
Hello Fr. Barron. I love Bob Dylan. He walked by me in a hotel lobby once. I didn't get to talk to him. I must have seen him over 15 times. I really enjoy all of your videos. I am seriously thinking about returning to the Catholic Church. I grew up Catholic. But when I was 19 I went to the Protestant Church. However, my heart is being moved to return home. Thank you for your videos.
HI
You should return ONLY to the Bible! Too much pagan traditions in the Hierarchical Roman Catholic Church. You CAN'T mix the two! Shalom to us only in Christ Yeshua.
I hope you made it home to Christ's church, the Catholic church, God bless you🎉
Having listened to a few of your Dylan Vlogs i have to say i think i have finally found a reviewer (after 40 years of looking) who actually 'gets' Bob Dylan. As well, you make a lot of sense on many topics besides. Thank You!
silverlight2004db Well, God bless you!
Bishop Robert Barron - But do you ever suspect that Dylan is a gifted wordsmith who reads a lot, but his songs don’t really have a message? I go back and forth. When he’s good he sounds inspired, but - man - the things he admits he feels no obligation to be truthful about give me pause.
What a brilliant analysis by Bishop Barron of one of Dylan’s most mystical and beautifully poetic songs. All Along The Watchtower has long spoken to me in a direct, instinctive way, but I now have a deeper intellectual appreciation of it.
Excellent!!! I had already made the connection with Isaiah 21 but the one between the watchtower and the Cross is simply billiant! Well done, God bless you!
This is a wonderful exegesis of a song that is so compact & yet so full of meaning.
This is one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard
Fr Barron has brilliant insight, and expresses his views so well. It is great to listen to a learned preacher.
+Brian McKeever
Dylan does not. Hear his Bobness talk:
"But the enemy I see Wears a cloak of decency
All nonbelievers and men stealers talkin’ in the name of religion"
Read more: www.bobdylan.com/us#ixzz3jvxi5FeS
He his a manipulator using Bob to gather listeners and make money. Man stealer. OPutrid indeed
May god bless and keep you always & Bob too
Spot on, I think. Get this other Dylan message: 'On this earthly domain/full of disappointment and pain...you'll never see me frown.' Wonderfully spiritual. Death is not the end.
a great interpretation, I was just reading that Dylan wrote this after 18 months of being laid up from the motorcycle crash and then hearing that his hero Woody Guthrie died, does set the atmosphere of looking for hope while in despair.
God bless you! And welcome home.
"While all the women came and went" is from the chorus of T.S. Elliot's "Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock":
"In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo."
Yes, popular culture delivers on rare occasions. Even Leonard Cohen used biblical references, in his poetic, yet worldly, “Hallelujah.”
@Bishop Robert Barron as a traditional Catholic, who attends Latin Mass, all I really have to say is this:
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'
Tradition is the new counter-culture, the first one now, will later be last.
Not that you're patronizing or anything...
Bishop Robert Barron the loser now will be later to win, Excellency. I’m rooting and patiently waiting for the comeback of the the Catholic Church, which can restore our literally burning civilization. Young people yearn for transcendence, not 1960’s aesthetic in Liturgy. Thus, the growth of the TLM, and even the thriving of the Ordinariate. All of this speaks to the larger point. Please lead us.
I think the very last line ("and the wind began to howl") symbolized the last breath of Jesus that tore the veil in the temple.
Or the Holy Spirit!
It’s also a fascinating way to end the song because it really sounds like it should be the opening:
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl… ‘There must be some kind of way out of here’…
It creates an impression of a cycle, a snare we get trapped in if we are not careful
My Favourite Dylan song about Jesus
Suddenly I turned around and she was standing there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns
"Come in" she said"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
In a little hilltop village they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation and they gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn
"Come in" she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm".
One thing is for sure,Dylan is one clever guy to say the least...
Very interesting take on a great song. I personally never would have thought of it that way.
Thanks for the great insights on how that song is contected to our faith Fr. Barron!
I came to the same conclusion in 1971 Bishop. I wasn't able to enunciate as well as you have but the message was the same.
Thank you for that.
Beautiful Bishop Barron. I will rant a bit why this moved me. Searching for voices in the Church, I reflect upon a comment you made in an introduction highlighting the teaching of Bishop Fulton Sheen. You made the bold, brave, statement regarding Bishop Sheen that he is a challenge for ‘our dumbed down modern Church’. I hope I am not taking you out of context. To me you were saying that the scholarly Bishop Sheen was able to embrace the Fullness of Truth, while lovingly and respectfully embracing secular thought. He understood literature, art, films, philosophy, psychology, history-the humanities. His faith was not a means of conquering, dividing, and denouncing. He did not seek to rule, rather to lovingly spread the Gospel-Good News. I hear and associate with Traditionalist Catholics and I become nauseous. The authoritative demand, the declarative statements and judgements, the division they create within the Church, the extreme politics-constant hysteria and conspiracies, calling the Pope by his last name, associating Vatican II to demonic influence, so much ugliness; challenging everyone to understand them, while they refuse to understand anyone. Father Chad Ripperger, a Latin Mass and devotee to traditional practices, is acute in his criticism of the self-proclaimed traditionalist. He stresses the gossiping and competitive nature of the parishes, the constant criticism of priests and the hierarchy of the Church; narrow minded and an overall improper education of the Church in terms of being dominated by self-will and agenda driven, in the sense, of only finding what supports one’s self-righteousness. Father Ripperger makes the statement: while denouncing Modernist, traditionists are some of the worst Modernist. Franciscan thought of ‘seek to understand, rather than be understood’ is demolished. Then to the opposite extreme, there is the liberal aspect of the Church, I will not name names or religious orders, yet have a couple specific local churches I associate with in mind. Everything is grounded in secular politics, again the imposition of personal agenda and self-will dominating. The parishes tend to be well educated, not the self-taught know-it-all traditionalist, and also charismatic and nice people to socialize with. However, instead of opening one’s self to the world with trust and understanding of the Fullness of Truth we embrace as Catholics, there is a constant challenge for change, the approval of secular academia, and the demands of the world dominating, while also embracing a passive aggressive nature that is extremely confrontational and insulting to anyone who does not agree with them. I also find the lack of prayer, especially contemplative prayer such as a daily Holy Hour, troubling. Both extremes are overly-sensitive, aggressively defensive and offensive, absolutely intolerant of anyone who does not support them-the demonizing of others habitually evolving into a way of life. So, as I accept the challenge in my own life of moving away from opinions (so much work to be done), deepening my faith through the decreasing of myself, it is a pleasure to find a voice that brings peace and understanding. I do not enjoy clashing with others. It is something I have to overcome--'too much confusion, I can't get no relief...Then the thief he kindly spoke'.
Great interpretation Bishop Barron, thanks for talking about one of my favorite artists
Excellent Fr. Barron, great series keep up the good work !
Dylan's lyrics have that timeless quality, relevant to times past and present. Listen to Hurricane as another example
Dylan, still way ahead of the curve
"There must be some way out of here"
Said the joker to the thief
"There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief
Businessmen, they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line
Know what any of it is worth"
"No reason to get excited"
The thief, he kindly spoke
"There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now
The hour is getting late"
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants too
Outside, in the distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
The wind began to howl
"Plowmen dig my earth." Love it.
Yes, I agree with you. Perhaps I'll get around to commenting on the more recent work. Thanks for the suggestion.
I’ve always loved Bob Dylan…and, surely God has placed into the heart of Bishop “Bob” Barron (whom I also love) the interpretation he so eloquently and spiritually provides. Hallelujah! 🙏❤️
"Playing for Change" (a TH-cam channel) has the most outstanding cover ever of this song!
Thank you Fr. Barron, I love this interpretation! I also enjoy looking into the deeper spiritual meaning of popular music and movies. I would love to see your interpretation of songs by Twenty One Pilots, especially on their album, "Blurryface". God Bless.
Bishop Barron nerds out. Loved this video.
Thank you Bishop Barron great analysis!
Great review Father
What a revelation! Babylon has fallen There is a new world! Wow so there has been a spiritual element in Dylan's songs right from the start Thank you so much Bishop Barron and bless you Bob for spreading the Good News for so many years!
I had never even heard of this song! Very interesting. Thanks Bishop Barron.
Really???
I think father is a rocker mixed in there somewhere. 😊
What was Paul doing on the Areopagus when he praised aspects of the religious philosophy of the Greeks? He was reaching out to the environing culture for points of contact with the Gospel. This strategy was practiced, in turn, by Origen, Augustine, Irenaeus, Thomas Aquinas, and practically every other major theologian.
which or whose version do you personally prefer, Robert
Yes, Bishop, but did they give up (water down, ignore - choose any similar word -) their own beliefs to accommodate those of others, or did they stand firm in their own faith and insist upon their own faith being the fullest one and the only means of salvation?
I dont think your projecting your belief your interpreting the song through your story and morals
And alot of bob Dylan's song are inspired from the bible
I never thought about it this way. Wow!
Fascinating
True, Dylan's songs have a strong spiritual component. Thanks for your analysis! About your reference to God breaking through into our circumstance (2:42)...He, may I say, from the beginning has already absolutely and Lovingly done that! Emmanuel can never not be Emmanuel again.
To paraphrase Tolkien in the Silmarillion, ‘God uses all things for His purposes, even if evil thinks otherwise’. Yep, rough paraphrase but the point is the He knows. Bishop Barron is a great soul.
This with "Don't Fear the Reaper" are my great jam songs. A vi-V-IV progression that is the mainstay of rock, that you will hear everywhere even in "Stairway To Heaven." The lyrics of Watchtower almost don't matter because the focus is usually on great guitar playing -- the rockers all do this song so the real statement is usually found in their solos. Worlds open up in the solos from Neil Young sputtering and stuttering to Eric Clapton (God) being inspired to reach out and make a mistake!, to Richie Kotzen (dressed like Johnny Depp who was dressed like Keith Richards in "Pirates of the Caribbean") doing it like an R&B version of "Beast of Burden" to flatter the Rolling Stones that he opened up for on one of their many world tours, to Jimi Hendrix's manic psychedelia, to countless other musicians who make it their own. "The wind begins to howl" with these guys because there is a Spirit there. And there is a knock at the Watchtower's door. Who is there? Death? The two riders approaching, to my mind, symbolize the two motorcyclists that accompany lady Death in Jean Cocteau's movie Orphee. So this is my take, one guitar players take, one amongst many....
Most people seem convinced of 'one' interpretation of the song, ie. Spiritual OR Sociopolitical. Yet maybe, Dylan's genius resides in his ability to convey dual meanings in his allegorical lyrics!!
can’t get enough of Father’s insights
Father, which version of the song do you find most musically satisfying?
Bob Dylan is a GENIUS!
great commentary. I really like your interpretation of the watchtower as being up on the cross and seeing the world from Jesus and the two criminal's POV. I love Bob Dylan but never made this connection before. Thanks for your wise insight! Please do more dylan commentaries!
Nunca había interpretado esta canción desde esa prespectiva, pero es una visión maravillosa
i love how literally everyone has a different interpretarion of the meaning of this song and yet... i feel like the meaning is somewhere in between them all
Lyrics
"There must be some way out of here" said the joker to the thief
"There's too much confusion", I can't get no relief
Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth.
"No reason to get excited", the thief he kindly spoke
"There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late".
All along the watchtower, princes kept the view
While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.
Love this interpretation! Never thought of it that way, but then again, I prefer the Hendrix cover!
Very good interpretation. I have a different opinion of the meaning of these lyrics, but this was a great breakdown and could very well be the true meaning.
And I hear it as an inner discussion between 2 of his own sides of a popular songwriter. Inspired by bible for sure but a personnal poetic way to express his own state of soul.
Thank you, i never knew what to make of this text. I'm not sure many did. But what would be the purpose that the song was so popular as non-understood?
Good analysis.
The last verse of this song sounds like it should be the first verse. The riders arrive, then the rest happens….I doubt Dylan would say that the bishop’s interpretation was his but he wouldn’t say it wasn’t either. Dylan’s songs can mean whatever they mean to anyone who listens.
Great insight by a clergyman into a classic Bob Dylan track. Well done Bishop Barron. I will get into Isiah 21 straight away.
Also, it has been reported that during the period when he wrote "Watchtower", he was living in his country home in Woodstock & his most often-read book was a Bible which he kept on a bookstand in his study, according to an interview with his mother (& other friends) - as noted in several bios of him. He did say about that song he'd been reading the Prophets & that he wrote it during a thunderstorm.
What, this is amazing! I love Dylan.
G'day Fr Bob, thank you for your insight into the meaning of this absolutely legandary song , which by the way the late great Jimi Hendrix version put more than just meaning to, which I do wonder if Dylan's original penning of the song was religiously orietatated or maybe written with a differant perspective with a coincidental similarity to the biblical overtones!! Either way I respect all insights, God bless.
Wonderful!
Bob Dylan one of the great minds of our time
Excellent read on his music. It's all biblical
good job buddy, keep up the good works!
Hi, thanks for your critique. I was wondering if you could tell me whether you came across any problems with regards to copyright infringements through using his lyric?. Thanks.
You've got it Father, dialog between the Joker and the Thief are from the Cross.
"There must be some way out of here," ... There is no escape.
This thought enters peoples mind as they get old, approaching mortality. It enters mine.
@bongolongo Then you've ruled out 99.9% of all literary interpretation! Last time I checked, we can't discuss the meaning of Moby Dick with Herman Melville or the themes of Oliver Twist with Charles Dickens. That doesn't stop the informed critic from analyzing as far as he can, the forms on display in the work.
Thank you!
i really love hearing about other people's takes on the meaning of his songs
You'd really love A.J. Webberman then... ( good luck with that...! )
Late to the party, but oddly the joker and thief references also evoked in me for awhile now the same image of the two thieves executed on either side of Jesus. The joker - mocking, dismissive of any meaning to life; the thief - a wrongdoer who nevertheless recognizes his wrong, which means he also recognizes what's right. The joker knows neither wrong nor right. He is a nihilist, like so many modern sages. That's what I hear, anyway.
Thank You!
Father Barron, I am becoming a huge fan of yours! I am particularly impressed by how you are letting the world know that we are not all Biblical literalists. I believe you mentioned in one of your videos how the new atheism is a direct result of Christian fundamentalism. I couldn't agree more. I wrote a little piece on Facebook about The Who's Eminence Front and its relation to the Book of Ecclesiastes. I wish I could post a link but I don't think this is possible. Keep up the good work!
It's how you analyze the song , remember there were great thinkers in the past that try to free people conciousness, not to be trap in the history that others is telling you .
Hmm thats a very neat way of looking at the song. I new it was probably his most biblical song but didnt exactly know where the story was. I think I'll check out those parts of the Bible now.
That's the Truth.
Jesus is the Way Out of Here!👈
Isaiah is one of my favorite books of the Bible and i never realized i am so attached from a girl as i am very spiritual based not demonic but i love Bob Dylan and i love God
Gruss Gott! The Heilige Geist is stirring in you. Follow his promptings! Peace.
I already know he did a great job with his own song
A definite number one for me
Blimey, that’s a completely different interpretation I’ve had all my life since buying it on a 45 record by the Jimi Hendrix Experiences. Incidentally Long Hot Summer was on the B side on Track Records in the UK. It was aired on the BBC’s Top of the Pops music show with Pan’s People dancing to it. It was the first 45 I ever bought with my own money!
Interesting interpretation from a Biblical scholar . Much of Dylan’s verses are intended to sound cool , to appear cryptic and but without meaning enabling the listener to enjoy and interpret as they wish . Dylan said so himself after being awarded the Nobel Prize for literature . ‘ sing in me o muse and through me tell your story ‘
(start here)
Fr Barron, I hope you are still around to chat. In Dylan's "Talk'n New York," Dylan provides this:
"Now, a very great man once said
That some people rob you with a fountain pen
It don't take too long to find out
Just what he was talking about
A lot of people don't have much food on their table
But they got a lot of forks and knives
And they gotta cut somethin' "
Dylan is providing cultural commentary on the rich establishment and the populace. "All along the watchtower is similar." The joker is the populace. The thief is the elites. The thief may own the land, technically, but the joker is the worker that is intimately connected to the land. The land is valuable only because the desperate starving jokers will work the land. The joker recognizes that the land is really his.
There are communist overtones here. The idea that the populace should own the means of production.
To me, this is the scene, or backdrop, for all along the watchtower.
Fr. Barron, I would love to hear your comments on the new Battlestar Galactica series. Yeah, that's no small request if you haven't seen it as it's 4 seasons of TV, but it's a very religion themed and driven show framed in a sci-fi/military concept. At the end of the third season, All Along the Watchtower literally becomes an integral part of the show and the developments of the final season, which is interesting since the show is set in a totally different world than ours.
@wordonfirevideo Did Pink Floyd write 'Dark Side Of The Moon' to match the Wizard of Oz movie? I'd like to know, because they match up perfectly too.
Never underestimate the human capacity for seeing patterns where there are none.
Have you asked Mr. Dylan if your interpretation is correct? I don't think I'd presume to know what other people thought during a creative process before I had asked them in person. It's very, very presumptious to do so on your own.
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Fr Barron, I'd liked to hear your breakdown and provide commentary on the Isaiah passage, aside from Dylan. Contextualize it and help it make sense. I can't understand the Isaiah passage, in any meaningful sense.
(continued 1)
I am not a communist in the classical sense, but today, more so ever in my life, I see what might be a GROWING struggle between the modern elites, and the vast populace. The world does not need to be Karl Marx socialism, but the populace MUST HAVE real and substantial representation, and not just representation, but actual wealth and ownership. The elites MUST BE generous, but their wicked hearts are bent on enslaving. The populace has a wicked side too. None of us work well together, unfortunately. Another difficulty is that the populace is often not united. For example, recall the American revolutionaries vs the British sympathizers at the founding of America.
I love everyone here thx