same time frame here, 50 plus. not sure when i started exactly listening but Dad was a guitar playing 60s hippie. Bob and Neil are the first musicians i can remember from childhood. maybe that's why thru all the great music since nothing ever quite measures up to those 2 IMO
Try to pick one set of lyrics of Dylan's that you think is best. It will change every day, crown of thorns, fan's looked at him as if he was the messiah, there was a reporter Al can't remember his last name, he said it, Dylan was the messiah in his eye's. People thought Dylan had the answer for the world's problems, and the press the fan's all wanted a piece of him, it's sad because he just wants to write songs and all that pressure could of ended it all, we all know what happened in 66, he's the greatest creator of songs we'll ever have so let's just enjoy his art while we still have him.
One night long ago I remember listening to Dylan and saying I knew he was good but fuck me I didn't realise he was that good!!!! it physically moved me to realize that his concious was so wide and so deep. Being his own master to open up the discussion about being participants and not just passive observers in life, asking "so what have we got here?" whilst steering the ship of his own creation that had been grabbed by youth culture through the 60's with out getting shot,the madness of all the drugs, scenes,politics, and other peoples expectations and when he got through "I came in from the wilderness a creature void of form" the strugle just to stay in contact with who you are and not get swept over board. I recall a british folk guitarist saying when Dylan first came to London in 63 he could listen to a tune maybe once and he'd have memorised it consequently he absorbed tunes from England,Scotland and ireland that were centuries old ,hundreds of them as well as all the blues, ragtime,American folk music everything all the collective experiences of the ages but then made something new that was his own . He often writes what sound to me like sea shanties telling stories to pass the time on the voyage about the ridiculousness of life or his observations on the voyage
This is one of the saddest 'lost true love' songs ever heard. Made me cry, again. It is as raw as it gets. Cause love never dies, and it just expresses it all somehow. A genius poet. True Blues.
This whole album is a masterpiece and my favourite of his. It was written at the time of his separation and ultimate divorce from his first wife Sara. I always felt this song was about the madness that surrounded Dylan in the mid 60's. He was equally vilified by folk purist for going electric and hailed as some sort of messiah, the voice of his generation. That's what I always thought the crown of thorns and gambling for his clothes referred to. His relationship with Sara and their retiring to a rural retreat to raise their family gave him shelter from the storm until the relationship fell apart.
I always took the crown of thorns as he was a very young artist that everyone wanted something from, tearing at him, trying to use him or make him into what they wanted. He was barely out of his teens and he was a superstar with no precedent. Tearing him apart or crucifying him. People spoke like that if a person was getting destroyed - they were crucifying them. My take anyway
I was told about this singer in 1963 by a young immigrant that I met in high school. The guy was from Syria, but that didn't mean a lot to me then. I liked the kid, in high school a person a guy a year younger could be seen as a kid. I was just adapting to the idea of a pop singer in my journey and this one represented youth and something new to think about. I was barely out of grade school then. Very fast forward to the present. I am now 77 yrs old. I went to a West Coast University, married and owned 3 or 4 record stores in my life and perhaps 3 yrs after hearing the name Bob Dylan became obsessed by the magic represented by pop music and it's many variations. People would come to me over the years asking who sang this, what their albums were and where did they hail from, so being engaged with pop music became a facet of my life. And, to this day Dylans musical journey is something I am known for. And, Bob is always running in my subconscience. What I am telling you is you can spend a lifetime knowing Dylan's catalog. He took pop music to a new level, introduced new topics and melodies, and in his eighties is still thinking up new ways to express his art. There is very little that can be said to be mediocre. The Beatles, the pundits still cannot get enough of his many facets. Bob is still unique, writes all his own songs and performs constantly, nor for the money, but because he made a bargain with God. Listen to, "A Murder Most Foul." Lucky You, you have a master to learn about. Now I am living in Siam, listening to Bob.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and giving this video a watch. It's so inspiring to see how Bob Dylans Journey and yours have been connected for so many years. I feel like I'm just scratching the surface and I am so ready for this Journey Thanks for sending the recommendations! Is there any album I should listen to?
@@StillColour Their are so many albums over the years that I have listened to throughout my life, it's hard to say. Once you get hooked on Dylan it is difficult to fixate on just one period. Freewheeling was his second and is pure Bob, with guitar, learning what his destiny was to be and just beginning to polish his discoveries. His girl in New York was gonna leave him as he was becoming too intense so she went to university in Italy. His big moves that blew the music industry away were Bringing it All Back Home and Blonde on Blonde. At that time he took his music to England and hung out with the Beatles and left them standing in awe and wondering what they had just witnessed. Those three albums are the ones that will hook you, and you can fill in the blanks once you digest those. Fasten your seatbelt and headphones.
Ah what a super review! Intelligent and insightful, After a few more Dylan songs, You'll come to understand that your dealing with a force of nature here, IMO, the greatest composer of the 20th century! I wish you luck, it's going to be a fantastic journey, on to the next one! ( maybe 'Every grain of sand') You'll love it!
As I have lived so many of the songs on BLOOD ON THE TRACKS - especially "If You See Her, Say Hello" - this will always be my favorite Bob album. Dylan built his reputation on broad themes and topical events but this record was personal and, if you can identify with its messages, it hits harder. A+
Dylan wrote this when he was going through a divorce. Both the storm and the shelter can be viewed metaphorically, the "storm" being the struggles and tumult of survival, the shelter being the peace we find in the affection and tenderness of a loving relationship... or perhaps it's the compassion of a stranger one meets on the path of life. "She" remains unnamed, leaving the listener their own imagination. Perhaps the song is a direct reference to Dylan's personal experience, that of the divorce, and the shelter was actually the comfort and love he recieved from his wife even as their marraige was ending.
There's another verse in the song with biblical references. It's the one that says, "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.'" This recalls the crucifixion of where the soldiers who nailed Jesus to the cross gambled for His clothes on the hill (Golgotha) where they crucified Him.
This is why Dylan is the only contemporary musician to have won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Cuz dude’s a genius. And while that’s an overused word these days, he fits the bill. His words and music are timeless and have infinite meanings. Almost no other artist has done this.
@@StillColour Yup! He won the Nobel Prize for Literature several years ago based on his life's work of lyrics. Funniest part -- Dylan didn't feel like going to pick it up in person so he was a no-show. Kinda guessing at this point he doesn't feel like he needs any more awards -- even the Nobel Prize!
@eeah1 someone read his acceptance speech. It's actually kind of interesting listening to what he thought about. Somewhat uncharacteristic of him, as he took it seriously even tho he didn't go. It's on youtube
Oh, it is fun to watch you unpeel the layers. SoYou're going to enjoy the journey if you continue down this Dylan road. Agree with the other comment suggesting “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” and “Visions of Johanna“. Would also add later work like "Blind Willie McTell" or "Jokerman"
This is a song of betrayal. But not of Jesus by Judas. Rather, most critics and fans believe that he wrote this song, and the others on BOTT as a commentary on his failing marriage to Sara Dylan. Jakob Dylan, Bob's and Sara's son, said that 'Blood on the Tracks. . . that's my parents talking.'
Blood on the Tracks is said to be about his divorce. Going back to 1965 Dylan was in logger heads with the Folk movement, his manager, his record company and two women were involved also along with his folk fans who booed him on stage, everyone wanted to "own him". Later that year he married and it is possible she was the one who offered him shelter from that storm. Although, with Dylan, he may well have included ambiguous lines also. Lyrical genius, so much and so many genres. Tangled Up in Blue, Desolation Row, Jokerman are just a few with ambiguous content. His love songs are also beautiful, If you see her say hello, To Ramona, Tomorrow is a long time, Boots of Spanish Leather...
this is what i have thought, especially because of the line 'when God and her were born". Wisdom in the old testament is portrayed as a personification of God and so it makes sense they were 'born' at the same time. and no other woman (or man) fits that description. and we can have a back and forth relationship with Wisdom, leaving and needing to return to Her as we go thru the many fits and starts of life. certainly, the use of Jesus references seems unusual for bob prior to having accepted Christianity, but he was very familiar with the bible and no doubt that included the new testament even if, as a Jew, it was not something he believed. it would have been reasonable to identify the description of Jesus' life and death as requiring Wisdom to provide Him with the fortitude needed to not give up.
Dylan had to be the best at using this particular format, where the repeated refrain at the end of each verse "come in she said I'll give ya...... and each verse is maybe a unique interpretation of how it feels to be given "shelter from the storm" There is nobody quite like good ole Bob Dylan
Here is my take on the 'she' in this song: Since Church is often referred to as Woman/She I've always thought of the 'She' in this song as referring to Church.
I think you should listen to Bob's song Love Sick. His 'broken' voice is not a negative. It adds to the delivery of the song. All is clear in the lyrics. There are no layers. Try imagining any singer ever doing a cover of this break-up song, that is better.
Probably two meanings, but consider that the Church or even Israel is often personified as a woman or the Bride of Christ. This could be the Church beckoning to Dylan to come into salvation.
There are things we should to acknowledge about dylan though. To him his songs don't mean anything to him. He denies the popular opinion and labels. So trying to depict his songs will annoy the artist.
I felt that way for a long time. Then one day I heard "Positively 4th Street" when I was particularly mad at someone and DAMN did it make me do a 180. Never looked back. Shelter from the Storm is one of my favorites. Could listen to it over and over.
This album is a work of art. A true masterpiece which all other albums should aspire to be.
I've been listening to "Bood On The Tracks' for almost 50 years now and the older I get the more these songs choke me up.
Yes, I feel the same. Wonderful! A true artist and a damn fine poet. I'm gonna miss him when he goes . Be well, friend.
If you see her say hello always gets me. Well, they all do, but...
same time frame here, 50 plus. not sure when i started exactly listening but Dad was a guitar playing 60s hippie. Bob and Neil are the first musicians i can remember from childhood. maybe that's why thru all the great music since nothing ever quite measures up to those 2 IMO
These might be the greatest lyrics ever written - except for about a thousand other Dylan songs which could also take the top spot.
Try to pick one set of lyrics of Dylan's that you think is best. It will change every day, crown of thorns, fan's looked at him as if he was the messiah, there was a reporter Al can't remember his last name, he said it, Dylan was the messiah in his eye's. People thought Dylan had the answer for the world's problems, and the press the fan's all wanted a piece of him, it's sad because he just wants to write songs and all that pressure could of ended it all, we all know what happened in 66, he's the greatest creator of songs we'll ever have so let's just enjoy his art while we still have him.
"she took my crown of thorns" made me open my eyes and look for answers outside of the religion I was brought up with.
One night long ago I remember listening to Dylan and saying I knew he was good but fuck me I didn't realise he was that good!!!! it physically moved me to realize that his concious was so wide and so deep.
Being his own master to open up the discussion about being participants and not just passive observers in life, asking "so what have we got here?" whilst steering the ship of his own creation that had been grabbed by youth culture through the 60's with out getting shot,the madness of all the drugs, scenes,politics, and other peoples expectations and when he got through "I came in from the wilderness a creature void of form" the strugle just to stay in contact with who you are and not get swept over board.
I recall a british folk guitarist saying when Dylan first came to London in 63 he could listen to a tune maybe once and he'd have memorised it consequently he absorbed tunes from England,Scotland and ireland that were centuries old ,hundreds of them as well as all the blues, ragtime,American folk music everything all the collective experiences of the ages but then made something new that was his own .
He often writes what sound to me like sea shanties telling stories to pass the time on the voyage about the ridiculousness of life or his observations on the voyage
Nice!
It’s not just what Dylan says it’s how he says it
This is one of the saddest 'lost true love' songs ever heard. Made me cry, again. It is as raw as it gets. Cause love never dies, and it just expresses it all somehow. A genius poet. True Blues.
I love watching people listen to a different song for the first time. Some people don’t get Bob Dylan and that’s OK but if you do, he goes deep.
This whole album is a masterpiece and my favourite of his. It was written at the time of his separation and ultimate divorce from his first wife Sara. I always felt this song was about the madness that surrounded Dylan in the mid 60's. He was equally vilified by folk purist for going electric and hailed as some sort of messiah, the voice of his generation. That's what I always thought the crown of thorns and gambling for his clothes referred to. His relationship with Sara and their retiring to a rural retreat to raise their family gave him shelter from the storm until the relationship fell apart.
One of the great poets of his generation, this song being an example, and certainly the whole album qualifies as a masterpiece
The greatest storyteller ever.
I always took the crown of thorns as he was a very young artist that everyone wanted something from, tearing at him, trying to use him or make him into what they wanted. He was barely out of his teens and he was a superstar with no precedent. Tearing him apart or crucifying him. People spoke like that if a person was getting destroyed - they were crucifying them. My take anyway
I was told about this singer in 1963 by a young immigrant that I met in high school. The guy was from Syria, but that didn't mean a lot to me then. I liked the kid, in high school a person a guy a year younger could be seen as a kid. I was just adapting to the idea of a pop singer in my journey and this one represented youth and something new to think about. I was barely out of grade school then. Very fast forward to the present. I am now 77 yrs old. I went to a West Coast University, married and owned 3 or 4 record stores in my life and perhaps 3 yrs after hearing the name Bob Dylan became obsessed by the magic represented by pop music and it's many variations. People would come to me over the years asking who sang this, what their albums were and where did they hail from, so being engaged with pop music became a facet of my life. And, to this day Dylans musical journey is something I am known for. And, Bob is always running in my subconscience.
What I am telling you is you can spend a lifetime knowing Dylan's catalog. He took pop music to a new level, introduced new topics and melodies, and in his eighties is still thinking up new ways to express his art. There is very little that can be said to be mediocre. The Beatles, the pundits still cannot get enough of his many facets. Bob is still unique, writes all his own songs and performs constantly, nor for the money, but because he made a bargain with God. Listen to, "A Murder Most Foul." Lucky You, you have a master to learn about. Now I am living in Siam, listening to Bob.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and giving this video a watch. It's so inspiring to see how Bob Dylans Journey and yours have been connected for so many years. I feel like I'm just scratching the surface and I am so ready for this Journey
Thanks for sending the recommendations! Is there any album I should listen to?
@@StillColour Their are so many albums over the years that I have listened to throughout my life, it's hard to say. Once you get hooked on Dylan it is difficult to fixate on just one period. Freewheeling was his second and is pure Bob, with guitar, learning what his destiny was to be and just beginning to polish his discoveries. His girl in New York was gonna leave him as he was becoming too intense so she went to university in Italy. His big moves that blew the music industry away were Bringing it All Back Home and Blonde on Blonde. At that time he took his music to England and hung out with the Beatles and left them standing in awe and wondering what they had just witnessed. Those three albums are the ones that will hook you, and you can fill in the blanks once you digest those. Fasten your seatbelt and headphones.
love your take was good
Ah what a super review! Intelligent and insightful, After a few more Dylan songs, You'll come to understand that your dealing with a force of nature here, IMO, the greatest composer of the 20th century! I wish you luck, it's going to be a fantastic journey, on to the next one! ( maybe 'Every grain of sand') You'll love it!
Thank you so much for your kind words Brian, I'm looking forward to this Journey. I feel like it is going to be perspective and life changing!
very cool!!
Religion, relationships, struggles. That’s a really solid point of view for looking at Bob Dylan songs
As I have lived so many of the songs on BLOOD ON THE TRACKS - especially "If You See Her, Say Hello" - this will always be my favorite Bob album. Dylan built his reputation on broad themes and topical events but this record was personal and, if you can identify with its messages, it hits harder. A+
Dylan wrote this when he was going through a divorce. Both the storm and the shelter can be viewed metaphorically, the "storm" being the struggles and tumult of survival, the shelter being the peace we find in the affection and tenderness of a loving relationship... or perhaps it's the compassion of a stranger one meets on the path of life.
"She" remains unnamed, leaving the listener their own imagination. Perhaps the song is a direct reference to Dylan's personal experience, that of the divorce, and the shelter was actually the comfort and love he recieved from his wife even as their marraige was ending.
Yeah dylan wrote his lyrics with multiple levels of audience in mind. I think he even credited an old writer for that approach somewhere
There's another verse in the song with biblical references. It's the one that says, "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.'" This recalls the crucifixion of where the soldiers who nailed Jesus to the cross gambled for His clothes on the hill (Golgotha) where they crucified Him.
This is why Dylan is the only contemporary musician to have won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Cuz dude’s a genius. And while that’s an overused word these days, he fits the bill. His words and music are timeless and have infinite meanings. Almost no other artist has done this.
He won a Nobel Prize?? Was this for a particular piece of work?
@@StillColour for his body of work
@@StillColour Yup! He won the Nobel Prize for Literature several years ago based on his life's work of lyrics. Funniest part -- Dylan didn't feel like going to pick it up in person so he was a no-show. Kinda guessing at this point he doesn't feel like he needs any more awards -- even the Nobel Prize!
@eeah1 someone read his acceptance speech. It's actually kind of interesting listening to what he thought about. Somewhat uncharacteristic of him, as he took it seriously even tho he didn't go. It's on youtube
@@jenniferellison3480 I need to watch that! Thanks so much for letting me know!
Oh, it is fun to watch you unpeel the layers. SoYou're going to enjoy the journey if you continue down this Dylan road. Agree with the other comment suggesting “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” and “Visions of Johanna“. Would also add later work like "Blind Willie McTell" or "Jokerman"
This is a song of betrayal. But not of Jesus by Judas. Rather, most critics and fans believe that he wrote this song, and the others on BOTT as a commentary on his failing marriage to Sara Dylan. Jakob Dylan, Bob's and Sara's son, said that 'Blood on the Tracks. . . that's my parents talking.'
Blood on the Tracks is said to be about his divorce. Going back to 1965 Dylan was in logger heads with the Folk movement, his manager, his record company and two women were involved also along with his folk fans who booed him on stage, everyone wanted to "own him". Later that year he married and it is possible she was the one who offered him shelter from that storm. Although, with Dylan, he may well have included ambiguous lines also. Lyrical genius, so much and so many genres. Tangled Up in Blue, Desolation Row, Jokerman are just a few with ambiguous content. His love songs are also beautiful, If you see her say hello, To Ramona, Tomorrow is a long time, Boots of Spanish Leather...
Some think he’s singing about Wisdom which is personified as a woman in the Old Testament - which wouldn’t be much of a stretch at all for Dylan.
this is what i have thought, especially because of the line 'when God and her were born". Wisdom in the old testament is portrayed as a personification of God and so it makes sense they were 'born' at the same time. and no other woman (or man) fits that description. and we can have a back and forth relationship with Wisdom, leaving and needing to return to Her as we go thru the many fits and starts of life.
certainly, the use of Jesus references seems unusual for bob prior to having accepted Christianity, but he was very familiar with the bible and no doubt that included the new testament even if, as a Jew, it was not something he believed. it would have been reasonable to identify the description of Jesus' life and death as requiring Wisdom to provide Him with the fortitude needed to not give up.
Dylan had to be the best at using this particular format, where the repeated refrain at the end of each verse "come in she said I'll give ya...... and each verse is maybe a unique interpretation of how it feels to be given "shelter from the storm" There is nobody quite like good ole Bob Dylan
You should check out the new book, "You Don't Need a Weatherman: Bob Dylan for Beginners" if you would like to learn more about Bob Dylan
Here is my take on the 'she' in this song: Since Church is often referred to as Woman/She I've always thought of the 'She' in this song as referring to Church.
It was shortly after this song that Dylan said Jesus came to him in a hotel room after he took back a cross that a fan threw on the stage.
Are you ( the host ) a native Britt, or were you born somewhere else? Just curious. Great reaction! Peace
Born and Bred in the London but west african in descent
The best version of this song is the Live in 76 concert version.
I think you should listen to Bob's song Love Sick. His 'broken' voice is not a negative. It adds to the delivery of the song. All is clear in the lyrics. There are no layers. Try imagining any singer ever doing a cover of this break-up song, that is better.
Let me add this to the list! Thanks for sending, I'm looking forward to hearing it
Good interpretations. I think “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” and “Visions of Johanna “ would be your kind of songs.
Thanks for the recommendations Peter, they'll being added to the list!
No Steely Dan reactions???? Think you would love them. Anyone agree?
Please send some recommendations!
Please listen to this other masterful interpretation by the master himself of Shelter...th-cam.com/video/12rUOLtbQDk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=7QVF2lTmeYB3Oe6g
Thanks for sending, will check it out!
Probably two meanings, but consider that the Church or even Israel is often personified as a woman or the Bride of Christ. This could be the Church beckoning to Dylan to come into salvation.
There are things we should to acknowledge about dylan though. To him his songs don't mean anything to him. He denies the popular opinion and labels. So trying to depict his songs will annoy the artist.
Fantastic analysis. Blood on the tracks is a divorce album in one sense.
Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment, are there any other tracks I should listen to before I dive into the album?
Please react'o the ludmilla - ludsession 4 feat
Let me add to the list!
Blood on the Tracks is average compared with BIABH, H61R and BOB
I love Bob Dylan's music sung by anyone but him. His lyrics are genius. IMO, his voice is not
it's the recital
🔔
@@anastasiabeaverhausen516 love his singing
I felt that way for a long time. Then one day I heard "Positively 4th Street" when I was particularly mad at someone and DAMN did it make me do a 180. Never looked back.
Shelter from the Storm is one of my favorites. Could listen to it over and over.
@ I will give him another try. I love Jakob.