The Lyrics of Civility by Kenneth Bielen

Author:Kenneth Bielen [Bielen, Kenneth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, General
ISBN: 9781317713517
Google: bdpqCwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2016-01-20T16:12:23+00:00

Chapter Seven

Slow Train Coming: Following the Path of Dylan through the 1980s

Bob Dylan's immersion in Christianity should not have been so surprising as he had explored spiritual and, in particular, Biblical images since the early years of his recording career. In the mid-1970s, he used metaphors based in Biblical texts in his lyrics. "Shelter from the Storm," from Blood on the Tracks (no. 1, 1975), incorporates a narrator who is a Christ figure. The twist in the story is that the Christ figure is not the "shelter" but a woman who provides sanctuary for him. The woman frees him from his "crown of thorns." Villagers "gambled for [his] clothes," mirroring the acts of the soldiers at Calvary. Like the Christ, the narrator "offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn." Dylan's lyrics attest to his fluency in the texts of the Bible.

From the same collection, "Idiot Wind" is a vengeful complaint against a former lover and/or a former audience. The narrator rails against his target whose every word breathes "idiot wind." Again, the lyrics focus on Jesus Christ. Dylan sings of a "lone soldier on the cross" who "in the final end ... won the wars after losin' every battle." As in "Shelter from the Storm," the narrator relates to Christ. He is telling his enemy it may appear she or they may be winning now, but he will be victorious.

The next release Desire (no. 1, 1976) again reflected Dylan's spiritual dabbles. In a non-fiction narrative, "Joey," about the assassination of the mob boss Joey Gallo, Dylan sings that if there is a God, the assassins will be brought to justice. The first person narrator of "Oh, Sister" sings to his lover who is his "sister" in a common faith. God is referred to as "Our Father." The two have had a common salvation: "we died and were reborn and then mysteriously saved." The two have a common calling. The narrator asks, "is our purpose not the same on this earth, to love and follow His direction?" The words of "Oh, Sister" clearly imply a spiritual transformation and are congruent with the doctrine of the Christian faith. Though Dylan was yet to publicly express his conversion, certainly his lyrics revealed his interest in a relationship with God.

The subsequent album Street-Legal (no. 11, 1978), the third release of the trilogy that began with Blood on the Tracks, evidenced an interest in end times theology. Dylan's narrator asks if he is on the way to Armageddon ("Senor"). "No Time to Think" is an apocalyptic revelation of a moon the color of blood, of betrayal where the lion should be living in peaceful harmony with the lamb and of leaders who will "offer their heads for a prayer" (but will not experience redemption). The narrator does note a glimmer of hope: "starlight in the East and you're finally released," referring to the coming of the Christ. On another track Dylan warns against the practice of the occult arts ("New Pony"). Dylan's foreboding lyrical vision precurses the theology of an angry God that he would espouse with his next release.

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