Bob Dylan turned seventy years old yesterday. How on earth did that happen? If Dylan is now officially an old man, then that makes me…well, old enough to have been listening to him since the beginning.
At the end of ABC News this afternoon, broadcast from the scene of tornado damage in Joplin, Missouri, Bob Dylan’s Shelter from the Storm played over photographs of the devastation. In fact, for half a century, Dylan’s songs have been telling the stories of American lives.
Dylan wrote and recorded The Death of Emmet Till during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Blowin’ in the Wind captured the country’s sense of frustration during the Vietnam War. The Times They are a-Changin’ chronicled the turbulence of the 1960s. He expressed our desire to put aside violence in Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. And although he didn’t write them, Dylan’s rendition of Freight Train Blues and Gotta Travel On perfectly captured America’s restlessness.
In songs such as Mr. Tambourine Man, Dylan told stories. He sang about lust in Lay Lady, Lay, and about love in Make You Feel My Love. He sang about rejection in I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Have Never Met), and he said goodbye to love in Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.
In the midst of his own spiritual search, Dylan gave us Death is Not the End and Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others). Dignity expressed our human need to be acknowledged and respected. Heartland remains relevant to the struggles so many Americans are now experiencing.
As the rest of us have matured and mellowed, so has Dylan. In It’s All Right and A Satisfied Mind, the singer has made peace with life. Fixin’ to Die (written by bluesman Bukka White) describes the conflict between a willingness to let go of life and sadness at leaving the ones we love.
For me as a writer, Dylan is an inspiration. His lyrics are alternately simple and complex, angry and tender, ironic and hopeful. His music has provided the soundtrack for a generation.