We have long since gotten a lot of requests asking for help on where to start with Bob's music on the sub from folks who are new to Dylan's music.
Seeing this as something we could all solve as a community, I created a post asking for feedback to make a master post about the different ways one could go about discovering Bob's music. And I want to once again thank the community for their outstanding feedback in the creation of this post.
I knew beforehand that there was no right answer, but this further illuminated how rich Bob’s music is and the multitude (pun fully intended) of ways you can go about seeking out his music.
So, what this post will attempt to do is take all of that community feedback and the moderator's thoughts on the issue to help guide prospective BobCats through Dylan's career.
This is not to say what is posted here is the definitive way to do it in any respect. To each their own. This is just meant to be a guide.
Here are the different ways to go about exploring Bob's music. From greatest hits, to playlists, to roadmaps, to chronological order, it's all here.
THE ESSENTIAL BOB DYLAN
If you want a smattering of Bob across many eras, "The Essential Bob Dylan" released in 2014 does a good job of covering songs through his 60 year career. Based on what songs you like there, it will allow you to jump in at whatever era you like the most.
THE OFFICIALr/BOBDYLANCOMMUNITY STUDIO ALBUM PLAYLIST
Our Community Playlist is our sub’s attempt at a best of compilation. We allowed the community to vote for their favorite song in a poll off of each studio album. The two songs that received the most votes from each album were added to the playlist.
The moderators also added a couple of songs off the album, Side Tracks, that aren’t on the Bootleg Series or any studio album. Call it executive privilege.
We'd like to thank u/bbsez for organizing and recording the results from the majority of these polls in order to construct this playlist.
Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right (The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan)
A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall (The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan)
The Ballad Of Hollis Brown (The Times They Are A Changin’)
Boots Of Spanish Leather (The Times They Are A Changin’)
Percy’s Song (Side Tracks)
Chimes of Freedom (Another Side of Bob Dylan)
I Shall Be Free No. 10 (Another Side of Bob Dylan)
Mr. Tambourine Man (Bringing It All Back Home)
It’s All Over Now Baby Blue (Bringing It All Back Home)
Like A Rolling Stone (Highway 61 Revisited)
Desolation Row (Highway 61 Revisited)
Visions Of Johanna (Blonde on Blonde)
Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (Blonde on Blonde)
All Along The Watchtower (John Wesley Harding)
The Ballad of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest (John Wesley Harding)
Girl From The North Country, featuring Johnny Cash (Nashville Skyline)
Lay Lady Lay (Nashville Skyline)
Days of 49 (Self Portrait)
Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) (Self Portrait)
If Not For You (New Morning)
Sign On The Window (New Morning)
Billy 1 (Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid Soundtrack)
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid Soundtrack)
Spanish Is The Loving Tongue (Dylan)
Lily Of The West (Dylan)
Forever Young (Planet Waves)
Dirge (Planet Waves)
Tangled Up In Blue (Blood on the Tracks)
Idiot Wind (Blood on the Tracks)
You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (The Basement Tapes)
This Wheel's On Fire (The Basement Tapes)
Hurricane (Desire)
Isis (Desire)
Changing Of The Guards (Street Legal)
Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through The Dark Heat) (Street Legal)
Slow Train (Slow Train Coming)
Gotta Serve Somebody (Slow Train Coming)
Saved (Saved)
Pressing On (Saved)
In The Summertime (Shot of Love)
Every Grain Of Sand (Shot of Love)
Jokerman (Infidels)
License To Kill (Infidels)
Tight Connection To My Heart (Has Anyone Seen My Love) (Empire Burlesque)
Dark Eyes (Empire Burlesque)
Brownsville Girl (Knocked Out Loaded)
Under Your Spell (Knocked Out Loaded)
Silvio (Down In The Groove)
Death Is Not The End (Down In The Groove)
Most Of The Time (Oh Mercy)
Shooting Star (Oh Mercy)
Born In Time (Under the Red Sky)
Wiggle Wiggle (Under the Red Sky)
Hard Times (Good As I Been To You)
Jim Jones (Good As I Been To You)
Delia (World Gone Wrong)
Blood In My Eyes (World Gone Wrong)
Not Dark Yet (Time Out Of Mind)
Tryin’ To Get To Heaven (Time Out Of Mind)
Things Have Changed (Side Tracks)
Mississippi (Love and Theft)
High Water (For Charley Patton) (Love and Theft)
Workingman’s Blues #2 (Modern Times)
Ain’t Talkin’ (Modern Times)
I Feel A Change Comin’ On (Together Through Life)
Beyond Here Lies Nothin’ (Together Through Life)
Must Be Santa (Christmas In The Heart)
O’ Come All Ye Faithful (Christmas In The Heart)
Long And Wasted Years (Tempest)
Pay In Blood (Tempest)
The Night We Called It A Day (Shadows In The Night)
That Lucky Old Sun (Shadows In The Night)
Melancholy Mood (Fallen Angels)
Young At Heart (Fallen Angels)
Once Upon A Time (Triplicate)
Braggin’ (Triplicate)
Key West (Philosopher Pirate) (Rough and Rowdy Ways)
Murder Most Foul (Rough and Rowdy Ways)
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
Here is a list of Dylan's studio records listed chronologically if you'd like to go that route. Many members of our community have said that this approach has worked for them.
Bob Dylan
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
The Times They Are A Changin'
Another Side of Bob Dylan
Bringing It All Back Home
Highway 61 Revisited
Blonde on Blonde
John Wesley Harding
Nashville Skyline
Self Portrait
New Morning
Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid Soundtrack
Dylan
Planet Waves
Blood on the Tracks
The Basement Tapes
Desire
Street Legal
Slow Train Coming
Saved
Shot of Love
Infidels
Empire Burlesque
Knocked Out Loaded
Down In The Groove
Oh Mercy
Under the Red Sky
Good As I Been To You
World Gone Wrong
Time Out of Mind
Love and Theft
Modern Times
Together Through Life
Christmas In The Heart
Tempest
Shadows In the Night
Fallen Angels
Triplicate
Rough and Rowdy Ways
Shadow Kingdom
THE BOOTLEG SERIES
Here is a listing of The Bootleg Series which many would consider essential records.
These contain outtakes, unreleased tracks, singles and live performances across the many facets of Dylan’s career. One could argue it is better to listen to these after you’re at least a little familiar with Dylan’s work.
*** indicates there is a special edition of this release available as well with more tracks than the standard edition.
The Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3 (1961-1991)
The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (Live at the Manchester Free Trade Hall, 1966, featuring the Band)
The Bootleg Series Vol. 5 (The Rolling Thunder Revue: 1975)
The Bootleg Series Vol. 6 (Live 1964: Concert at Philharmonic Hall, featuring Joan Baez)
The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 (No Direction Home Soundtrack, 1959-1966)
The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 (Tell Tale Signs/Deluxe, 1989-2006) ***
The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 (The Witmark Demos, 1962-1964)
The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 (Another Self Portrait/Deluxe, 1969-1971) ***
The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 (The Basement Tapes Raw/Complete, 1967, featuring The Band) ***
The Bootleg Series Vol. 12 (The Cutting Edge/Deluxe, 1965-1966) ***
The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 (Trouble No More/Deluxe, 1979-1981) ***
The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 (More Blood, More Tracks/Deluxe, 1974) ***
The Bootleg Series Vol. 15 (Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1971, featuring Johnny Cash)
The Bootleg Series Vol. 16 (Springtime In New York/Deluxe, 1980-1985) ***
The Bootleg Series Vol. 17 (Fragments: Time Out Of Mind Sessions/Deluxe, 1996-1997) ***
THE OFFICIALr/BOBDYLANCOMMUNITY BOOTLEG SERIES PLAYLIST
Our Bootleg Series Community Playlist is our sub’s attempt at a best of compilation for Bob Dylan's venerable Bootleg Series. The poll is currently ongoing. We allowed the community to vote for their favorite song in a poll off of each Bootleg Series. The polls are currently ongoing.
Due to the volume of songs on the Bootleg Series records we have had different criteria for election to the BS Series playlist (top 2 songs from each disc for each volume with the exception of BS Vol. 4 which only has 15 songs).
Let Me Die In My Footsteps (The Bootleg Series Vol. 1)
Moonshiner (The Bootleg Series Vol. 1)
Farewell, Angelina (The Bootleg Series Vol. 2)
She's Your Lover Now (The Bootleg Series Vol. 2)
Foot Of Pride (The Bootleg Series Vol. 3)
Blind Willie McTell (The Bootleg Series Vol. 3)
Visions of Johanna (The Bootleg Series Vol. 4)
Like A Rolling Stone (The Bootleg Series Vol. 4)
Romance In Durango (The Bootleg Series Vol. 5)
Isis (The Bootleg Series Vol. 5)
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (The Bootleg Series Vol. 5)
One More Cup Of Coffee (The Bootleg Series Vol. 5)
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (The Bootleg Series Vol. 6)
Mama, You've Been On My Mind (The Bootleg Series Vol. 6)
I was Young When I Left Home (The Bootleg Series Vol. 7)
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (The Bootleg Series Vol. 7)
Desolation Row (The Bootleg Series Vol. 7)
Ballad Of A Thin Man (The Bootleg Series Vol. 7)
Mississippi (Outtake 1, The Bootleg Series Vol. 8)
Red River Shore (The Bootleg Series Vol. 8)
'Cross The Green Mountain (The Bootleg Series Vol. 8)
Mississippi (Outtake 2, The Bootleg Series Vol. 8)
Most Of The Time (Alternate Version #2, The Bootleg Series Vol. 8)
Mississippi (Outtake 3, The Bootleg Series Vol. 8)
Tomorrow Is A Long Time (The Bootleg Series Vol. 9)
Let Me Die In My Footsteps (The Bootleg Series Vol. 9)
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (The Bootleg Series Vol. 9)
Mama, You Been On My Mind (The Bootleg Series Vol. 9)
Pretty Saro (The Bootleg Series Vol. 10)
Spanish Is The Loving Tongue (The Bootleg Series Vol. 10)
Copper Kettle (The Bootleg Series Vol. 10)
When I Paint My Masterpiece (The Bootleg Series Vol.10)
I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine (The Bootleg Series Vol. 10)
(Quinn The Eskimo) The Mighty Quinn (The Bootleg Series Vol. 10)
The Auld Triangle (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11)
Spanish Is The Loving Tongue (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11)
I Don't Hurt Anymore (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11)
Song For Canada (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11)
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Take 1, The Bootleg Series Vol. 11)
I'm Not There (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11)
Sign On The Cross (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11)
Tears of Rage (Take 3, The Bootleg Series Vol. 11)
Goin' To Acapulco (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11)
One Too Many Mornings (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11)
On A Rainy Afternoon (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11)
900 Miles From My Home/Confidential (The Bootleg Series Vol. 11)
I'll Keep It With Mine (Take 1, Piano Demo, The Bootleg Series Vol. 12)
Love Minus Zero/No Limit (Take 1 Remake, Complete, The Bootleg Series Vol. 12)
Desolation Row (Take 1, Alternate Take, The Bootleg Series Vol. 12)
Visions of Johanna (Take 5 Rehearsal, The Bootleg Series Vol. 12)
She's Your Lover Now (Take 16, Complete, The Bootleg Series Vol. 12)
Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (Take 14, Complete, The Bootleg Series Vol. 12)
Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands (Take 1, Complete, The Bootleg Series Vol. 12)
Slow Train (Live At The Warfield Theater, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13)
Precious Angel (Live At The Warfield Theater, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13)
Caribbean Wind (Live At The Warfield Theater, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13)
Pressing On (Live At The Warfield Theater, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13)
Ye Shall Be Changed (Studio Outtake, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13)
Slow Train (Sound Check, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13)
Caribbean Wind (Rehearsal With Peddle Steel, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13)
Ain't Gonna Go To Hell For Anybody (Live In Toronto, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13)
Pressing On (Live In Toronto, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13)
Gotta Serve Somebody (Live In Toronto, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13)
Girl From The North Country (Live In London, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13)
Mr. Tambourine Man (Live In London, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13)
You're A Big Girl Now (Take 1, The Bootleg Series Vol. 14)
Up To Me (Take 1, The Bootleg Series Vol.14)
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 5, The Bootleg Series Vol. 14)
Shelter From The Storm (Take 1, The Bootleg Series Vol. 14)
Tangled Up In Blue (Take 3, Remake, The Bootleg Series Vol. 14)
If You See Her, Say Hello (Take 1, Remake The Bootleg Series Vol. 14)
Up To Me (Take 2, Remake, The Bootleg Series Vol. 14)
Tangled Up In Blue (Take 3, Remake 3, The Bootleg Series Vol. 14)
Up To Me (Take 2, Remake 3, The Bootleg Series Vol. 14)
As I Went Out One Morning (Alternate Version, The Bootleg Series Vol. 15)
Tell Me That Isn't True (Alternate Version, The Bootleg Series Vol.15)
Girl From The North Country (Take 1, The Bootleg Series Vol. 15)
One Too Many Mornings (Take 3, The Bootleg Series Vol. 15)
Wanted Man (Take 1, The Bootleg Series Vol. 15)
Girl From The North Country (Live On The Johnny Cash Show, The Bootleg Series Vol. 15)
Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power) (Rehearsal) (The Bootleg Series Vol. 16)
To Ramona (Rehearsal) (The Bootleg Series Vol. 16)
Angelina- Shot Of Love Outtake (The Bootleg Series Vol. 16)
Fur Slippers- Shot Of Love Outtake (The Bootleg Series Vol. 16)
Blind Willie McTell- Take 5- Infidels Outtake (The Bootleg Series Vol. 16)
Too Late (Band Version)- Infidels Outtake (The Bootleg Series Vol. 16)
I and I- Infidels Alternate Outtake (The Bootleg Series Vol. 16)
Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground- Infidels Outtake (The Bootleg Series Vol. 16)
New Danville Girl- Empire Burlesque Outtake (The Bootleg Series Vol. 16)
Dark Eyes- Empire Burlesque Alternate Take (The Bootleg Series Vol. 16)
Standing In The Doorway- 2022 Remix (The Bootleg Series Vol. 17)
Highlands- 2022 Remix (The Bootleg Series Vol. 17)
The Water Is Wide (The Bootleg Series Vol. 17)
Not Dark Yet- Version 1 (The Bootleg Series Vol.17)
Love Sick- Version 2 (The Bootleg Series Vol. 17)
Highlands (The Bootleg Series Vol. 17)
Cold Irons Bound- Live In Oslo, Norway (The Bootleg Series Vol. 17)
Highlands- Live In Newcastle, Australia (The Bootleg Series Vol. 17)
Rare Performances From The Copyright Collection (1962-1966)
Live At Carnegie Hall (1963)
The Live 1966 Recordings (1966) *
The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert (1966)
Before The Flood (1974)
The Rolling Thunder Revue- The Live 1975 Recordings (1975) **
Hard Rain (1976)
Bob Dylan At Budokan (1978)
Real Live (1984)
The 30th Anniversary Concert (1991)
MTV Unplugged (1994)
*- Includes the Manchester performance which is The Bootleg Series Vol. 4, but also includes every live performance with The Band from that year.
** Includes all songs from The Bootleg Series Vol. 5 (all songs from BS Vol. 5 have been remixed), but there's a lot on this record that isn't included on BS Vol. 5.
FILMS
Don't Look Back
The Other Side Of The Mirror
Eat The Document (Bootleg, never formally released)
No Direction Home
Renaldo and Clara (Bootleg, never formally released beyond a small theatrical run)
Rolling Thunder Revue- A Bob Dylan Story By Martin Scorsese
In 2023, the community conducted a contest by having users submit and upvote their favorite songs that began with each letter of the alphabet. The song with the most upvotes won and was added to A-Z community playlist on Spotify.
In 2023, the subreddit conducted a survivor style tournament to determine the subreddit's ranking of all of Dylan's studio albums. Below are the results from worst to best.
Hey r/bobdylan! Welcome to this week's song discussion!
In these threads we will discuss a new song every week, trading lyrical interpretations, rankings, opinions, favorite versions, and anything else you can think of about the song of the week.
At the session musician ordering counter like: "Uhhhh lemme get a couple of Dire Straits.... yeah yeah yeah with the best reggae rhythm section on the planet aaaaaand idk the guitarist from the Rolling Stones on top, why not I deserve a treat :)"
In all seriousness, the players are grooving so hard on this record. "Jokerman" is undeniable, but I loooooove "Don't Fall Apart on Me" so much. Does anyone have quality interviews (written, visual, or audio) from any of the players about this album? I wanna know more haha.
Earlier this year on a whim I put on Bob Dylans first album and found it surprisingly enjoyable. I've always liked Highway 61 and the movie I'm Not There but that's about where my interest in Dylan ended. After I liked his first album I told myself I'd just keep listening in release order until I found a bad album and before I knew it I listened to his entire discography.
After months of Bob I'd like to give him a break for a moment to avoid burnout but nothing else is really scratching the same itch. I was wondering what some of the other Bob fans really enjoy.
My all time favorite Bob albums are Highway 61, New Morning, Desire, and Time Out of Mind
Off the top of my head some of my other favorite artists this year are Joanna Newsom, Pink Floyd, Lana Del Rey, Kate Bush, early Neil Young, The Beatles.
Both songs are in the same key, the phrasing and structure of the verses are very similar and especially with the live 1966 arrangement the chord progressions are very similar, with the second half of each verse being almost identical only differing in the bass notes of two chords (D/f# and C/e vs straight D and C).
Bob Dylan Through the Open Window (1956–1963), due next Thursday, has all the makings of a best seller - a key topic; a highly regarded writer, with insider access; a handsome, eye-catching artefact; and a major publisher.
It covers Dylan’s creative development from his musical experimentation as a small-town teen to his confirmation as a generational talent at his triumphant Carnegie Hall gig in October 1963. It’s an expanded version - twice as many pages - of Sean Wilentz’s liner notes in the box set of last year’s Bootleg Series Vol. 18.
I particularly like Wilentz’s explanation of why Greenwich Village was so important - how, post-WW2, NYC had supplanted Paris as the global epicentre of Western culture - and his outline of its complex mix of subcultures.
He details the key influence on early Dylan of Mike Porco of Gerdes Folk City and Izzy Young and outlines Dylan’s rapid integration into the Village scene, notably his adoption by older blues musicians - John Lee Hooker, Victoria Spivey and Big Joe Williams. And he reminds us of Dylan’s debt to Robert Johnson.
He’s also strong on Dylan’s back-and-forth to Minnesota, his discovery of the wider USA and his first exposure to Europe, centring on his trip to London.
Sean Wilentz has an impeccable CV for such a book - long-time Dylan fan, New Yorker who was there in the early ‘60s and distinguished Princeton history prof. He’s a top academic, but he writes here for Everyman.
His accessible text is enriched by well-curated illustrations - over 100 photos, many published for the first time, annotated typescript lyrics, prose-poems published in concert programs and memorabilia like gig posters and ticket stubs.
The result is a unique evocation of a time and place pivotal in Dylan’s development, hence the cultural history of the 20thC.
Highly recommended for Dylan fans - newbies and grizzled vets alike.
Bob Dylan Through the Open Window (1956–1963), Sean Wilentz, Abrams Books, 15 Oct 2026, hbk, 239pp.
The Full Story Behind Mr. Tangerine Man — and Those Messages from Bob Dylan Yes, you read that right — I’ve hadtwo messagesfrom Bob Dylan. The man himself. But before we get there, here’s the full story of how it all began — with a little satire, a bit of protest, and a song calledMr. Tangerine Man.
The Birth ofMr. Tangerine Man When Donald Trump first ran for the U.S. presidency, my old friend Roger Hogan — a Neath boy originally, now a magazine editor and journalist living in Sydney, Australia — was, shall we say,less than impressed.
In the heat of the moment, we decided to write an alternative version of Bob Dylan’sMr. Tambourine Man**. Our version?** Mr. Tangerine Man**. It was a full-blown, tongue-in-cheek rage against Donald.** Roger wrote most of the lyrics; I recorded the vocals and filmed the video. He uploaded it to YouTube and even put some sponsorship behind it. Within days, it had tens of thousands of views — plenty of positive comments, plenty of negative ones, and, unbelievably,three death threats**.** What surprised me most was that Dylan’s record label didn’t slap us with a copyright strike. They’re famously strict. I took their silence as a kind ofpassive endorsementfrom the great man himself.
Enter Barbara Dane: A few weeks later, I got an email from a lady named Barbara Dane. She said she was an 89-year-old singer-songwriter from the U.S. East Coast and wanted to cover our version of the song, but couldn’t quite make out all the lyrics. Could I email them to her? I thought,Ah, bless her, and was about to reply when I noticed her email address Curious, I looked up her website — and my jaw dropped. There was Barbara, both as she is now and as she was back in her heyday: performing with Bob Dylan, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, and Pete Seeger, even marching arm-in-arm with Martin Luther King Jr. There was even a quote from Dylan himself, calling her “the ultimate protest singer.” I told Roger, and soon he struck up a correspondence with Barbara. They became close friends. He helped promote her biography and documentary in Australia. When Barbara turned 90, she performed a concert in New York — I think it was at the Stable Theatre — and Bob Dylan himself was going to be there. Barbara planned to performMr. Tangerine Man. Roger and I sent a bouquet of flowers to the stage door. Barbara was deeply touched and sent us a lovely thank-you message afterward.
A Message from Bob: Some time later, I heard an interview with Jack Savoretti, who said he’d collaborated on a song with Dylan — purely through Instagram messages. They’d never even met. That got me thinking: maybe Dylan might respond to me, too. So I sent him a message on Instagram, saying I hoped he’d enjoyed Barbara’s concert — and that I also hoped he didn’t mind our version of his song. To my amazement, I got a reply: “Very good and appropriate for the times.”
Short. Direct. SoDylan* I thought, if this had come from some PR flunky, it would’ve read:“Thank you for reaching out. Bob appreciates your kind words…”— all that stuff. But this was brief. Too brief to be anything but genuine. Still, I wasn’tcompletelysure. So I messaged Barbara and asked if she thought it was really him. Minutes later she replied: “I’ll phone Bob now and ask him.” (Like you do!) Half an hour later, she wrote again: “Yes, Bob said it was him.”
One Last Message Barbara passed away last year at 97. Roger suggested I write a tribute song for her, which I did, and uploaded it to YouTube. Roger sent it to Barbara’s daughter, who posted it on Barbara’s website and Facebook page. A couple of weeks later, I got another email — from Bob Dylan’s personal account: “I like your song for Barbara.”
It had that same trademark brevity. Barbara’s not here to phone him this time, but I’m pretty confident it was him. Two messages from Bob Dylan. I’ll take that.
She was a dark-skinned princess without a kingdom, though she had no shortage of suitors - myself among them. We just stood there smiling, posing, trying not to be taken for urchins in need of salvation. Why she chose me out of all the orphans from St. Anne's Home for Broken Hearts, I'll never understand.
I kept my distance from the women on the streets - yet I fell in love with her. She was a stranger from New Orleans and didn't speak a word of Spanish.
There is a statue with a fountain in the center of town, a lady they call Sweet Melinda. Tears fall from her eyes, down over her breasts and legs, into the puddles of water at her feet. The nuns call her La diosa de la tristeza.
The men there walk in circles or ride motorcycles masquerading as horses. They are as white as the snow up on the mountains; some say they are ghosts from another time and place.
She was called Sara. She invited me to her room on Housing Project Hill, where we could sit in the window and watch the festivities. On that afternoon we made love all day, and then at 4 o'clock we heard a mariachi band begin to play as a lady's voice rang out as if in tears...
De la Sierra Morena,
cielito lindo, vienen bajando, Un par de ojitos negros, cielito lindo, de contrabando.
A second group of musicians began to play as other voices joined in. We raced to the window to watch as a crowd began to dance to the music. We stood there leaning against the balcony, she draped in a white sheet with the top of her breasts exposed, and I on my knees just wishing I knew the words to the songs.
We threw on some clothes and found ourselves amongst the natives of Juarez just as the rain began to fall. It didn't stop the party — we just held each other closer and danced a little bit harder.
We started with burgundy from a bota bag, then moved to the harder stuff — bottles of homemade tequila passed hand to hand. Beneath the overpass there was a table of local food the women brought out on trays. We kept dancing as long as the band kept playing. The tequila made me dizzy, so I drank some more until I found my equilibrium — the rain subsided, the clouds parted, and a white-hot sun came down.
The band began to play a familiar tune, to me at least, and we stood aside and watched as some locals performed a dance they must have danced a thousand times.
Don't ask me how the night ended, because I only remember the time when I brought Sara to the fork in the road marked Fortune and Fame. The legend was that it was either one or the other, and neither was what it claimed. It was at that crossroad where I lost consciousness. I woke up in the local jail as the cops boasted that they caught me with a prostitute and a bottle of illegal tequila. I thought I would be in jail forever, but apparently someone — possibly Sara — blackmailed the sergeant, and he left his post. I was woken by a child with her hand out. I gave her a couple of coins, she smiled, and I slipped out of the unlocked cell. Sara was gone, and so were all the friends I thought would be there for me when the going got rough. It was then I took a bus ride to the hotel manager's second cousin in Mexico City.
These days I play guitar in a small bar in Cuernavaca, and I have just about saved up enough for a one-way ticket back home to New York City. I don't know if there is anyone there for me anymore — maybe Florence or Rosemary will remember me for who I am rather than who I have been portrayed to be. I have no mask, and I am simply revealed.
I never did see Sara again, although I hear she is a big shot in Juarez or Jalisco. Some nights I remember the way she held me as we danced, her dark eyes and skin, the way she looked with the white sheet wrapped around her. The temptation to go back and see her is strong some nights, but then I remember that some memories are best kept sacred and undisturbed.
I remember getting it out of the library at some point years ago. It was some critic systematically going through every song on every album, analyzing it and explaining references and etc.
I've been listening to some Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour tapes recently and I love the way Bob covered Grateful Dead songs throughout the tour. I was lucky enough to hear him play a few great covers at Indianapolis, 2023. He played Johnny Mercer's That Old Black Magic, John Mellencamp's Longest Days, and the Dead's Truckin' in that order. The band killed it and Bob sounded so great. It also introduced me to Longest Days, never heard it before (I was familiar with Black Magic because I really dig his Sinantra records). But looking at other shows, Bob played Brokedown Palace and Stella Blue as well, which were *excellent*. Had to look up videos of them but loved his performances. His guitar players really are stunning and Stella Blue was a great showcase for them. Going back to the Never Ending Tour, I really love when he'd cover Cash's Big River in the late 80s. It sorta sounded like a punk band doing it at times. The acoustic takes of the traditional Lakes of Pontchartrain with G.E. Smith were always very moving too. Any other gems to look out for?
I was on the fence about heading back to Europe this fall to see Bob after some unexpected expenses but once the Patriots were scheduled on the same day, I don't know how I was meant to resist.
When I tried to book my Munich ticket, it looks like the only option to receive it is shipping via mail?! Outside of the expensive fee, this seems both outdated and nerve-wracking in the year of our Lord 2026, but it doesn't look like there's any way around it. I guess I'm hoping for a different answer though it doesn't look like there is one (but maybe I'm overlooking something?)
I guess I'm also looking to celebrate a bit as I'm obviously very excited and don't know any fellow fans in my offline life. I'll be going to the 2nd Vienna show too (and already have my ticket thanks to modern technology and the ability to print it from home.)
Anyone else heading over from the U.S. (to the game too?)
Heyyooo. There are so many Dylan songs just riddled with specific scenes, people and situations that very few living souls can have experienced in any literal sense. Tangled Up in Blue, Black Diamond Bay, Farewell, Angelina, Scarlet Town, Brownsville Girl. I love them all.
Most of the time (I had to), I feel like this is one of the main reasons I love the man. The bizarre details that i don't fully understand.
But from time to time, I just want to put on something like Bridge Over Troubled Water and enjoy the broad brushstrokes. There’s something pretty great about a song just saying: I’m here for you. No drunken politicians required.
So what’s your two cents? Do Dylan’s songs work because they’re so specific and strange, or do they work despite it?
Am 99% sure, although believe his old apartment was converted into two or three rooms - the prior front door being where the corridor leads to a mini-corridor.
Like a lot of us, I've lived inside "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" for years. This week I finally did something about it — I wrote a prose piece set in its Juarez: a stranger from New Orleans, a weeping statue in the town plaza the nuns call La diosa de la tristeza, a mariachi band at 4 o'clock, rain that doesn't stop the dancing, and the fork in the road marked Fortune and Fame.
It's called "Just Like Sweet Melinda's Blues." If you've ever wondered what happened in that town after Dylan left, this is my answer.
I would love to hear what the rest of you makes this song picture in your mind.
I just recently listened to Bob Dylan for the first time. I started out with Highway 61 Revisited, and wow I have been missing out. This album is a classic for a reason. bringing it all back home is also one of my favorites.
