The 25th of May marked the 70th birthday of the one and only Bob Dylan, arguably one of the most influential musicians of all time. Since moving from Minnesota to New York City and starting his career in the coffee houses of New York City’s coffee houses at the dawn of the 60s, Dylan went on to be the voice of a generation and one of the biggest influences on other artists. Perhaps most importantly, he brought poetry to politics as one of the most incisive and inspirational lyricists of all time. Here we look back at Bob Dylan in our favourite quotes, lyrics and pictures.
“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’
“There’s no black and white, left and right to me anymore; there’s only up and down and down is very close to the ground. And I’m trying to go up without thinking about anything trivial such as politics. They have got nothing to do with it. I’m thinking about the general people and when they get hurt.”
– Excerpt from Bob Dylan’s Speech after being awarded The Tom Paine Award From The National Emergency Civil Liberties Committee, New York, 13 December 1963
“Johnny’s in the basement /Mixing up the medicine/I’m on the pavement /Thinking ’bout the government.”
– ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’
“Your old road is rapidly aging/Please get out of the new one/If you can’t lend your hand/For the times they are a-changin’.”
– “The Times They Are A-Changing”
“Being noticed can be a burden. Jesus got himself crucified because he got himself noticed. So I disappear a lot.”
– Melody Maker interview November 1970
“I don’t believe you . . . you’re a liar! … Play It Fucking Loud!”
– To the crowd and then his band at the Manchester Free Trade Hall in May 1966 after being heckled as “Judas” by an audience member.
“Life is more or less a lie, but then again, that’s exactly the way we want it to be.”
– Chronicles Vol 1
“How does it feel, how does it feel to be without a home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone.”
– ‘Like A Rolling Stone’
2. “You don’t necessarily have to write to be a poet. Some people work in gas stations and they’re poets. I don’t call myself a poet, because I don’t like the word. I’m a trapeze artist.”
– Interview, 1965
“May you grow up to be righteous, may you grow up to be true. May you always know the truth and see the lights surrounding you. May you always be courageous, stand upright and be strong. May you stay forever young.”
‘Forever Young’
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