Wednesday, September 12, 2007

dylan thomas

the story of how i became a dylan fan.

those of you that knew me before will think i'm nuts. those of you that know me now will think i'm brilliant. so here is the story of how i became a dylan fan.

a month after i separated from jes i put together one of the greatest heartbreak mixes you've ever heard. no one will ever hear this mix, however, remember in the 80's and 90's when you'd make mix tapes on cassette? all this digital bull shit with mp3's just doesn't compare to the classic sound of an analog record or tape. last week i bought a westinghouse record player that sounds...oh so perfect.

anyway, one of the songs that helped me through the breakup was bob dylan's, "it ain't me, babe". every word is a direct reference to the story of jes and i. it was word for word our story and the reason why our marriage failed. after listening to this probably a few hundred times i started listening to some other songs by dylan. he has become one of the greatest writer's i've ever known. his lyrics speak to me as though he is a prophet, not only to the generation of his time, but this generation i live in now. he is more spiritual and prophetic than most people realize. wednesday of next week i will see him at the ryman auditorium (known as one of the greatest stages for any and every artist to play on).

in relation to life and reality he has awakened my heart and mind to the beauty and power of beautiful poetry.

"go away from my window
leave at your own chosen speed.
i'm not the one you want babe,
i'm not the one you need.
you say you're looking for someone
who's never weak but always strong
to protect you and defend you
whether you are right or wrong
someone to open each and every door,
it ain't me babe, no no no it ain't me babe, it ain't me you're looking for.
go away from that ledge babe,
go lightly on the ground.
i'm not the one you want babe
i will only let you down.
you say you're looking for someone
who will promise never to part
someone to close his eyes for you
someone to close his heart.
someone who die for you and more
it ain't me babe, no no no it ain't me babe, it ain't me you're looking for.
go melt back into night babe
everything inside is made of stone.
there's nothing in here moving
and anyway i'm not alone.
you say you're looking for someone
to pick you up each time you fall
to gather flowers constantly
and to come each time you call.
a lover for your life and nothing more
it ain't me babe, no no no it ain't me babe, it ain't me you're looking for."

7 comments:

mgordonmiller said...

yeah, he's great. but i didn't like "modern times" at all.

ASHER said...

dude, i think that is a solid album. lyrically dylan will never be what he was, but he had some good melody's on that album.

mgordonmiller said...

music was boring as shit. there were no original ideas musically (that i heard). it just sounded like session players playing licks that are total cliches.

jason said...

j-

glad you found him. i also understand the affect bob can have. hope you have a great time at the concert. i have had many great experiences at his shows. one of the best... the drive from iwu, up to g.r. with j heron and todd bushong and myslef all crammed in the cab of my little danger ranger.

jason shrontz said...

concerning your post title. have yo ever read any dylan thomas? reading him is great, but if you get the chance, search him on google, and you will find--somewhere in the world of e-ness--him reading his famous peom "do not go quiet into that good night." it is really, really beautiful. painfully so. if you can't find it, email me and i will send you the link.

j

ASHER said...

i'll look for it j! i just read this huge thing about hunter s. thompson and it's got my mind spinning. that guy has a story and a half! feel free to send me a link if you have time. i'm the worst searcher ever. by the way, you ever think you'll visit the south land? me and jesse would love to hang out with you.

artkill said...

the other day i downloaded this huge thing about that song and i was destroyed with love for it all