Bob Dylan Lyrics ?

David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 25 Jan 2003 7:51 pm

I heard a song (great song, BTW) that mentioned a lot of song titles, including "Rainy Day Women Numbers Twelve and Thirty Five".

Being the curious type, and not knowing if this was THREE song titles, or two, or just one, I had to look it up.

Well, here ya go:
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/bob-dylan/85928.htm

OK, I'll admit that I've heard the "Everybody must get stoned" line. But that's pretty much it.

Now, what the HECK do these lyrics mean, and what the HECK does #12 and #35 have to do with anything? Much less "rainy day women".

I suppose this will be heresy to many, but looking over a bunch of his lyrics here
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/bob-dylan/lyrics.htm

I have to say "huh?". I've always heard Bob Dylan praised as a great songwriter (but lousy singer). But I still say "huh?". They sound like the ramblings of a man who's stoned to me.

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 26 Jan 2003 9:26 am

Hi David

Sometimes Dylan has to just be felt. Garcia used to talk about a song he particularly liked, and I've forgotten the name-but he said he looked up the lyrics, and it was like "whoa-what's going on HERE?" But the song sent chills up his spine every time he heard it.

All Along The Watchtower verses need to be read in reverse order. The story starts at the end and ends at the beginning. Hendrix always thought that was way cool.

Dylan paints with words. Sonmetimes it's surreal, sometimes it straight ahead. But I have the same thing Garcia talked about-He always makes me feel something.

If you want some straight ahead Dylan-Check out Nashville Skyline. Dylan is in many ways a Country Freak.

Recently, My favorite Dylan moment was at the Academy Awards a couple years ago. I forget the movie, but Dylan was nominated for best song for "Things Have Changed" He was on the road, and he and his band performed the song live on a video from Australia or some such place where it was 4AM. That's a tough crowd, and they just sat there in awe. The hook line is "I used to care.....but things have changed" A brilliant song. he finished and for a second there was stunned silence-then the place just erupted. He won the award, and actually gave a coherent acceptance speech-obviuosly stunned he'd won, as it was too cynical a song for the academy as a general rule. But it was too powerful to be ignored.

You either get Dylan or you don't. I got hooked on him at an early age, so I get it. My niece does not. I tell her all the time that part of the problem with her generations musicians is they have no one with a vision, no leader, no poet, no one on whose every word other artists hang....no Dylan.

As for his voice, well...it's hypnotic. For the worst voice on a good writer, you gotta go to Kristofferson-now THAT'S painful to listen to.

JB

------------------
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"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
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Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 26 Jan 2003 10:26 am

FWIW Department. I believe I saw on the tube
a preview/announcement of an up and coming full length western? [not sure of the genre]
where new Dylan songs are to be featured in the movie.

Chip

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 26 Jan 2003 11:00 am

Take a listen to "Bringing It All Back Home", "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde On Blonde" for some hardcore vintage Dylan. Like Fellini,Dali,Picasso,Zappa and a lot of great artists - Dylan probably won't be fully appreciated in his lifetime. -MJ-

David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 26 Jan 2003 11:03 am

Like Fellini,Dali,Picasso,Zappa and a lot of great artists - Dylan probably won't be fully appreciated in his lifetime

Heck, I don't even appreciate Picasso NOW!

Roger Miller · Post by **Roger Miller** » 26 Jan 2003 11:43 am

You all have painted a pic. of Dylan and I must say, you are right. Dylan is not your Merle Haggard style of writer. Thanks for not running him out of town, ala. Kid Rock, I really dig the Dylan stuff.

David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 26 Jan 2003 12:13 pm

PS -- those that "Get it".

Uh, what does the song title have to do with the lyrics? And what's with the #12 & 35 part?

I assumed there must be SOME tie-in to SOMETHING with the number thing?

Rich Weiss · Post by **Rich Weiss** » 26 Jan 2003 1:07 pm

I'm not sure about the song in question, but I have heard that Dylan's album, 'Blood on the Tracks', he wasn't refering to railroad tracks. He was talking about tracks for recording. Obviously he put alot of heart and soul into those songs.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 26 Jan 2003 1:15 pm

You have to realize, part of Dylan's forte was the put on. He loved using the press to his own advantage.

You have to realize that Dylan wrote a lot of things that said nothing and everything.

He probably pulled #35 and #12 out of his hat. He needed 2 numbers, and those 2 were picked.

Dylan wrote a lot of songs just for the sheer fun of it. He was/is a stream-of-conciousness writer.

Like "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is just a celebration of a fun thing to sing and play.
I don't think there's a big deep-meaning message in 'YAGN'.

Dylan was probably influenced from nursery rhymes, too - "Hickory-Dickory-Doc"; "Humpty-Dumpty"; "Ring Around The Rosy,
Pocket Full Of Posies" etc.

David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 26 Jan 2003 1:25 pm

He probably pulled #35 and #12 out of his hat. He needed 2 numbers, and those 2 were picked.

That's where I get lost. Why did he "need" any numbers? And that doesn't even address the fact that "Rainy Day Women" (the title) seems to have nothing to do with the lyrics. Apparently, "rainy day women" must be the "they" referred to in the song. You know, the ones constantly doing the stoning.

Oh, well. I never did get most poetry, either.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 26 Jan 2003 5:40 pm

There's an earlier Dylan song called "I Shall Be Free #10"... I think it's on 'Another Side of Bob Dylan'. I think he might have one or two others with a number on the end of the title.

Did he actually write that many versions of the song? Possibly. If you listen to much Dylan, you know that there's a few different versions of "Tangled Up In Blue" among others. In fact, when Dylan performs a song live, he's likely to change lyrics, arrangements, and chords on the spot. Keeps it interesting for him and the listener.

As for "Rainy Day Women", it's not necessarily the finest moment in his songwriting career, but it is tongue-in-cheek, and can be interpreted on more than one level.

I've heard that "rainy day woman" was slang for a joint, and I'll bet that Bob's smoked at least 35 of them in his life! And the man inhaled.[This message was edited by scott murray on 26 January 2003 at 05:42 PM.]

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 26 Jan 2003 7:01 pm

I think his album 'Time out of Mind' is a great hypnotic album to isten to, really mesmerizes(sp) you.

As for numbers how about the Burritos 'Hot Burrito #2" and Pocos answer (I assume) 'Cold Enchilada #3'

My favorite Dylan song is 'Blind Willie McTell' from Biography, but I really like Mick Taylor's version he did on his album 'A Stone's Throw" Mick played on Dylan's version also.

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Regards, Craig

David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 26 Jan 2003 7:24 pm

So maybe the numbers refer to the number of "drafts" he made while writing the song? And #12 and #35 means it was a combination of two drafts?

I'd never heard of "rainy day woman" referring to a joint of marijuana, but I suppose that's possible. It might even make the song make sense, though I'd have to re-read the lyrics.

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 26 Jan 2003 7:48 pm

It probably means nothing. Or meant something humorous that day to the people who were there. Dylan was never above "just sticking stuff in" to see how crazy some of the analysis got. It's a habit that rubbed off on John Lennon and to a lesser extent McCartney-which later blew up in their face with the "Paul Is Dead" hoohah.

JB

------------------
Fulawka D-10 9&5
Mullen Royal Precision D-10 8 & 5
"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
www.johnbarnold.com/pedalsteel
www.buddycage.net

http://www.nrpsmusic.com/index.html

Don Walters · Post by **Don Walters** » 27 Jan 2003 7:02 am

So maybe it's a little like the Emperor's New Clothes, but the Emperor knows ...

Mark Ardito · Post by **Mark Ardito** » 27 Jan 2003 7:51 am

I read an interview with Al Cooper not too long ago and he was at that session. He told the story like this:

Bob Dylan had hired some local musicians to record this tune at the studio. Most of them were pretty "straight laced" and Dylan introduced them to Marijuana that night for the first time. Then they went and recorded that song. After a successful take, all the members of the band came into the control room to listen to play back. The engineer on the session, had to idea of what was going on and asked Dylan what the heck the name of that song was. Dylan, being the very goofy guy he is, responded; "Well isn't it obvious...it is called RainyDay Women #12 and #35." The guys in the control room busted out laughing and the name stuck to the song.

I will try and find the Al Cooper article and post the entire article. It was a VERY funny interview.

Mark

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Sho~Bud Pro I, Fender D-8 (C6&E13) http://www.darkmagneto.com

David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 27 Jan 2003 8:01 am

Is there ANYTHING related to music that the collective minds of people here don't know? Wow!