There are times when you read a book only to find yourself stuck in oblivion. Those times when the author has brought up a topic that you think you need to reflect upon or maybe they have recommended something you think you should check immediately. For me it was the latter.
I can’t remember which of the TSF books I was reading where he suggested this particular tune. I had to look it up. I admire TSF. That’s how I got to listening to Its Alright Ma by Bob Dylan. Two years later, I can confidently say it has replaced “Here comes the Sun” by The Beatles as my morning tune. With concrete reasons.
Frankly speaking the song is average at best without the words. I have forgiven people who have mistaken it for random noise. The ones that have met my “wrath” are those that have said a 1965 tune is not relevant in the contemporary world. Because they are wrong. Pathetically wrong. In fact I consider the song a prophecy about the modern world.
Many people have attempted to deconstruct the song. But none of the interpretations is universally accepted because the song is complicated. To me it’s like Bob saw the future- A world of depressed people who are overpowered by ignorance that they evade simplicity.
Depressed world.
The full title of the song alone can point to the depression that troubles the writer (It’s alright Ma- I’m only bleeding). How can somebody be bleeding yet they say they are alright? Well, maybe it’s because “bleeding” (in whatever sense) has been normalized by the society.
When you listen keenly you realize this is a person that is not hopeful anymore. It’s just verse 1 when he seems to suggest that people should understand too soon “that there is no sense in trying”. Why should you try though when “you are not being born but busy dying” or “I got nothing, Ma, to live up to”
He paints a picture of the world as it is now. Most people are sadly depressed and the levels are not going down any soon.
The last verse of the song is the most hurting. Over the two years I have come to interpret it in a thousand different ways.
”And if my thought-dreams could be seen they’d probably put my head in a guillotine but it’s alright, Ma, it’s life, and life only”
To an extent it shows the society’s reluctance to embrace new ideas that they behead the bearer. On the flip side it points to a mind that’s damaged and should be done away with. Whatever the situation the writer shouts his sad state of his mind to every listening hear. Honestly speaking though, isn’t that what we have all become?
Dylan continues to hit hard though. He sings of a vision:
“My eyes collide head-on with stuffed Graveyards, false goals,…”
Why should we try then if people who had goals like us are in the graves?
Victims of ignorance.
“Ignorance is bliss” is the best way to summarize the second idea that Dylan aims to point out. We have inflated our self-worth because of the opinions of those that are lying to us. Dylan uses advertising boards as a practical example. Not a day passes without us seeing an advertising sign that tells you how a certain product is great for you or how “WE ARE THE ONE”. We still do as per them despite knowing that “propaganda, all is phony”
But the owners of this billboards are just like the politicians and leaders who: “Do not respect in any degree
… despise their jobs, their destiny Speak jealously of them that are free “
The turnaround is as ridiculous as it is funny. As much as the people in power give us the illusion that we somehow have rights, we don’t necessarily exercise them.
Because when- “You feel to moan,
you discover that you’d just be one more Person crying”
The sooner we realize the world owes us nothing the likely we are to be less ignorant.
The value of simplicity.
The world is becoming more complicated each day. . There is a rise of preachers who “preach of evil fates” and teachers who “teach that knowledge waits…”
It is best summarized as below: “
While some on principles baptized To strict party platform ties
Social clubs in drag disguise Outsiders they can freely criticize Tell nothing except who to idolize And say “God bless him”
’’
You don’t have to look far to see these ‘teachers and preachers’. Just step into the gates of social media and the first words you encounter are ‘alcohol is not good for you’, ‘watch your weight’ or ‘God will punish sinners’.
The truth of the matter is that something must kill a man. Dylan seems to know that life is not as complicated as we make it seem. According to him. If it were then probably the president of the United States could not sometimes be standing naked.
It’s with the same weight that he warns politicians and leaders that it is ignorant to think that deaths natural sword will not punish them.
I guess we just have to “lose ourselves to reappear”
The song is always controversially misinterpreted. Perhaps I could also be wrong- It’s a
complicated song. Truth is people don’t write like this anymore- even Bob himself seems think so.
When he was asked if he can write a song like this in an interview, he kept quiet for a while, looked into the skies. Then with a pinch of remorse he got himself to say,
“…I did … but I can’t anymore”
It’s as if the gods gave it to him in his sleep.