I'm another Dylan fanatic. It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding is an incredible lyrical feat (like most of his work, I guess).

Technically, the rhyme scheme is really interesting:
A A A A A B
C C C C C B
D D D D D B
E E B

You get the idea - the way that the last rhyme of each verse matches the last rhyme of every other verse (and chorus) gives the song a kind of circular cohesion that allows the rambling, quick-fire words to come tumbling out without getting out of control. Amazing.

Also, the words themselves are just so brutally honest:

"That he not busy being born
Is busy dying."

"To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without looking too far
That not much is really sacred."

"For them that must obey authority
That they do not respect in any degree
Who despise their jobs, their destinies
Speak jealously of them that are free
Cultivate their flowers to be
Nothing more than something they invest in."

"While one who sings with his tongue on fire
Gargles in the rat race choir
Bent out of shape from society's pliers
Cares not to come up any higher
But rather get you down in the hole
That he's in."

I have trouble finding that level of understanding in modern music - the brutally honest discussions of the world we're in and the meaning of freedom and the abuse of power. There's more here in 1 song than I could hope to ever deal with in 20.

This is an amazing thread too, by the way. It's a really awesome way to discover new music!

Nice one,

Si

Last edited by SimonFairbairn; 02/28/09 02:30 PM.
The most disturbed shoe-gazing music that you've ever not danced to, in glorious low fidelity
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