Dylan's My Back Pages

This was always one of my favorite Dylan lyrics. How does a human being come up with this?

My Back Pages

Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rollin’ high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my maps
“We’ll meet on edges, soon,” said I
Proud ’neath heated brow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now

Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth
“Rip down all hate,” I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull. I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now

Girls’ faces formed the forward path
From phony jealousy
To memorizing politics
Of ancient history
Flung down by corpse evangelists
Unthought of, though, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now

A self-ordained professor’s tongue
Too serious to fool
Spouted out that liberty
Is just equality in school
“Equality,” I spoke the word
As if a wedding vow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now

In a soldier’s stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I’d become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My pathway led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now

 

Psychedelic motor-psycho.

Dylan has rarely performed this song considering it was a hit by the Byrds. I think I read he did it 64 times total, but memory could be off, I need to check.

 

One of my favorites of Dylan's songs.
Although I haven't got a clue as to what the song means.

 

I don't know what it means either and yet I know exactly what it means on some other level if that makes any sense.

 

As much sense as the song we are discussing!

 

I think this song, like "Maggie's Farm," "Positively 4th Street" and "Desolation Row", is among his declarations of inependence from the folk circle that was anointing and creatively constricting him. While it is very imagistic, I think it's a surprisingly straightforward song that isn't terribly psychedelic. It has a sense of exasperation, indicating that he is ready to "devolve" from the perceived role he's taken on.

Many of the verses arguably contain not-so-thinly veiled references to the folk culture's inner circle -- people who he'd tried to live up to but no longer felt compelled to (but I wouldn't go so far as to call it a roman à clef). The refrain itself is an indication that whether he liked it or not he was ready to throw in the towel and do something lighter that would buck expectations.

Others who have read about Dylan extensively can point the way better (and no doubt disprove my conjecture) but even his drunken recording of this album and his bedraggled singing on this song seem to suggest to me his need for what became Bringing It All Back Home's first side, with its less clearly political and more cryptic, personal lyrics and its more muscular musical swagger. Even that album's second side feels more assured; perhaps because he was able to loosen up (folks who are more familiar with the recording dates may have insight on this).

In a sense he needed to evolve into something that his acolytes might deem less mature -- he was becoming "younger" (and in this song disaffectedly unmoored -- "quite clear, no doubt, somehow") after singing with such an "old"/wizened voice.

 

For me the meaning was always clear—realized his prior way of looking at the world was shaped by an older order, knowing that if he was to move forward he'd have to drop his old assumptions about the world.

Favorite couplet:

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now

 

Have you taken your temperature? You may be suffering from the side effects of a bad case of the flu.

 

He's done it 260 times according to bobdylan.com. His last time was 2012.

 

My favorite Dylan song...when sung by the Byrds.

 

I've always interpreted the song as being about Dylan getting away from politics, and moving into a more fun-loving stage of his life.

 

Gives me goosebumps...perfection. Just wish they hadn't buggered up the lyrics.

 

It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) is the one which blows my mind the most.

Not just the writing-----but the ability to perform it------the ability to control breath. I think it was the pinnacle or the culmination of his confidence as a writer and as a performer.

I think it may have had something to do with the amount of drugs he was taking (heroin, cocaine, amphetamines)-----perhaps that's unfair-----but I think when he sobered up after the 1966 tour he was never the same again----not just in the obvious way but his writing.

The Halloween show of 1964 he sounds very high------Manchester 1966 he sounds overly medicated.

I don't think Blood On The Tracks comes anywhere close to what he was doing in 1965-1966, nor does John Wesley Harding.

Although lately I have been enjoying his early "protest" period very much (1961-1963)-----i would rank that the closest to the 1965-66 period.

 

Great lyric; great song. Of course, the same could be said about A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, It's Alright Ma, Desolation Row, Visions of Johanna and Sad Eyed Lady, to name just a few. My Back Pages may indeed actually mean something specific, and I've had a long-standing position that lyrics are not poetry, but Dylan comes the closest to me in terms of his lyrics also functioning as valid poetry. Not all, of course, but more than most songwriters, if not all. I'm not actually digressing, I don't believe. My point being that much of the poetry of the time (and we know that Dylan had an affection for Kerouac and a direct friendship with Ginsberg, et al.) was imagery-driven in nature. As Dylan drew from that, the function of the lyrics, in some cases, wasn't to mean anything specific; rather, their function was to use words as a palette for creating something that the listener can use to fill in the blanks.

As an example, we can easily infer that Desolation Row is some allusion to the messed-up state of things. But what are we to conclude from listening if nothing more than this? Certainly Desolation Row could mean something specifically related to an event or events, or it may just be a rather abstract portrait of the absurd with the listener left to decide what the images mean to him or her. In the case of My Back Pages, I do get the sense that it's specifically about something he believed in or related to and had since changed his mind, but part of its beauty is in the lack of being spoon-fed just what that is. The message is rather clear even if we don't know exactly what he's singing about. That's freakin' fantastic.

 

He was certainly seeing it well back in those days...Lay Down Your Weary Tune is another one I love

 

I love the song, lyrically and musically (it sounds wonderful as a solo piano piece, too). It's always struck me as a declaration of independence from closed-minded thinking, and it may have been an expanded version of an acceptance speech Bob gave a year earlier:


Also, it always reminds me of this quote, attributed to Mark Twain:
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.

 

Yup. I agree that the song is pretty straightforward. Probably the most straightforward of all the songs wrote out of that impulse toward self-redefinition--and probably the one that's tied most specifically to the situation that inspired it. "Maggie's Farm" has a manic satirical energy to it, and it's "farm" can mean a lot of things. The drama at the heart of "Positively 4th St." is more a personal one to the singer than one aimed at a subculture and it's hypocrisies and expectations. The imagery of "Desolation Row" is much more widely resonant. In fact, you could say that the singer of "My Back Pages" is basically a guy who has recently woken up to the desire to write something like "Desolation Row." The crimson flames are still there. He's just decided to untie them.

L.

 

It is a great song with great lyrics and when done by the Byrds it is a tremendous recording-a thing of true beauty. One of my favorites. I am not as much of a fan of Dylan the recording artist. His voice and arrangements are not among my favorites. But he is a great songwriter!

I also love the "all-star" version with Neil Young, George Harrison, Clapton, Roger McGuinn, erc.

 

The bet think Dylan could do was moving away from the protest-song frame and explored deeper territories. Not that I don't like his first songs, but this is the kind of poetry that really amazes me.

 

Of all the early Bob songs that I've known and loved, "My Back Pages" is one of the few which has lost some favor with me. The ironic conceit of "I was so much older than, I'm younger than that now", sounds like something only a very young person would write. Coupled with the apparent thrust of the verses, the message seems to be, "I was once concerned with so many things, but now I'm all chill, man." Again, it's not the sort of thing that grows with you. The Byrds' cover of the song still is very beautiful though.

"It's Alright, Ma", and "Gates of Eden" - now, those are two songs that have and will always blow my mind.

 

I won't try to say this is "what the song means" but here is "a" reading with plenty of room for debate. Despite all the words below, I wouldn't argue this song's depth, but I do admire it's circuitous approach to fairly simple ideas that, as posted above, have an adolescent quality to them that could be dismissed as "sound and fury signifying... not much." Nevertheless, I think it demonstrates the serious internal struggle that was the fulcrum that catapulted Dylan into his "electric" period and that cannot be discounted.

Music -- particularly folk -- and all that he digested, including the books and impassioned conversations he was devouring while couch/floor surfing in the Village brought him to these lofty places filled with ideas, ideals and moral superiority. Coming from different directions an intense and purposeful journey will be shared.

Turns out I'm not on that journey any more or after all in the guise of an "admission" that I'm not as advanced as I or you thought.

I was noble and/but self-righteous, calling out the world is wrong. He became a "self-ordained" preacher himself who was soon anointed by parroting these messages. "Skull" vs. "mind" distances it from thought; these words were function of the body, not the mind. "Dream" -- he believed it, but it wasn't real.

This seems to conflate a "romanticized" take on "history" that is guided by such things as larger-than-life heroes from storybooks that "somehow" seemed not just real but the firmament for beliefs and guides for acting on ideals.

In this repetition, coming right after "musketeers" there's an indication that the "older" (more mature, sanguine, noble) voice was built on feet of clay.

Like so many "rock'n'roll" musicians (including those who wanted to be Little Richard), hormones are the ignition. Itbegan with girls. Here, perhaps, he also begins to reference some of his love songs and that they, too, were a product of "craft" -- "phony." Here, there are several directions and references that come to mind but I think they are examples more than anything else. Of course, in his personal journey it led to his self-education. Eventually his voice glommed more onto songs built around something "greater than" the personal.

The source of his knowledge and identity increasingly tied to beliefs, movements and agendas, was part product of the dead and the living dead. I don't take it as literal, but figurative; people who "spout" but whose ideas have calcified. In a sense, these people who were his guides are more akin to the mothers and fathers of "The Times They Are a-Changin'" than they are agents of change.

One of these evangelists rises to the fore and his credentials are self-appointed and his beliefs are self-serious and thus lack spark (I picture Pete Seeger, but I don't take that as Dylan's intent). This mentor is so mission-oriented and possibly intellectually parsimonious that anything outside of his mission is perhaps for children and the less serious. The narrator was a willing acolyte, wanting the approval, wanting to meet the expectations of someone whose countenance demanded respect. Like a good soldier he parroted "the word" with the most solemn of commitment, but such parsing as the quantitative differences between liberty and equality is intellectually divorced from the emotional "truths" behind such abstracts. When one separates abstracts from what they conceptualize they become vapid talking points (see also: political speeches). Now, however, he is fallen and cannot live up to (or down to?) that role; he is younger than he'd strived. In a sense, he is a failure -- if only from the outside; a year later he'd toy with there being "no success like failure and that failure is no success at all." I see no intended connection, but perhaps it does indicate a self-knowledge that he felt an internal sting that he stood on the ocean for a time but inevitably began sinking (to arguably new heights, of course).

I take this as a reference to the "finger-pointin'" songs. Strident, self-assured, righteous and without doubt or fear; and without the wisdom to see that no matter "which side you are on" if you become dogmatic and see those on "the other side" as "mongrels" then you take on similar characteristics to those you oppose; you become inflexible and thus self-defeatest, whether you are aware of it or not. Here, I think "he not busy being born is busy dying" and the need to grow -- or at least change -- and not believe you "know the answers" that are ephemerally blowing in the wind.

I hear cognitive dissonance. Some part of him doesn't sit well with all of this. The mutiny, depending on the timeline (which others here know far better than I do) could be his inevitable "betrayal" of this movement; it could be the friends -- and/or mentors -- who are distancing himself. We know that "Mr. Tambourine Man" was already written by this point; perhaps that and other songs he was sharing demonstrated to his inner circle(s) he was drifting away.

Bear with this [continued] self-indulgence:
Immediate as they are and with tangible connections, freedom, peace, equality, change, war, prejudice, communism, democracy, good, bad, etc. These are fundamentally abstracts; they are never-ending causes and are on such a large scale that they in a sense become inhuman because of that scale. We know that Dylan was moving to a more personal level. Here, I hear the struggle to not abandon the lofty and noble underpinnings of the music that brought him notoriety with which he'd struggle to this day but he knew there was nowhere to go. The song itself has an exhausted, exasperated feel; sort of disconnection that he sought remedy for in the pleading chorus of "Mr. Tambourine Man". Tying it to the title, "My Back Pages," this is a culmination. Whether it's the last chapter or not couldn't be known but he knew his confusion and perhaps he'd learned enough at this point that the artistic battles he needed to tackle were those that tackled big issues writ small, particular, less literal, with room for the self to explore the terrain he'd already laid before him with the idea-made maps.

More than believing his own press, he believed the self-ordained professors and corpse evangelists and perhaps was elevated by their manipulation of his pride and their making him into their soldier, their "voice of a generation," which itself separated him from that generation. He could not be in his mid-twenties when he was a mouthpiece for those farther along down the road. And here he acknowledges the absurdity of good:bad::black:white and that it's really the gravel gray of snow plowed to the side of a New York street. The only path to growth is exploring the innate mess of humanity from within it, not from above. In a sense, the "folk movement" was itself a "Brill Building" and he needed to forge his own path that acknowledged that these are different facets of the same world; there is room to tie the political to the personal; the folk past to the rock present. Diametrical opposition does not solve the issues that were being "spouted," rather it propagates them.

 

Here's a great book on the subject if anyone's interested:

http://www.amazon.com/Counting-Down-Bob-Dylan-Finest/dp/0810888238/ref=sr_1_fkmr3_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420569752&sr=1-1-fkmr3&keywords=Count down bob dylan

From Booklist
Music critic Beviglia looks at Dylan’s nearly six-decade career, offering his analyses of the music and lyrics. He digs into historical information and trivia to explain why he thinks these 100 songs are Dylan’s best to date. Each song entry contains the original release information and two to three pages of anecdotes and historical stories about not only Dylan’s music but information about what was going on in the world at the time. This work will appeal to Dylan fans everywhere and is appropriate for most circulating collections. --Ester Burke

Review
Counting Down Bob Dylan: His 100 Finest Songs is the first publication in a new series titled Counting Down that ranks and discusses the best songs by famous musicians. This foundational volume tackles the iconic Bob Dylan and his nearly 60-year career. Beviglia has scoured Dylan’s catalog and has come up with not just a list, but an actual ranking of his best songs from 100 to 1. Unlike other 'best of' lists that can be found online by the hundreds, this publication provides its value in the analysis of each song. Counting Down Bob Dylan does not simply count down one person’s opinion of Dylan’s best songs, but provides a mini-essay for each song that includes interesting facts, historical information, and more. These mini-essays provide insight into the songs themselves as well as into Dylan as a figure. Beviglia obviously spent quite a bit of time researching these songs. . . .Counting Down Bob Dylan is an entertaining and informational read. The text is very easy to follow and also includes an index and a short list of an additional 100 songs. This book could serve as a great introduction to those interested in Dylan or a great source of previously unknown trivia for Dylan fans. (American Reference Books Annual)

From 'Roll on John,' off the 2012 album Tempest, to 'Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,' off the 1966 album Blonde on Blonde, Beviglia counts down what he deems to be the 100 best songs written and officially recorded by the legendary Bob Dylan. While necessarily subjective in his selection, he sought to separate songs from any personal relevance they may have for him and also considered such intangibles as cultural impact or staying power. For each song he includes a one-to-two page commentary, examining themes, lyrics, the role of the song in Dylan's career, and other such matters. At the end of the volume, he includes a list of the next 100 best songs of Dylan, sans any commentary. (Book News, Inc.)

I had the opportunity to read the new book by Jim Beviglia called Counting Down Bob Dylan: His 100 Finest Songs and much to my surprise I enjoyed it. What I really liked about it was its format. Beviglia doesn’t just do a random countdown of his favorite songs but he writes why he feels the way he does and includes some pretty in-depth stories and song break-downs to back up his explanations. Right away I realized that he researched the subject and is incredibly knowledgeable about music in general. Beviglia writes intelligently and that made this read extremely interesting. He understands music and it’s lyrics like few writers I have read. He is able to state his feelings and passion in a way that anyone can understand. Even though I have never heard most of these songs, I am now curious to listen to many of them just to get a better feel for them. Time to get out the iTunes gift-card. ... If you love music you will enjoy how Beviglia breaks each song down by lyrics and the music itself. You will listen to Dylan tunes in a whole new way once you gain an understanding of the songs meanings or implied meanings in some cases. Many of the stories involve other bands and musicians such as The Beatles and Eric Clapton. I think because of that you will savor the book, weather you’re a Dylan fan or not. The print version is a hardcover and it is also available for an e-reader. No matter what your taste in rock and roll or folk music Counting Down Bob Dylan: His 100 Finest Songs should prove to be an enjoyable read for all music lovers. I recommend this interesting and insightful book. (Scared Stiff Reviews)

Jim Beviglia’s Bob Dylan: His 100 Finest Songs is ideal, in the case of this title, for browsing and reading up on one’s favorite tunes of this major American musician and poet. That Dylan has been accorded the latter distinction seems a foregone conclusion. This is a fun read for anyone who has been enthralled by the work of this popular music icon who has been entertaining global audiences for a half-century and is still going strong. The 100 are ranked in ascending order, beginning with 'Roll on John' in last place and honoring 'Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' as #1. Each song is given two-pages of analysis, commentary, historical background, and justification of occupying a place in this honor role from the singer’s oeuvre. A list of the next 100 finest, a bibliography, and an index conclude the volume. (W. Royal Stokes Jazzhouse Diaries)

Maintaining that Dylan's music 'is more than a code that needs cracking,' Counting on Dylan repeatedly extols the pleasure principle – and some fans may say, And what's wrong with that? Without giving the game away, I can say that Dylan's material in the 1960s and 70s dominates the higher echelons of Beviglia's top ten and that the number one spot caused a critical spat between Michael Gray and Christopher Ricks. Get a copy of Counting Down Bob Dylan and reconnect with the simple pleasure from the great man's work. (The Bridge)

Counting Down Bob Dylan: His 100 Finest Songs is a work that is bound to spur debate among the throng of the Dylan faithful, so much so that Jim Beviglia instinctively began to duck before the ink on his tome was dry. . . .[It] is a captivating work for the casual observer, the 'Dylanologist,' and those filling all spaces in between. The tracks were chosen from the released catalog and not from unofficial 'bootleg' releases, and each song receives a concise essay. Like a miner seeking gold, Beviglia often strikes a vein of ore in affording proper justification for his picks in his summations. That is not to say that the list is definitive, or that all will nod in agreement with his choices. The charm in such a work is to set a foundation for discussion amongst the passionate. The work is designed to lead the reader into a comparison of his own opinions with those expressed by the author, and those of other fans. (Live for Live Music (L4LM))

 

The live versions from 1995-96 were magnificent.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xr...pages-31-03-1995-london-brixton-academy_music

 

Love the song and really glad the Byrds' version exists. As for the lyrics, no great pop song (except for the few exceptions that will invariably be pointed out immediately) can have five whole verses, and besides, "corpse evangelists" and such might have been a bit much for AM radio. At least they didn't actually change any words.

 

They changed several words significantly. For instance, "romantic facts of musketeers" became "romantic flanks of musketeers" and "my pathway led by confusion boats" became "sisters fled by confusion boats".