In 2016, Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition" As this link notes of his restless songwriting and constant reinvention:
‘Bob Dylan's songs are rooted in American folk music traditions and are influenced by the poets of modernism and the beatnik movement. Early on, Dylan's lyrics incorporated social struggles and political protest. Love and religion are other important themes in his songs. His writing is often characterized by refined rhymes and it paints surprising, sometimes surreal imagery ...’
I cite these encomiums for Dylan’s legendary and influential career to make a point about the THROUGH the TREES cover (above) of ‘You Ain’t Going Nowhere.’ We all have favorites Dylan lines. What’s yours? (Put them in the comments below.) Mine is: ‘You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,’ from Dylan’s 1967 song "Subterranean Homesick Blues.’ Borrowing from the line, a far-left Marxist faction of Students for a Democratic Society took as their name ‘The Weathermen’ (which came to be known officially as The Weather Underground Organization), and they were intent on blowing things up and overthrowing the U.S. government. That didn’t quite work out. (And here, all they needed were two dorks named Donald and Elon.) Yet it goes to show you how back in the day—and to this day—how so many folks train a keen ear on what Dylan has had to say. Even bombthrowers. (For the deepest of dives into a single Dylan lyric, check out the following essay from “The Dylan Review,’ titled ‘Bob Dylan and the Weatherman Paradox.’ Being as, you know, ‘a forum for rigorous intellectual and creative exploration of Bob Dylan’s art.’)
That gets me to my roundabout point concerning ‘You Ain’t Going Nowhere.’ This is a song with a goofy, often surreal set of lyrics. They are not at all what you might think that a weighty Nobel Prize-winning author might be chewing over. A Wikipedia page about the song notes that it was written in 1967 in Woodstock, New York, during Dylan’s ‘self-imposed exile from public appearances following his July 29, 1966 motorcycle accident.’ As the page notes, almost as if trying to parse the tune for sense, it features lyrics ‘that allude to the singer waiting for his bride to arrive and, possibly, a final premarital fling.’ Author and Dylanologist Clinton Heylin calls it "one of those songs where Dylan never quite settled on a single set of lyrics."
Different iterations feature a flow of absurdist lyrics. Although he recorded it initially in 1967, he didn’t release an official version until 1971's ‘Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II’ album. By then, he had tinkered with the original lyrics from the initial ‘Basement Tapes’ version which THOUGH the TREES covers, adding the lines: "Buy me some rings and a gun that sings/A flute that toots and a bee that stings/ A sky that cries and a bird that flies/ A fish that walks and a dog that talks." The Dylanologist author above describes such couplets as "riddles, wisely expounded.” Meh. I prefer to think of them as Dylan goofing around and having fun. Even a Nobel laureate deserves a chance to let his hair down—along with his deep allusions and cosmic significance— and just be a little silly, namechecking, for example, Ghengis Kahn and his sheep-distribution issues. (SEE FULL LYRICS BELOW)
As the official TREES singer of this song, I can attest to how fun it is to sing. If you have ever been blessed with being on the back of a loping, cantering horse—a delightful experience, indeed—that is what it feels like to ride this song, from start to finish, with a killer band. ~ Douglas John Imbrogno
‘You Ain’t Going Nowhere’ by Bob Dylan
Clouds so swift, rain won’t lift
Gate won’t close, the railing’s froze
Get your mind off-a wintertime
You ain’t goin' no-where
CHORUS | Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow’s the day my bride’s gonna come
Oh-wee, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!
I don’t care how many letters they sent
Morning came and morning went
Pick up your money and pack up your tent
You ain’t going nowhere
CHORUS | Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow’s the day my bride’s gonna come
Oh-wee, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!
Buy me a flute and a gun that shoots
Tailgates and substitutes
Strap yourself to the tree with roots
You ain’t going nowhere
CHORUS | Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow’s the day my bride’s gonna come
Oh-wee, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!
Genghis Khan, he could not keep
All his kings supplied with sheep
We’ll climb that hill no matter how steep
When we get up to it
CHORUS | Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow’s the day my bride’s gonna come
Oh-wee, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!
MORE MUSIC & VIDEOS
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MUSIC VIDEO | A THROUGH the TREES interpretation of a classic tune from the Americas, of a love affair between a wandering trapper and a native woman.
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