INTRODUCTION:
For my eclectic analysis, I have chosen to look at Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall.” I am a fan of Dylan’s, and I have always loved this song, so I thought it would be interesting to attempt to bracket out my past conceptions about the artwork and approach the song from an eclectic analysis. I have left out a performance guide, as I feel Dylan performed a penultimate version of the song, and there is no need to change the performance as his performance lends so much to the piece in the first place. I have also left out a 2nd open listening, since I deemed it unnecessary by the time I got to that step.
OPEN LISTENING:
When attempting my first open listening, what first struck me was the constant rhythm of the guitar chords. The song is mid-tempo and upbeat in the quick chords changes that a circular and simple. After two measures, Dylan’s voice enters in his signature graveling style. The lyrics are in a stream-of-consciousness style, with a lot of varied imagery and question/answer patterns. The song is in a folk-style, with a ¾ time signature that is stressed. The chords chug along without rest so the song is continually moving forwards. There are many associations with blood and destructive imagery as well, which suggest that the song is incredibly somber and pessimistic.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
67-year old Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. In January of 1961, Dylan moved to New York City and was soon crowned the voice of the 60’s generation as his lyrics incorporated political, social, philosophical, and literary influences. The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan was Dylan’s second album, released in May of 1963. Soon after Dylan began performing A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, the Cuban Missile Crisis began, which led many to associate the song with the political crisis.
His music infused with country and other Americana influences defied existing pop music conventions, and consequently appealed widely to the counterculture. Rock and Roll has been the prevailing genre in music, though Bob Dylan and other folk artists like Joan Baez explored traditional music, from folk to country and later incorporating gospel and rock and roll. Dylan sang while also playing guitar, piano and harmonica.
While playing in New York, Dylan ignited the ideas of and participated in the radical youth generation of the 60’s. A notoriously tumultuous time for Americans, the 60’s were wrought with the after-shocks of the world wars, political upheaval, Kennedy’s assassination, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Civil Rights Movement.
SYNTAX:
The composition is inherently simple and in the key of C. The meter is in ¾, with a repetitive lyrical structure that beings each verse in themes. The first theme centers on the actions of stepping, walking, stumbling. However, in the second verse, Dylan’s lyrics become far more repetitive, with each line starting with “I saw.” The third follows in the same vein with repetitive use of “I heard,” followed by “I met” and “Where” in the last two verses. The song is composed with voice and guitar that circles around the chords of C, F and G throughout the song. The structure circles evenly through a Verse/Chorus alternating pattern 5 times.
The composition is inherently simple and in the key of C. The meter is in ¾, with a repetitive lyrical structure that beings each verse in themes. The first theme centers on the actions of stepping, walking, stumbling. However, in the second verse, Dylan’s lyrics become far more repetitive, with each line starting with “I saw.” The third follows in the same vein with repetitive use of “I heard,” followed by “I met” and “Where” in the last two verses. The song is composed with voice and guitar that circles around the chords of C, F and G throughout the song. The structure circles evenly through a Verse/Chorus alternating pattern 5 times.
SOUND-IN-TIME:
The song begins with guitar that plays with a singsong-y waltz feeling. Dylan puts strong emphasis on the first strum of each beat, and effect is much like a train chugging along with any rest. When Dylan begins singing, the gravel-y and worn sound of his vocals is readily heard. The guitar continues in a circular pattern, while the lyrics fall into repetitive stanzas that alter a little bit each time. There is a vintage quality to the music and the guitar acts like a shadow to the voice. After each verse, the chorus is built up with much tension and then a beautiful release with each final “hard rain’s a-gonna fall.” Dylan’s performance lends so much to the piece, where his emotion is heartfelt and believable as his voice trembles and strains at each poignant moment before release.
The song begins with guitar that plays with a singsong-y waltz feeling. Dylan puts strong emphasis on the first strum of each beat, and effect is much like a train chugging along with any rest. When Dylan begins singing, the gravel-y and worn sound of his vocals is readily heard. The guitar continues in a circular pattern, while the lyrics fall into repetitive stanzas that alter a little bit each time. There is a vintage quality to the music and the guitar acts like a shadow to the voice. After each verse, the chorus is built up with much tension and then a beautiful release with each final “hard rain’s a-gonna fall.” Dylan’s performance lends so much to the piece, where his emotion is heartfelt and believable as his voice trembles and strains at each poignant moment before release.
VIRTUAL FEELING:
In the beginning of the piece, I am calmed by Dylan’s voice and its soothing quality. Then, as the chorus begins to take hold, I become more anxious and sad despite no change in key or chord structure. Dylan stresses his voice, and in turn I am stressed and anxious for what’s next. At some times I am contemplative; while at others I am angry and scared. However, I am never soothed.
MUSICAL/TEXTUAL REPRESENTATION:
Lyrics:
Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, where have you been, my darling young one?
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains,
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways,
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests,
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans,
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard,
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it,
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin',
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin',
I saw a white ladder all covered with water,
I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken,
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children,
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin',
Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,
Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin',
Heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin',
Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin',
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley,
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, who did you meet, my blue-eyed son?
Who did you meet, my darling young one?
I met a young child beside a dead pony,
I met a white man who walked a black dog,
I met a young woman whose body was burning,
I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow,
I met one man who was wounded in love,
I met another man who was wounded with hatred,
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
And, what'll you do now, my darling young one?
I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin',
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest dark forest,
Where the people are many and their hands are all empty,
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters,
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison,
Where the executioner's face is always well hidden,
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten,
Where black is the color, where none is the number,
And I'll tell it and speak it and think it and breathe it,
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it,
Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin',
But I'll know my song well before I start singin',
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
The text of Dylan’s song could have easily been a poem in its own right. However, it is interesting to me how he adds so much to the meaning and power of the poem through music. The text is grim, with many references to death and an oncoming doomsday:
In the beginning of the piece, I am calmed by Dylan’s voice and its soothing quality. Then, as the chorus begins to take hold, I become more anxious and sad despite no change in key or chord structure. Dylan stresses his voice, and in turn I am stressed and anxious for what’s next. At some times I am contemplative; while at others I am angry and scared. However, I am never soothed.
MUSICAL/TEXTUAL REPRESENTATION:
Lyrics:
Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, where have you been, my darling young one?
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains,
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways,
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests,
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans,
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard,
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it,
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin',
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin',
I saw a white ladder all covered with water,
I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken,
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children,
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin',
Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,
Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin',
Heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin',
Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin',
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley,
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, who did you meet, my blue-eyed son?
Who did you meet, my darling young one?
I met a young child beside a dead pony,
I met a white man who walked a black dog,
I met a young woman whose body was burning,
I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow,
I met one man who was wounded in love,
I met another man who was wounded with hatred,
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
And, what'll you do now, my darling young one?
I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin',
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest dark forest,
Where the people are many and their hands are all empty,
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters,
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison,
Where the executioner's face is always well hidden,
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten,
Where black is the color, where none is the number,
And I'll tell it and speak it and think it and breathe it,
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it,
Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin',
But I'll know my song well before I start singin',
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
The text of Dylan’s song could have easily been a poem in its own right. However, it is interesting to me how he adds so much to the meaning and power of the poem through music. The text is grim, with many references to death and an oncoming doomsday:
“Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world”
“Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter”
“Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin’
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.”
The references continually return to the metaphor of water falling/drowning the world for what could be the oncoming political turmoil of the 1960’s, or the political turmoil and cultural change in any generation. Looking further into layers of textual meaning, one notices strong interplay between “blood” and “water.” Blood drips but so does water. The man dies in the gutter, another water reference. When he sings, “I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin', I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin', I saw a white ladder all covered with water,” it seems that rather than building the image of death with water turning to blood, the bloody imagery builds till the “hard rain” falls. The blood is just the beginning of the destruction we are possible of, he might be saying. “But I'll know my song well before I start singin',” reads the poem towards the end. Dylan may be taking refuge in his song, as there is no other place to escape from all the destruction surrounding people during the 60’s. This phrase being placed towards the end of the piece seems to strengthen this idea.
“Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter”
“Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin’
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.”
The references continually return to the metaphor of water falling/drowning the world for what could be the oncoming political turmoil of the 1960’s, or the political turmoil and cultural change in any generation. Looking further into layers of textual meaning, one notices strong interplay between “blood” and “water.” Blood drips but so does water. The man dies in the gutter, another water reference. When he sings, “I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin', I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin', I saw a white ladder all covered with water,” it seems that rather than building the image of death with water turning to blood, the bloody imagery builds till the “hard rain” falls. The blood is just the beginning of the destruction we are possible of, he might be saying. “But I'll know my song well before I start singin',” reads the poem towards the end. Dylan may be taking refuge in his song, as there is no other place to escape from all the destruction surrounding people during the 60’s. This phrase being placed towards the end of the piece seems to strengthen this idea.
ONTO-HISTORICAL WORLD:
As noted earlier, Dylan was named the voice of a generation by almost all who heard his music. While his lyrics were inherently current for the time, his compositional technique involved borrowing from other sources in order to create a pastiche of old and new. In fact, “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” is based on an ancient Scottish folk ballad, “Lord Randall.” The melody is almost exactly the same, which grounds Dylan’s work in ancient folk tunes that have been passed along for centuries.
As noted earlier, Dylan was named the voice of a generation by almost all who heard his music. While his lyrics were inherently current for the time, his compositional technique involved borrowing from other sources in order to create a pastiche of old and new. In fact, “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” is based on an ancient Scottish folk ballad, “Lord Randall.” The melody is almost exactly the same, which grounds Dylan’s work in ancient folk tunes that have been passed along for centuries.
By the early 1960’s, political changed were taking place in the US that had never been seen before. There was an increased reliance on television and media, which helped national controversies to take center stage in the minds of Americans who turned their TV on to watch the same news each night. While wrapping his musical structures in older folk melodies and song structures, Dylan was able to bridge the old and new at the same time. His lyrics speak of the future, of oncoming changes and the decade ahead while the music celebrates the past.
He was clearly entrenched in the political scene of New York, where radical ideas were flowing freely with a clear notion of what was happening politically in Washington and abroad. His menacing imagery of a storm that will come and drown us all can be read as a response to the political anarchy of the time and a premonition of a future where political leaders have gone too far and unnecessarily hurt many lives through inevitable yet nonsensical wars.
META-CRITIQUE:
Overall, I think this critique was very helpful and rich to my gaining a complete understanding of the work. However, I felt that this song and Dylan’s notoriety as a folk singer of the 60’s lends itself to leaning on historical background a little more than other elements of the analysis. It is hard to fully grasp textual representation with Dylan’s lyrics, which can be entirely metaphorical and illogical at times. However, with “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” I really felt that textual representation helped to tie in many aspects of the piece, to gather new connections and revisit other areas of analysis.
The one weakness, I feel, was that I could not find a place in this analysis to revisit the piece through my own onto-historical world. I feel that this would help me find new meanings for Dylan’s prophetic words, as we find ourselves in a new time of political change, war, and economic downturn. These elements of today’s society shed new light on Bob Dylan’s music, though this analysis left Dylan in the 60’s rather than bringing him into the 00’s. Though, overall I was pleased with the experience as it definitely left me with a closer understanding of the work than I had before.
WORKS CITED:
Williams, Paul. Bob Dylan Vol. 1 : 1960-1973: the Early Years: Performing Artist. New York: Omnibus P, 2004.
Overall, I think this critique was very helpful and rich to my gaining a complete understanding of the work. However, I felt that this song and Dylan’s notoriety as a folk singer of the 60’s lends itself to leaning on historical background a little more than other elements of the analysis. It is hard to fully grasp textual representation with Dylan’s lyrics, which can be entirely metaphorical and illogical at times. However, with “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” I really felt that textual representation helped to tie in many aspects of the piece, to gather new connections and revisit other areas of analysis.
The one weakness, I feel, was that I could not find a place in this analysis to revisit the piece through my own onto-historical world. I feel that this would help me find new meanings for Dylan’s prophetic words, as we find ourselves in a new time of political change, war, and economic downturn. These elements of today’s society shed new light on Bob Dylan’s music, though this analysis left Dylan in the 60’s rather than bringing him into the 00’s. Though, overall I was pleased with the experience as it definitely left me with a closer understanding of the work than I had before.
WORKS CITED:
Williams, Paul. Bob Dylan Vol. 1 : 1960-1973: the Early Years: Performing Artist. New York: Omnibus P, 2004.
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