There are plenty of Bob Dylan sites available, which is understandable as he is probably the most influential singer-songwriter of modern times. I will restrict myself here to the Dylan songs which I sing (or try to sing) myself.

Here is a wetpaint site with lots of information about Dylan.

All I Really Want to Do

This was included on Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964). Here is Bob Dylan's performance at the Newport Folk Festival in July 1964. The song was also a big hit for The Byrds in 1965, and was Cher's debut single. Here is a snippet of Cher performing the song.

My cover can be seen above and here are the lyrics.

Ballad of Hollis Brown

Here is Dylan's first recorded performance of the song in May 1963. The song was originally recorded for The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963) but not used. It was later included on The Times They Are a-Changin' (1964). Apparently it was based on a true story, and is unusual in that it uses a second person narrative.

Here is my performance of the song and here are the lyrics.

Blowing In the Wind

This song is so well known it has become a bit of a cliche, but it has a special place in my life.

Like most people of my generation, I first heard it sung by Peter, Paul and Mary. I did not yet know much about Dylan as a performer, so I never really tried to sing it in Dylan's style.

It was about that time that I saved my pennies and bought a guitar, and started singing folk songs, mainly at church youth group functions. At the end of the year, when I had just turned 17 and completed Matriculation, I was holidaying in Coffs Harbour, where my grandparents lived. As part of Christmas celebrations there was a Talent Quest, which I was persuaded to enter. I had to choose two songs to sing, so I chose this one and Chevaliers de la Table Ronde, which I had learned in French class. Most of the entrants were pop singers and Country and Western artists from the surrounding area, and I thought I had little chance of winning any prizes, but it would be good experience. To my surprise I won the first prize of ten pounds, which was quite a lot of money in those days, considering a few years earlier I'd been earning less than two pounds a week, getting up at 4 a.m. every day to deliver newspapers. It was a great thrill for me, and for a brief moment I even thought about singing as a possible career choice. Of course, I soon got over it and ended up with a real job. :-)

Cliche or not, it is, and always will be, a great song.

Dylan claimed to have written the song in ten minutes, using the tune of No More Auction Block, which you can find in the American Songs section of this website. It was released on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963). Here is Dylan's first public performance of the song in May 1963.

This song has been covered by a lot of singers, including Odetta, The Seekers, The Bee Gees, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Katie Melua and Joan Baez.

Sam Cooke was strongly influenced by this song, and changed his own musical style because of it. He felt the song had a message about racial injustice and was especially relevant to the black community.

Here is my own cover of the song and here are the lyrics.

And here is a video of me singing it with Azlan Ag Tuah at the Hyatt Hotel, Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia.

Bob Dylan's Dream

Dylan wrote this song in 1963 and included it on his Columbia album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

The song is based on the traditional English folk song, Lord Franklin, also known as Lady Franklin's Lament or The Sailor's Dream. He claimed he learned it from Martin Carthy in London in 1962, but he probably knew it earlier, as his friend Paul Clayton has recorded it in 1957.

Apart from the melody, which is the same as the tune used for the Irish song, The Croppy Boy, there are similarities in the lyrics, such as the dream framework, the mention of storms and the reference to giving "ten thousand pounds."

Here is a live performance at New York Town Hall in 1963.

The song has been covered by several artists, notably Judy Collins and Peter, Paul and Mary.

Here is my cover and here are the lyrics.

Boots of Spanish Leather

A song from Dylan's third studio album, The Times They Are A-Changin' (1964).

This song is about Suze Rotolo, Dylan's girlfriend in the early sixties in New York, who left him in 1964 to go to Spain. The girl in the song asks whether he would like her to send a gift to remember her by, but he answers that all he wants is her to come back to him. When he realises this is not going to happen, he decides he may as well get something from the relationship and asks for boots of Spanish leather.

Here is my cover of the song and here are the lyrics.

Chimes of Freedom

This was the fourth track of the 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan, and is the song Dylan played at President Bill Clinton's inauguration. According to Wikipedia, it is based on a song called Chimes of Trinity, that Dave van Ronk learned from his grandmother.

Here is the original audio version. A number of singers have covered the song, for example The Byrds, Roger McGuinn, Bruce Springsteen and U2.

My video is here and here are the lyrics.

Desolation Row

Dylan's surrealistic masterpiece from Highway 61 Revisited (1965). There are many videos on YouTube of Dylan singing this song. Here's one from a concert in Wellington in 2003 and this one uses the original recording.

Here is an interesting variation by Jan Lewis, called Execution Row.

Here is my cover of the song and here are the lyrics.

Don't Think Twice

This song is from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963). It is apparently based on Paul Clayton's Who´s Goin´ To Buy Your Ribbons When I´m Gone (1960). Johnny Cash continued this process with his song Understand Your Man (1964)

Here is an early performance of Dylan singing this classic song. And here is a cover by Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed, and one by Peter, Paul and Mary, who recorded it very shortly after Dylan's own recording.

And, of course, here's my cover. Here are the lyrics.

Every Grain of Sand

From the album Shot of Love (1981). This was written a few years after Dylan became a born-again Christian.

This song was partly inspired by the following lines from William Blake's Auguries of Innocence:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

Here is Dylan performing the song in London (1990) and a cover by Giuseppe Gazerro, which is closer to Dylan's original version, as is this one by Graham Nash.

Here is my performance of the song and here are the lyrics.

Farewell

This song (1963) is based on the song The Leaving of Liverpool. The Clancy Brothers claimed he stole the song from them, but in fact he learned it from Scottish folksinger Nigel Denver. It was not officially released, but can be heard on various bootleg recordings.

Here are the lyrics.

Farewell Angelina

Probably the best-known version of this song is the one sung by Joan Baez, who used it as the title song for her sixth album Farewell Angelina (1965), which included three other Dylan songs. Dylan's own version was not released until The Bootleg Series 1-3 (1991).

Here is an incomplete version of Joan Baez singing the song in 1966.

Here is my performance and here are the lyrics.

Gates of Eden

From Bringing It All Back Home (1965). Tim Riley of NPR (National Public Radio) wrote, "Of all the songs about sixties self-consciousness and generation-bound identity, none forecasts the lost innocence of an entire generation better than 'Gates of Eden'.Sung with ever-forward motion, as though the words were carving their own quixotic phrasings, these images seem to tumble out of Dylan with a will all their own; he often chops off phrases to get to the next line." (Quoted in Wikipedia)

Here is an outtake from the film Don't Look Back, incomplete unfortunately. This is a rather strange video based on Dylan's original version. You can see more and read a discussion of some different versions in this article by Roger Bourland.

Here is my cover of the song and here are the lyrics.

A Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall

From Dylan's second album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963). This song is based on the traditional ballad Lord Randal, collected by Francis James Child (No. 12).

The song was premiered at Carnegie Hall (1962) at a hootenanny organized by Pete Seeger. Although Dylan was originally given 10 minutes to do three songs, his set was extended to 20 minutes to make room for Hard Rain, which took six-and-a-half minutes. The words, though obscure, seem to resonate with meaning in describing injustice, suffering and warfare, but Dylan has insisted that the "hard rain" is not a reference to nuclear fallout.

Here is Joan Baez singing the song in 2005. And Dylan himself in 1964.

My rendition is here and here are the lyrics.

Hero Blues

This song was an outtake from Dylan's second album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963). He used as his opening number in his 1974 tour with The Band.

Here is my performance and here are the lyrics.

It Ain't Me Babe

From Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964). The opening line ("Go away from my window...") is reportedly influenced by John Jacob Niles' song Go 'Way From My Window. Dylan has acknowledged Niles as an early influence.

When Bob Dylan played his first electric concerts at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, and Monterey in 1965, this was one of the songs he played using electric instruments.

Here is the original studio recording and Dylan singing the song in the film Reynaldo and Clara (1975). Here is Joan Baez singing it in concert in 1965. And here is his friend Johnny Cash with June Carter. (1992)

And here is my rendition. And here is my duet with Marco Acca.

Here are the lyrics.

It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry

This was the third track on Highway 61 Revisited (1965), the first of Dylan's albums to use electric instruments.

Here is Dylan singing it at the Concert for Bangladesh, in 1971, and in concert from the film Reynaldo and Clara (1975).


Here is my performance of the song and here are the lyrics.

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

Another song (Track 11) from Highway 61 Revisited. There are varying interpretations. Some say it is about the end of his love affair with Joan Baez, others that it just reflects the changes taking place in his music.

Here is Dylan performing the song in the film Don't Look Back (1965). And here is an audio recording of Joan Baez singing it.

Here is my cover and here are the lyrics.

It’s All Right Ma, I'm Only Bleeding

One of the defining songs of the 1960s. First released as Track 10 on Bringing it all Back Home (1965). At over 7 minutes, this song is full of quotable lines commenting on life and politics. The line, "He who is not busy being born is busy dying" was used by former President Jimmy Carter in his acceptance speech at the 1976 Democratic National convention, and Al Gore, during his campaign claimed it was his favorite quote. He also used the line "Even the President of The United States sometimes must have to stand naked," with reference to the scandal involving Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky. The song, sung by Roger McGuinn, was used in the film Easy Rider.

Here is Dylan singing the song in an outtake from Don't Look Back. He's still singing it in concert in 2007, though not everyone likes the way he performs it now, which tends to be all on one note. Here is a very interesting video interpretation using the original track.

My performance is here and here are the lyrics.

John Brown

An early anti-war song that was never officially recorded. Dylan has been singing this song again in recent times in concert.

There is an interesting article here, arguing, from a right wing viewpoint, that this is not in fact an anti-war song.

Here is Dylan singing the song at a concert in Munster, Germany in 2000 and here is a very early bootleg recording, which he made under the name Blind Boy Grunt.

Here is my cover and here are the lyrics.

Just Like A Woman

This song from Blonde on Blonde (1966) is the song Dylan has performed most frequently. Some believe it is about his relationship with Warhol Factory girl, Edie Sedgwick, others that it is about Joan Baez. This kind of interpretation tends to trivialise this magnificent song, which is generally recognised as one of Dylan's greatest works.

Here is Dylan's performance at the Concert for Bangladesh (1971) and here is the original track, illustrated with photos of Dylan. No one can do it like Dylan, but here is a pretty decent cover, by ysabellabrave, based on Nina Simone's version, and another by Colin Rudd. Getting back to the professionals, here is one by Richie Havens, and another by Van Morrison. It has also been covered by Joe Cocker, Manfred Mann and Rod Stewart.

Here is my performance and here are the lyrics.

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

This song is from Highway 61 Revisited (1965). Like many songs on this album, it has several literary references. Some say it is about drugs, but, like many Dylan songs, the lyrics are open to different interpretations.

Here is Dylan's performance from No Direction Home (1966) and from the 1995 Birmingham concert. Here's Neil Young singing it at the concert for Dylan's 30th Anniversary and here are The Grateful Dead. Judy Collins also did a great version of this song, which is possibly the one I have in mind in my own performance.

Here are the lyrics.

Kingsport Town

This song was recorded for Dylan's second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963) but was not included in the final line-up. It was not released until the Bootleg Series in 1991.

Here is my performance of the song. Here are the lyrics.

Lay Down Your Weary Tune

This song, celebrating the experience of listening to music, was written on a trip to California with Joan Baez and Richard and Mimi Farina (Joan's sister).The tune was based on The Water is Wide. It was recorded for The Times They Are a-Changin' (1964) but was cut from the final album, along with Percy's Song and Only a Hobo.

You can hear Dylan's studio recording of the song here.The song was covered by The Byrds on their Turn! Turn! Turn! album in 1965. Here is a cover by Isis.

And here is my own video of the song.

Here are the lyrics.

Let Me Die in My Footsteps

Another outtake from Dylan's second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963). Dylan thought he had outgrown this protest song, which is about the threat of nuclear war.

Wikipedia quotes Dylan as saying, "I was going through some town...and they were making this bomb shelter right outside of town, one of these sort of Coliseum-type things and there were construction workers and everything ... I was there for about an hour, just looking at them build, and I just wrote the song in my head back then, but I carried it with me for two years until I finally wrote it down. As I watched them building, it struck me sort of funny that they would concentrate so much on digging a hole underground when there were so many other things they should do in life. If nothing else, they could look at the sky, and walk around and live a little bit, instead of doing this immoral thing."

Here is a video using Dylan's recording as the soundtrack.

Here is my cover of the song and here are the lyrics.

Like a Rolling Stone

A track from the influential Highway 61 Revisited (1965). It was ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as the greatest song of all time. Despite it's length, more than double what radio stations liked to play, when it became Dylan's biggest hit. It was apparently inspired by a Hank Williams song, Lost Highway and is possibly about Dylan's relationship with the Warhol Factory's Edie Sedgwick.

The song has been covered countless times. Recordings include those by The Four Seasons, Cher, Judy Collins, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Michael Bolton, Bon Jovi, Bob Marley and Barb Jungr.

Here is Dylan singing the song in 1966 in Newcastle. And here is the original studio recording.

Here are the lyrics.

Love Minus Zero / No Limit

From Dylan's fifth studio album, Bringing It All Back Home (1965). Here is Dylan singing the song at the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971.

This is my cover of the song and here are the lyrics.

Maggie's Farm

One of two Dylan songs inspired by Penny's Farm, this blues-style song was included on his fifth studio album, Bringing it All Back Home (1965) and used electric instruments. In a Wikipedia article, it is interpreted as an allegorical "protest song against protest folk" as Dylan turns his back on his former supporters. Typical of the sentiment expressed in the song and many of his songs of this period are these lines: "I try my best/To be just like I am/But everybody wants you/To be just like them."

Dylan's aggressive performance of this song at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival is notorious for signalling the change to electrical instruments that resulted in furious rejection from many of his former fans.

The song has been covered by The Grateful Dead, Richie Havens, U2 and Rage Against the Machine, among many others.

Here is my cover and here are the lyrics.

Masters of War

Who said there are no winners in a war? There are indeed people who make a lot of money out of manufacturing the weapons used, and who therefore have a vested interest in war or at least the threat of war. Written in 1963, this hard-hitting song is from the second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

Here is the original recording used as the backing to a video.

Here is my cover and here are the lyrics.

Motorpsycho Nitemare

This song was the seventh track on the great album Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964). As in many of his early songs Dylan satirises the Americans' fear of Communism, this time in the context of the old story of the farmer and his daughter. As the title suggests, the song also refers to Hitchcock's famous film, Psycho, with the farmer's daughter playing the role (at least in the narrator's mind) of the insane Norman Bates (Tony Perkins).

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

Mister Tambourine Man

This song was included on Dylan's fifth album, Bringing It All Back Home (1965). It was a big hit for The Byrds, who released it as a single even before Dylan's version was released and subsequently as the title song of their debut album, single-handedly bringing folk-rock into the mainstream of American music.

Among the many who have covered the song are Judy Collins, The Brothers Four, The Chad Mitchell Trio, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and Odetta.

My cover is here. Here are the lyrics.

My Back Pages

This song is from the album, Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964). Some have interpreted it as Dylan rejecting his earlier songs of social criticism: "I was so much older then / I'm younger than that now." Like many songs from this album it was covered by folk-rock group, The Byrds.

Here is my cover and here are the lyrics.

Ninety Miles An Hour (H. Blair and D. Robertson)

This is an old country song with the usual themes of love and adultery, but Dylan has made it very much his own song. He included it on Down in the Groove (1988), which Rolling Stone, in 2007, named Dylan's worst album. They may be right, but I really like his rendition of this song.

It has also been recorded by Hank Snow and John Berry (1995).

Here is my performance, obviously based on Dylan's rendition, and here are the lyrics.

North Country Blues

A song from Dylan's third studio album, The Times They Are A-Changin' (1964). He also performed it at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival.

This deceptively simple song, probably influenced by Woody Guthrie's style, tells of the destruction of a mining community. Each verse presents one of the tragic events related to the mining industry, and there is a surprise in the fourht verse when we find the story is being told by a woman.

Joan Baez included the song on her album of Dylan covers, Any Day Now (1968).

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

On the Road Again

This surrealistic song is from Bringing It All Back Home, Dylan's fifth studio album, released in 1965 by Columbia Records, and the first where he used electric instruments. As Tim Riley, of NPR, wrote, the song "catalogs the absurd affectations and degenerate living conditions of bohemia."

My performance is here and here are the lyrics.

Only a Hobo

This song was originally recorded for Dylan's third album, The Times They Are a-Changin (1964). It was not officially released until 1991, when it was included on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) but rejected along with The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, When the Ship Comes In, Percy's Song, Paths of Victory, Moonshine Blues, Eternal Circle, and Lay Down Your Weary Tune, all of them pretty good songs.

It seems to have been based on a song called Only a Miner Killed, written by John Wallace Crawford in 1879. Aunt Molly Jackson recorded a variation on this in 1932, Poor Miner's Farewell, which was covered by John Greenway on a 1961 Folkways album called American Folk Songs of Protest. This is the version that Dylan was likely to have known.

In my own small way I have carried on the tradition as I have used variations on this tune for two of my own songs - Osama bin Laden and Nourish Your Soul.

Here is my performance of the song, and here are the lyrics.

Only a Pawn in Their Game

Medgar Evers (born 1925) was Mississippi's first field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1963, he was assassinated by a white supremacist by the name of Byron De La Beckwith. It was not until 1994 (thirty-one years later) that a jury managed to find him guilty of the murder and Beckwith was sentenced to life in prison.

Dylan portrays Beckwith as just a pawn in the hands of higher powers. I particularly like the use of "close-ups" in the early part of the song.

Here is Dylan singing the song at a Washington DC Civil Rights, March 30th, August 1963.

Here is my cover of the song and here are the lyrics.

Outlaw Blues

This is the fifth track of Dylan's fifth studio album, Bringing it all Back Home (1965).

Here is Dylan's original recording and here is my cover. Here are the lyrics.

Oxford Town

This song is from Dylan's second studio album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, released in May 1963 by Columbia Records. The recording included several Dylan originals, including Blowing in the Wind.

In September, 1962, U.S. Air Force veteran James Meredith was the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi, a mile from Oxford, Mississippi and 75 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. When Meredith first tried to attend classes at the school, a number of Mississippians pledged to keep the university segregated, including Mississippi's own governor Ross Barnett. Ultimately, the University of Mississippi had to be integrated with the help of U.S. federal troops. Dylan's song about these events was published in the November, 1962, issue of Broadside.

My video is here and here are the lyrics.

Rambling, Gambling Willie

An early Dylan song to the tune of Brennan on the Moor.

Here is my video and here are the lyrics.

This song is on my first CD: Axis of Evil and other True Stories.

Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands

This is the final song on Dylan's ground-breaking double album, Blonde on Blonde (1966). His recording of the song is 11:23 minutes long and, like many of his songs at that time, is made up of surrealistic images, though there are also several references to his wife, Sara Lownds, whose name is similar to "Lowlands". The line "sheet metal memories of Cannery Row" is said to refer to her father's occupation as a dealer in scrap metal. and "your magazine husband who one day just had to go" is probably Hans Lownds, her first husband, who was a magazine photographer. In his song Sara on his album Desire (1976) Dylan states quite clearly that he wrote this song for her.

Mojo music magazine rated this as Dylan's third best song, and quoted Al Kooper as saying: "To me, this is the definitive version of what 4am sounds like. Using simple chords in deceptively new patterns, he wove his tale - a ballad fer chrissakes - for over 11 minutes, but I defy you to stop in the middle to answer the phone, check the ball scores or use the restroom. It's just downright riveting: that voice and harmonica, the intricacies of musicians who had previously laboured for the likes of George Jones and Tammy Wynette suddenly challenged to provide musical sets for a play they'd never seen or heard before, and rising to the occasion with a bravado I had never witnessed before in all my years as a studio musician in New York City."

The song was covered by Joan Baez on her album of Dylan covers, Any Day Now (1968). Others who have recorded it include Steve Howe (1999) and Richie Havens (1974).

Here is my rendition, and here it is again enhanced by piano music added by David Stanley (dave777blaster). Here are the lyrics.

Seven Curses

This song was recorded for Dylan's third album, The Times They Are a-Changin' (1965) but was not included in the final production. It is a good example of the way Dylan successfully uses the elements of the traditional ballad in his own writing. It was apparently based on a song called Anathea, which was sung by Judy Collins.

Here is my cover of the song, and here is a video of me singing it in Rome, accompanied by Marco Acca on guitar.

Here are the lyrics.

She Belongs to Me

This song was first released as the second track on Dylan's 1965 album, Bringing It All Back Home.

The title of the song is obviously ironic, as the lyrics make it clear that the woman doesn't belong to anyone - "She's nobody's child, the law can't touch her at all." More likely he belongs to her as he says he is proud to serve her and is happy to "bow down to her on Sundays" and "salute her when her birthday comes." There has been the usual speculation that the song is about Joan Baez. Apparently Dylan had given her an Egyptian ring which in earlier versions is described as an "Egyptian red ring".

The song has been released many times on compilation and live albums since, including a live performance from Dylan's 1969 Isle of Wight concert on Self Portrait (1970) and the May 17, 1966 Manchester concert on The Bootleg Series Vol 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" concert (1998) - though the venue was not the Albert Hall.

It has been covered by many artists, including Ricky Nelson, Leon Russell, The Grateful Dead and Barry McGuire. There is also a French version by Francis Cabrel called Elle M'Appartient (C'est une Artiste).

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

Shelter From the Storm

This song is from Dylan's 15th studio album, the brilliant Blood on the Tracks (1975). It was also included on two live albums - Hard Rain (1976) and At Budokan (1978).

Here is my cover and here are the lyrics.

Subterranean Homesick Blues

This song was originally released on Dylan's fifth studio album, Bringing It All Back Home (1965). It was subsequently issued as a single, becoming his first Top 40 hit and reaching Top 10 in the UK.

Here is my cover and here are the lyrics.

Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues

Also known as Talkin' John Birch Society Blues, this is one of a number of songs Dylan wrote in the form of the traditional talking blues. Written in 1962, it satirises the anti-Communist hysteria of the time, especially as represented by the John Birch Society, an anti-Communist organisation.

The song was originally recorded for Dylan's second album, Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. He planned to sing it on the Ed Sullivan Show on May 12, 1963. When he played it at the rehearsal the day before the show, Sullivan and his producer were happy with the song, but when he turned up for the dress rehearsal on the day of the show, CBS told him he would have to sing something else to avoid possible libel action by members of the John Birch Society. Dylan refused to replace the song and walked off the set. The incident was widely reported and Dylan argued that network programs were directing satire against President Kennedy, so it was reasonable to do the same with the John Birchers. CBS stuck to their decision and, when they realised the song was due to be released on the new album on their records division, Columbia, they ordered the song removed.

Dylan's first album had not sold well, so he was not in a position to fight for it. Reluctantly he gave in and the initial shipments of the album were recalled. Dylan took the opportunity to revise the list of songs, taking out those songs he felt were too similar to those on his earlier album. He removed Let Me die In My Footsteps, Ramblin' Gamblin' Willie and Rocks and Gravel, replacing them with Masters of War, Girl From the North Country, Bob Dylan's Dream and Talkin' World War III Blues.

The song was not officially released until a performance from his 1963 Carnegie Hall concert was included on The Bootleg Series 1-3 (Rare and Unreleased) 1961-1991.

Here is my cover and here are the lyrics.

The Times They Are a-Changin'

Another of Dylan's songs that was popularised by Peter, Paul and Mary. Here is Dylan singing it in 1965, and here is my cover.

Here are the lyrics.

Tomorrow Is a Long Time

This great Dylan song was not released officially until the Greatest Hits Volume II compilation (1971). It was first recorded in 1963 but was only available as a bootleg. Another version was recorded during the sessions for Nashville Skyline, but was also not released except as a bootleg.

There were, however, many covers available, including recordings by Joan Baez, Ian and Sylvia (1964), Odetta (1965), Elvis Presley (1966), Rod Stewart,The Kingston Trio,Sandy Denny and Judy Collins.

Here is Dylan singing it in concert in 1978. And here is Iris Benzie singing it at a session of the Hong Kong Folk Society at The Canny Man in Wanchai, accompanied by Pete Benzie, Nick Benzie and various other musicians. Apologies for the poor quality of the sound recording. Our little camera struggles when faced with so much good music.

To Ramona

Dylan wrote this song for his fourth studio album, Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964), which represents a change to more personal subjects rather than the social issues of earlier recordings. It apparently refers to his relationship with Joan Baez.

Here is my cover and here are the lyrics.

When the Ship Comes In

This song is from Dylan's third studio album, The Times They Are a-Changin' (1964). According to Joan Baez, it was inspired by a hotel clerk that refused to allow Dylan a room due to his "unwashed" appearance. It developed into an epic allegory about vanquishing the oppressive "powers that be".

Here is is sung by Peter, Paul and Mary at a concert on Australian television in 1967.

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

Who Killed Davey Moore?

Davey Moore was an American world-champion boxer who died of head injuries after being defeated by Sugar Ramos of Cuba on March 21, 1963.

Dylan's song is loosely based on the old nursery rhyme, Who Killed Ccok Robin? It is critical of all those involved in boxing for refusing to take responsibility for such fatalities.

Phil Ochs also wrote a song about this incident.

Here is Dylan singing it and an interesting cover by R. Stevie Moore.

Here is my cover and here are the lyrics.

With God On Our Side

This was the third track on Dylan's 1964 album The Times They Are A-Changin'.

It deals with the idea, usually held by people on both sides of a dispute, that God is with them, because they are on the side of right and truth whereas the other side are, of course, infidels or supporters of the devil. With this reasoning, there is no need to question the actions of the government in invading other countries or ignoring human rights, as it is all done in God's name.

Dylan lists a number of wars justified by being on the same side as God, including the slaughter of Native Americans, the Spanish-American War, the American Civil War, the two World Wars and the Cold War between the USA and the USSR.

The song uses the tune of The Patriot Game, a song by Dominic Behan. He accused Dylan of plagiarism, but the lyrics are quite different, even though there is some similarity in the theme, and Behan himself based his melody on a traditional Irish tune.

The song has been covered by several singers, one of the best being Joan Baez, who also sang it in concert with Dylan.

Here is my video of the song. Here are the lyrics.

The original video was removed from YouTube due to the file being corrupted, with 1180 views. For details of comments, see Archives pages.


Here is a video of the song performed at a Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary concert for Dylan, introduced by Johnny Cash.

Here are the lyrics.