The Tolkien in Bob Dylan

I'm a person prone to looking for meaning in everything, and most lyrics i hear are simply nonsense. I believe a good song, like a good piece of art should leave something with the observer, a thought, an image, an inspiration even after you listen to it. ( instrumentals always do that better for me)

Bob Dylan lyrics set him apart from all the rest simply because of his originality. His songs convey many different messages at the same time, and often end up a bit jumbled with meanings blurred or opaque. Take changing of the guards lyrics for example. Its a haunting yet catchy song, feels bittersweet. The lyrics is enigmatic-it begins like a love song but ends talking about revolution or corruption maybe?

Nevertheless, i feel Dylan's got a way with words. His imagery is often like fantasy writing,some of it reminds me of Tolkien's Lays of Beleriand. Such a connection though, may itself be deemed "fantastic" by many.I believe they both have a talent for projecting powerful images, mystic and often tragic/romantic. And both happen to be excellent storytellers.

-chimes of freedom-
Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail
The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder
That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze
Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
An' the unpawned painter behind beyond his rightful time
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

-Changing of the Guards-
Desperate men, desperate women divided,
Spreading their wings 'neath the falling leaves.
She's smelling sweet like the meadows where she was born,
On midsummer's eve, near the tower.

-Mr.Tamborine Man-
Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind,
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.

I like the simple absorbing quality of his writing style and its ability to convey images directly.He doesn't keep describing or glorifying little details, which is probably what i do in my poems.Fast paced and engaging, edgy.

Sorry i cant dig out Lays of Beleriand for excerpts, as it must be in the bottom of the bottom of my book boxes. I may have to tunnel under the book pile to reach it. Its always been a hard book to find as even i stumbled upon it accidentally in a used book store in Pindi (guess where in the world that is!).