Watchtower Bob Dylan Blog

Mr. Tambourine Man was the first song I learned to play on guitar. Not because it was a Bob Dylan tune; I thought at the time the Birds had written it, but because it was only three chords. Of course in learning the song, I was required to sing it over and over. It was only when the beauty and poetry of the words sunk in and took root in my soul that I became a fan of Mr. Dylan. I now play most of his stuff.

I have all his records, from 1962's Bob Dylan featuring Highway 51 and Freight Train Blues right up till the 2009 Christmas in the Heart. I truly believe Bob Dylan is an interesting and influential person. Not just for musicians, but for anyone who has ever had to work for a living, do a bit of soul searching, or raise a family. His appeal spans the generations and his music lifts the spirit. What amazes me about him most is how wise he was for his age. On his 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, he wrote in the song Bob Dylan's Dream:

With haunted hearts through the heat and cold We never thought we could ever get old We thought we could sit forever in fun But our chances really was a million to one

How many a year has passed and gone And many a gamble has been lost and won And many a road taken by many a friend And each one I've never seen again

I wish, I wish, I wish in vain That we could sit simply in that room again Ten thousand dollars at the drop of a hat I'd give it all gladly if our lives could be like that

These words appeal so much to me today at 50 years of age, Dylan wrote them when he was only twenty two. Of course "Blowin' in the Wind" was no trifling testimonial either.

I don't profess to know everything there is to know about the man, that's why I'm interested in researching and writing about him. I will enjoy the research and learning new things about him, and I'll delight in sharing them with the world through my blogging.