Bob Dylan Quotes

Musician

Bob Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Renowned for his distinctive voice and influential lyrics, Dylan's music spans genres from folk to rock, country, and gospel, profoundly impacting music in the second half of the 20th century.

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Famous Bob Dylan Quotes

“It's not clocking to you that I'm standing on business, is it?”

Music Live Bob Dylan Songwriter 1984 Bob Dylan Bob Dylan Live Dylan Live Dylan Live 1984

Book:Bob Dylan Lyrics, 1962-96

Source: Bob Dylan Lyrics, 1962-96

“Any real Bob Dylan fan would sleep with Jonah Lehrer.”

Real Sleep Fans Bob Dylan Jonah

Author:Bob Dylan

“One night around that time, at Hammersmith, Bob Dylan was about to go into [his 1963 classic] 'Don't Think Twice, It's Alright.He said, 'Hey, Bucky! Play mandolin on this.' I am not really a mandolin player; I could only play in certain keys. Halfway through, he stops the band, turns to the audience and points to me. He says: 'He isn't playing, he's miming.' And then: 'Should I fire him?' The whole audience yells.”

Thinking Should Said Play Whole Night Certain Turns Audience Fire Player Keys Band Hey Classic Bob Should I Dylan Halfway One Night Alright Think Twice

Author:Bob Dylan

“[Bob Dylan] was rarely tender and seldom reached out to anticipate another's needs.”

Needs Bob Dylan Anticipate

Author:Bob Dylan

“His [Bob Dylan] humour was dry and splendid.”

Humour Dry Bob Dylan Splendid

Author:Bob Dylan

“I'd been going though his trash. He knocked me down. I was glad to see him, even though he was banging my head against the sidewalk. Afterwards these bums come over and say, 'Did he get much money?' I say, 'Money'? That was Bob Dylan.”

Glad Bob Trash Dylan Sidewalk Banging

Author:Bob Dylan

“Bob has never written a bad song. Bob Dylan is a genius.”

Song Written Genius Bob Dylan

Author:Bob Dylan

“There were only a few seats left in coach and Bob found himself seated next to a young female fan. 'I can't believe I'm sitting next to Bob Dylan!' she screamed.'Pinch yourself,' said Bob."”

Believe Said I Can Young Next Found Left Fans Sitting Female Coaches Seats Bob Dylan

Author:Bob Dylan

Knows Trying Children Break Darkness Sun Type Moon Shadow Wit Silver Bob Blades Dylan Noon Spoons Balloons Lyrical Eclipse Sophistication Popular Music Handmade Silver Spoons

Author:Bob Dylan

“"Subterranean Homesick Blues" [of Bob Dylan] captures, in word-salad format, life in an encroaching police state.”

States Police Capture Bob Dylan Salad Format Police State Homesick

Author:Bob Dylan

“"Like a Rolling Stone" [of Bob Dylan] is a kiss-off song like none before or since.”

Song Kissing Stones Bob Rolling Dylan Rolling Stones

Author:Bob Dylan

“In the meantime [1965-67], [Bob] Dylan was again writing some of the best love songs in the genre, like "Visions of Johanna," "Just Like a Woman," and "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands."”

Writing Song Vision Genre Bob Dylan Best Love

Author:Bob Dylan

“[Bob] Dylan crashed his motorcycle in 1967, and almost died. A few years ago, he referred to the experience as a "transfiguration."”

Years Years Ago Died Bob Dylan Motorcycle Transfiguration

Author:Bob Dylan

“Whatever that ["transfiguration" by Bob Dylan] means, it's true that the poetic brilliance of the early career would never really reappear.”

Mean Careers Poetic Bob Dylan Brilliance Transfiguration

Author:Bob Dylan

“There would be brilliant songs, but, as [Bob] Dylan admitted on the recent Martin Scorsese documentary about him (No Direction Home), the specific muse that inspired "It's Alright Ma" would not return.”

Home Would Be Song Return Inspired Brilliant Bob Muse Documentaries Dylan Alright Scorsese

Author:Bob Dylan

“Ironically, this was Bob Dylan's period [1967-74] of greatest fame.”

Periods Fame Bob Dylan

Author:Bob Dylan

“Bob Dylan wasn't a big star early on; it was the release of his Greatest Hits album in 1967, and the mainstream success of the stoner anthem "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" ("Everybody must get stoned!"), that really put him on the mainstream map.”

Bigs Stars Albums Release Maps Mainstream Bob Dylan Rainy Rainy Day Anthem Stoners

Author:Bob Dylan

“Just in time for Bob Dylan to recoil from the attention, leave the city for Woodstock, and turn his back on fame.”

Turns Cities Attention Fame Bob Dylan Recoil Woodstock

Author:Bob Dylan

“Along with some of the worst music of Bob Dylan's career ("Self-Portrait," 1970), this period produced some gems - including many songs recorded with The Band in '67 but not released until years later.”

Years Self Song Careers Worst Periods Band Including Bob Portraits Dylan Gems Self Portrait

Author:Bob Dylan

“The exploitation and superficiality of mainstream America is the object not of [Bob] Dylan's hipster scorn, but of an apocalyptic parable of holy fools and righteous thieves - the kind of imagery that Dylan's later work would explore more fully.”

Kind America Objects Fool Holy Mainstream Righteous Bob Thieves Exploitation Scorn Dylan Imagery Apocalyptic Hipster Parables Superficiality

Author:Bob Dylan

“The "joker" here ["All Along the Watchtower" ] is the older [Bob] Dylan himself, whining about exploitation, and the thief's rejoinder re-contextualizes the earlier critique into the religious frames that would become more prominent as time went on.”

Religious Bob Thieves Exploitation Dylan Critique Prominent Whining

Author:Bob Dylan

“In 1975,Bob Dylan was almost 10 years past his prime - and then he released the best album of his career, Blood on the Tracks. Written and recorded amid a painful divorce, Blood on the Tracks is proof that heartbreak makes great art - just as many of the albums that followed were the opposite.”

Years Art Past Careers Written Blood Opposites Track Painful Albums Divorce Proof Prime Bob Great Art Dylan Years Past

Author:Bob Dylan

“After becoming famous once again - a 1976 song, "Hurricane," even marked a return to protest songwriting - [Bob] Dylan got addicted to drugs, found Jesus, left Jesus, and put out a lot of swill.”

Song Found Jesus Left Return Becoming Drug Protest Songwriting Bob Dylan Hurricanes Becoming Famous

Author:Bob Dylan

“If you wanted to, it would be easy to find some crappy lyrics [of Bob Dylan] from the Eighties to undermine the Nobel Prize.”

Ifs Would Be Wanted Easy Prize Bob Dylan Eighty Nobel Nobel Prize

Author:Bob Dylan

“[Bob] Dylan's broken-heart songs are so much better. Like "Simple Twist of Fate".”

Heart Song Simple Fate Broken Bob Twists Dylan Twist Of Fate

Author:Bob Dylan

“"Tangled Up in Blue," shifts perspective several times during the song to tell a "tangled" version of [Bob] Dylan's marriage and dissolution.”

Song Perspective Blue Versions Bob Dylan Tangled Dissolution

Author:Bob Dylan

“The confessional singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s was in full swing, and Bob Dylan's emotional album [ Blood on the Tracks] resonated with the times. There would be other hits, but never the same alchemy of emotion and time.”

Would Be Emotion Blood Movement Emotional Track Albums Singers Bob Swings Songwriters Dylan Alchemy Singer Songwriters

Author:Bob Dylan

“Bob Dylan wrote in his elliptical memoir, Chronicles: Volume One, he was washed up in the 1980s, no longer a commercial success, and no longer putting out good work.”

Memoir Bob Volume Good Work Dylan Chronicles

Author:Bob Dylan

“A brilliant 1989 album, Oh Mercy; some career retrospectives; and two albums of American folk songs, with just Bob Dylan and his guitar and harmonica. All that culminated in the Grammy-winning comeback album, Time Out of Mind (1997). Once again, just as Dylan seemed to be out of it, he was back at the top of his game.”

Mind Two Song Games Winning Careers Mercy Guitar Folks Albums Brilliant Bob Dylan Comeback Grammy Folk Songs Retrospective Harmonicas

Author:Bob Dylan

“Bob Dylan was again an entirely new person - this time old, craggy, cynical, and world-weary, as in "Not Dark Yet".”

World Persons Dark Cynical Bob Weary Dylan

Author:Bob Dylan

“Even if you don't have all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have that you don't want (Bob Dylan's dad)”

Ifs Want Dad Grateful Bob Be Grateful Dylan

Author:Bob Dylan

“Back seat drivers don’t know the feel of the wheel but they sho’ know how to make a fuss" Bob Dylan/Bonnie Raitt, “Let’s Keep It Between Us,” 1982”

Knows Feels Know How Wheels Seats Drivers Bob Dylan

Author:Bob Dylan

“In the dime stores and bus stations People talk of situations Read books, repeat quotations Draw conclusions on the wall Some speak of the future My love she speaks softly She knows there’s no success like failure And that failure’s no success at all -Bob Dylan, “Love Minus Zero / No Limit” (1965)”

People Knows Book Speak Situation Wall Limits Draws Stores Conclusion Repeats Stations Zero Bus Bob Quotations Dylan Dimes Minus Speak Softly

Author:Bob Dylan

“With your silhouette when the sunlight dims Into your eyes where the moonlight swims, And your match-book songs and your gypsy hymns, Who among them would try to impress you? -Bob Dylan, "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” (1966)”

Trying Book Eye Song Swim Bob Sunlight Impress Dylan Moonlight Hymns Gypsy Silhouettes

Author:Bob Dylan

“Jesus tapped me on the shoulder and said, Bob, why are you resisting me? I said, I'm not resisting you! He said, You gonna follow me? I said, I've never thought about that before! He said, When you're not following me, you're resisting me.”

Said Jesus Following Shoulders Bob Discipleship Resisting Follow Me

Author:Bob Dylan

“Somebody had to be Bob Dylan. I guess I was best equipped to do the job.”

Jobs Bob Dylan

Author:Bob Dylan

“If I wasn't Bob Dylan, I'd probably think that Bob Dylan has a lot of answers myself.”

Ifs Thinking Answers Bob Dylan

Book:Bob Dylan: Inspirations

Source: Bob Dylan: Inspirations

About the Author

Born: May 24, 1941
Known for: Musician
Quotes: 936

Books & Sources

The Lyrics: Since 1962Related source material

Dylan on Dylan: The Essential InterviewsRelated source material

The fiddler now upspoke: a collection of Bob Dylan's interviews, press conferences and the like from throughout the masters careerRelated source material

Chronicles, Volume OneRelated source material

ChroniclesRelated source material

The Lyrics: 1961-2012Related source material

Lyrics:1962-2012Related source material

Bob Dylan: InspirationsRelated source material

Performed Literature: Words and Music by Bob DylanRelated source material

Chronicles: Volume OneRelated source material

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