My Back Pages

Bob Dylan has been one of the most influential people of our generation. For nearly five decades he has been songwriting and making music. He has never asked to be a spokesperson for this generation, but many tried to straitjacket him into the role, which he resisted.

For sure, one feature of Dylan's career has been continuous regeneration, never allowing himself to be typecast as a specific genre or style. Most interestingly, his concerts draw from every period of his life with song selections that show a many faceted man.

Below are the lyrics to one of his early songs that has been a favorite at times. If you have an interest in my review of the 1998 Dylan concert I attended in Duluth, the link is here.

For the record, his most recent recording Modern Times is superb. The music, the songs, the production is all top notch. If you have ever been a Dylan fan and have not kept with him, here is a great piece of work.

YouTube has quite a few song clips from Dylan's career, by the way. There are some great moments that have been captured and shared. You might want to check out the My Back Pages version that was performed at the Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert, with luminaries such as Clapton, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty and Neil Young chiming in (among other notables.) Here are the lyrics to this memorable song.

MY BACK PAGES

Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rollin' high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my maps
"We'll meet on edges, soon," said I
Proud 'neath heated brow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth
"Rip down all hate," I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull. I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

Girls' faces formed the forward path
From phony jealousy
To memorizing politics
Of ancient history
Flung down by corpsed evangelists
Unthought of, though, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

A self-ordained professor's tongue
Too serious to fool
Spouted out that liberty
Is just equality in school
l"Equality," I spoke the word
As if a wedding vow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I'd become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My pathway led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

Copyright © 1964; renewed 1992 Special Rider Music