"Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." --Genesis 1:2
* * * *
Last Saturday evening I was listening to Highway 61 Revisited, the KUMD radio program hosted by John Bushey, when I had an epiphany. That is, an "Aha!" type of insight which I'd not considered before, or rather, had not seen from quite this angle before.
It took place about 20 minutes into the show, during one of the live versions of a Dylan song being played. It may have been at the beginning of a song when the chord progression became a familiar favorite, or it may have been mid-song when Dylan waxed eloquent with his unique phrasing of a line, or it may have been just after a crescendo during a guitar solo -- I cannot recall the specific catalyst -- but what it was that struck me, like it had never quite struck me before, was that the audience loved him. By this I mean, there was a love/adoration feeling emanating from the crowd and you were aware that was more than just fandom.
* * * *
"Spirit on the Water" is the second track on Modern Times, the 2006 send-up that was received with near universal praise, and his first #1 album since Desire (1976). Like its two predecessors, Time Out Of Mind and Love and Theft, it was produced by Jack Frost.
From the first chords on track one, Thunder On The Mountain, one is immediately locked in. Track three, Dylan's jolting adaptation of the classic blues riff Rollin' & Tumblin', is also a rock-em, sock-em ride. Sandwiched between these two is a totally different sound, laid back and laconic, wispy and sweet, and for some reason it's been my interior soundtrack this week.
You know the feeling. Certain songs just make you feel like you're floating, drifting, gently winging. This is that kind of song. It leisurely carries you through, wherever you are. It's the definition of "easy listening," loping lazily through more than 20 stanzas.
It's a deceptive little bugger, too, not easily given to interpretation. The song begins with a rephrasing of Genesis 1:2, the creation story that opens the Bible. It also references Paradise. But it's just not going to fit into a neat package as far as song meanings go.
But then, who cares? The song just makes you feel good, with love metaphors woven throughout, exuding that sweetness and pain that accompanies the stricken heart.
There are some Dylanesque features in the song that give it a special touch as well. One, for example, is the way he closes it out. The lyrics, as written at BobDylan.com, end with the line, "We can have a whoppin' good time." On the album, he pronounces it like this: "We can have a whompin' good time." It's just such a fun closure, and you can't help but smile when he says it.
The song stretches out over the horizon, so easy-going like, but keeps on going after the last verse with another full verse of instrumental "dialogue" between his lilting harmonica and a smooth electric guitar comeback that is heavenly. Such a nice touch, a perfect heart-lift.
For a deeper dive into the lyrics, I recommend, as I often seem to do, Tony Atwood's Untold Dylan in a piece titled, Spirit on the water: Dylan borrows from God, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Ovid.
I'm not the only one who likes the song, for what it's worth. Dylan has played it over 500 times in concert since introducing it in 2006. Enjoy.
Meantime, life goes on all around you. Can you feel it?
* * * *
It took place about 20 minutes into the show, during one of the live versions of a Dylan song being played. It may have been at the beginning of a song when the chord progression became a familiar favorite, or it may have been mid-song when Dylan waxed eloquent with his unique phrasing of a line, or it may have been just after a crescendo during a guitar solo -- I cannot recall the specific catalyst -- but what it was that struck me, like it had never quite struck me before, was that the audience loved him. By this I mean, there was a love/adoration feeling emanating from the crowd and you were aware that was more than just fandom.
* * * *
"Spirit on the Water" is the second track on Modern Times, the 2006 send-up that was received with near universal praise, and his first #1 album since Desire (1976). Like its two predecessors, Time Out Of Mind and Love and Theft, it was produced by Jack Frost.
From the first chords on track one, Thunder On The Mountain, one is immediately locked in. Track three, Dylan's jolting adaptation of the classic blues riff Rollin' & Tumblin', is also a rock-em, sock-em ride. Sandwiched between these two is a totally different sound, laid back and laconic, wispy and sweet, and for some reason it's been my interior soundtrack this week.
You know the feeling. Certain songs just make you feel like you're floating, drifting, gently winging. This is that kind of song. It leisurely carries you through, wherever you are. It's the definition of "easy listening," loping lazily through more than 20 stanzas.
It's a deceptive little bugger, too, not easily given to interpretation. The song begins with a rephrasing of Genesis 1:2, the creation story that opens the Bible. It also references Paradise. But it's just not going to fit into a neat package as far as song meanings go.
But then, who cares? The song just makes you feel good, with love metaphors woven throughout, exuding that sweetness and pain that accompanies the stricken heart.
The song stretches out over the horizon, so easy-going like, but keeps on going after the last verse with another full verse of instrumental "dialogue" between his lilting harmonica and a smooth electric guitar comeback that is heavenly. Such a nice touch, a perfect heart-lift.
For a deeper dive into the lyrics, I recommend, as I often seem to do, Tony Atwood's Untold Dylan in a piece titled, Spirit on the water: Dylan borrows from God, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Ovid.
I'm not the only one who likes the song, for what it's worth. Dylan has played it over 500 times in concert since introducing it in 2006. Enjoy.
Spirit On The Water
Spirit on the water
Darkness on the face of the deep
I keep thinking about you baby
I can't hardly sleep
I'm traveling by land
Traveling through the dawn of day
You're always on my mind
I can't stay away
I'd forgotten about you
Then you turned up again
I always knew
That we were meant to be more than friends
When you are near
It's just as plain as it can be
I'm wild about you, gal
You ought to be a fool about me
Can't explain
The sources of this hidden pain
You burned your way into my heart
You got the key to my brain
I've been trampling through mud
Praying to the powers above
I'm sweating blood
You got a face that begs for love
Life without you
Doesn't mean a thing to me
If I can't have you,
I'll throw my love into the deep blue sea
Sometimes I wonder
Why you can't treat me right
You do good all day
Then you do wrong all night
When you're with me
I'm a thousand times happier than I could ever say
What does it matter
What price I pay
They brag about your sugar
Brag about it all over town
Put some sugar in my bowl
I feel like laying down
I'm pale as a ghost
Holding a blossom on a stem
You ever seen a ghost? No
But you have heard of them
I see you there
I'm blinded by the colors I see
I take good care
Of what belongs to me
I hear your name
Ringing up and down the line
I'm saying it plain
These ties are strong enough to bind
Your sweet voice
Calls out from some old familiar shrine
I got no choice
Can't believe these things would ever fade from your mind
I could live forever
With you perfectly
You don't ever
Have to make a fuss over me
From East to West
Ever since the world began
I only mean it for the best
I want to be with you any way I can
I been in a brawl
Now I'm feeling the wall
I'm going away baby
I won't be back ‘til fall
High on the hill
You can carry all my thoughts with you
You've numbed my will
This love could tear me in two
I wanna be with you in paradise
And it seems so unfair
I can't go to paradise no more
I killed a man back there
You think I'm over the hill
You think I'm past my prime
Let me see what you got
We can have a whoppin' good time
Darkness on the face of the deep
I keep thinking about you baby
I can't hardly sleep
I'm traveling by land
Traveling through the dawn of day
You're always on my mind
I can't stay away
I'd forgotten about you
Then you turned up again
I always knew
That we were meant to be more than friends
When you are near
It's just as plain as it can be
I'm wild about you, gal
You ought to be a fool about me
Can't explain
The sources of this hidden pain
You burned your way into my heart
You got the key to my brain
I've been trampling through mud
Praying to the powers above
I'm sweating blood
You got a face that begs for love
Life without you
Doesn't mean a thing to me
If I can't have you,
I'll throw my love into the deep blue sea
Sometimes I wonder
Why you can't treat me right
You do good all day
Then you do wrong all night
When you're with me
I'm a thousand times happier than I could ever say
What does it matter
What price I pay
They brag about your sugar
Brag about it all over town
Put some sugar in my bowl
I feel like laying down
I'm pale as a ghost
Holding a blossom on a stem
You ever seen a ghost? No
But you have heard of them
I see you there
I'm blinded by the colors I see
I take good care
Of what belongs to me
I hear your name
Ringing up and down the line
I'm saying it plain
These ties are strong enough to bind
Your sweet voice
Calls out from some old familiar shrine
I got no choice
Can't believe these things would ever fade from your mind
I could live forever
With you perfectly
You don't ever
Have to make a fuss over me
From East to West
Ever since the world began
I only mean it for the best
I want to be with you any way I can
I been in a brawl
Now I'm feeling the wall
I'm going away baby
I won't be back ‘til fall
High on the hill
You can carry all my thoughts with you
You've numbed my will
This love could tear me in two
I wanna be with you in paradise
And it seems so unfair
I can't go to paradise no more
I killed a man back there
You think I'm over the hill
You think I'm past my prime
Let me see what you got
We can have a whoppin' good time
Copyright © 2006 by Special Rider Music
Meantime, life goes on all around you. Can you feel it?
1 comment:
Glad to see someone else thinks it's one of his best. I sure do. and what a great harp break. Play it for anyone who says he can't play harp- or sing.
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