Psalms, Proverbs and the Dylan Archives

Over the course of a lifetime there have been years in which I would start my day by reading a chapter from the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament. There are 31 chapters, which is pretty convenient. You can read a chapter for each day of the month -- chapter one on the first, 2 on the second, etc.-- and in six of those months you will get all 31. (Or you can read that tribute to the "wife of noble character" as a bonus track on the other six months.)

This periodic ritual was recently brought to mind when I attended portions of the recent TU Institute for Bob Dylan Studies in May. On the first morning several people presented aspects of the kinds of research Dylan archivists were undertaking. Nathan Blue talked about the bags of fan mail that had never been opened and what they were revealing about fan culture in the 60s. (The title of his talk was, appropriately, "Don't Send Me No More Letters, No.") 

The next presenter was Michael Kramer. His talk was titled, "One Should Never Be Where One Does Not Belong: The Elusive Magical Mysteries of John Wesley Harding." 

Kramer opened by noting that Dylan was immersed in the counterculture yet repudiated it. John Wesley Harding became a pivot point in his early career, from high profile ultra hip to reclusive mystic. 

"Dylan has always been private," Kramer said, "But here his privacy is revealed. His archives show him doing what we might expect." His diaries during the JWH period show him to be re-thinking where his music should go. It was a new style in that he didn't speak "for" his generation but rather "to" his generation. It was also a new style that drew from history and was not distancing itself from it.

Kramer then shared how Dylan was doing a lot of Bible reading during this time, quoting the Bible extensively in his journals. This was all taking place against the backdrop of a war in Vietnam, post motorcycle crash. Dylan was "looking back to look forward," Kramer said, "beyond sex, drugs and rock & roll, looking back to foundations."

* * * 

The next speaker, Shawn Latham, continued with this deeper dive into Dylan's notebooks. Latham, who had done serious study of James Joyce's archives, noted that studying a man's archives while he is still alive is most unusual. 

Latham's focus was on the notebooks of 1966-1969. This was a period in which Dylan was sorting his life. He used different colors of ink throughout. One challenge was that many entries are undated. 

A recurring theme in this period was Dylan trying to decide what he wants to be and his relationship to the world. For what it's worth, my forty years of journals have had periods in which I've wrestled with the same thing at various junctures. 

Latham, too, pointed out Dylan's fascination with the Bible. There are lists of Bible verses, with much interest in the Psalms and Proverbs, and the role of the prophets. He was asking himself, "What is my responsibility toward being prophetic?"

He was fascinated with Old Testament Messianic passages. Psalms were also a strong interest, a source of primal songwriting material. On one of the pages it seemed like a rough draft of a song, grabbing words from I Samuel, another Old Testament book. 

He was also intensely interested in the present current events... the riots, the serial killer Richard Speck. You can even see the start of the Never Ending Tour. His '66 to '69 notebooks are a significant piece of music history. 

* * * 

A number of commentators have noted that John Wesley Harding is filled with Biblical references. It's not surprising that these spiritual influences continued to re-emerge throughout his career, in subtle and not so subtle ways. 

Here's a Proverb that he must have read many times over the years. Followed by a song that may have been birthed from this seed.

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
he, too, will cry and not be answered
--Proverbs 21:13

What Good Am I?

What good am I if I’m like all the rest
If I just turn away, when I see how you’re dressed
If I shut myself off so I can’t hear you cry
What good am I?

Full Lyrics: https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/what-good-am-i/

For more about the TU Institute for Bob Dylan Studies visit:  https://dylan.utulsa.edu/