"I couldn't tell her what my private thoughts were
But she had some way of finding them out."--Bob Dylan
Why do we allow critics to have so much power over our decisions? Why do we let critics decide what we should like and not like? It happens with movies, with books, in the art scene... Markhorst states that U.S. reviewers (for the most part) agreed with Marcus, whereas in Europe the album was very well received. In fact, some were even "over-enthusiastic."
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| Brush and ink. Street Legal inspired. |
All this to say I was ready for this deeper dissection of this great song, which Markhorst calls a "disregarded and forgotten masterpiece.
David Kinney, in his book The Dylanologists, identifies the various kinds of Dylan fans like this: the Dylan Scholars, the Stalkers/Garbage Collectors/crazy ones, the Collectors, the Tapers, the Religious and the "Saved", the "Front Row"-ers, and the Lyric Dissectors. Markhorst falls into this last category. There are purists who say lyric dissectors are on a fool's errand and that Dylan himself disses those who attempt to de-mystify and explain his songs, nevertheless, this is a tribe I identify with.
Those who knock the dissectors have to ignore the essence of Dylan's Nobel Prize for literature which acknowledged his literary contributions "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition." In other words, his significance is directly related to the roots woven into his songs.
And so it is with a robust enthusiasm that writers like Markhorst go a-diggin' for gold in the veins of Dylan's catalog. There are gold flakes everywhere and nuggets galore.
This is in no way an attempt to diminish the rewards of simply being present in his concerts, or just one who relishes the simple joy of being surrounded by the music as we walk together through life.
Before diving into meanings Markhorst first addresses the form of the stanza, noting how the aabccb structure of the sextets.
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The book's chapters correspond to the order of the sextets, each one offering the author to weigh in with his various opinions and insights.
I like writers who have opinions and aren't afraid to express them. Markhorst holds nothing back as he praises this album and this song, despite its lettered naysayers.
Which brings us to the song's opening line. "There's a long distance train rolling through the rain, tears on the letter I write." The reference to a train has been perceived by some as a foreshadowing of the transition to come in Dylan's life. We're referring to Slow Train Coming, the advent of Dylan's gospel trilogy. Markhorst, however, snips this thought in the bud by citing, accurately, that trains are prominent in a whole host of songs.
I agree here with Markhorst, as opposed to the other writers he cites who see this as a pre-announcement of what's to come. In my view, I've always felt that "Señor" was the better pre-announcement. The song opens with:
Señor, señor, can you tell me where we're headin'?
Lincoln County Road or Armageddon?
Seems like I've been down this way before.
Is there any truth in that, señor.
It's particular interesting, because the word for "Lord" in Spanish is Señor.
* * * The book is a relatively slender volume (just over 80 pages) but it's packed with insights, links to a full range of sources, both familiar and unfamiliar--movies, literature, fairy tales, the Crossroads, French poets, Faust and facets of his own catalog.
For those unfamiliar with this album, I strongly recommend it. For those who already appreciate the song and enjoy reading illuminating passages about the music they love I also recommend this offering.
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