The song "Trouble" is one of many timeless songs that is as relevant today as it was when Dylan penned it. A predecessor to "Everything Is Broken" (Oh Mercy, 1989) it's a reminder that reality bites. To borrow from "Union Sundown" (Infidels, 1982) "This world is ruled by violence, but I guess that's better left unsaid." Dylan doesn't mince words, and to get by we "cover up the truth with lies." (Blood on the Tracks, 1974) This is why he says, "I got my back to the sun, 'cause the light is too intense. I can see what everybody in this world is up against." (Love and Theft, 2001)
What we're up against is trouble, trouble, trouble, nothin' but trouble.
The song is a dark, grinding blues track that trades Dylan’s earlier gospel fire for something more raw and resigned. Each verse lists the world’s ills—from poverty to corruption—and ends with Dylan's stark refrain: “Nothing but trouble.” It’s a stripped-down, unrelenting meditation on a world gone wrong.
The song is less hopeful than the rest of his “Christian trilogy,” but that's because he's removed any rose-colored outlook about how things really are in this world. Whereas the opening guitar licks are scratchy and jarring he's not abandoning the preacher role yet as he begins with a statement regarding misplaced hope.
Trouble in the city, trouble in the farm
You got your rabbit’s foot, you got your good-luck charm
But they can’t help you none when there’s trouble
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| "Trouble" |
Musically, the track leans into a heavy blues-rock groove, with snarling guitar work and a deliberate, stomping beat. It's less ornate than much of Dylan’s '70s output, and intentionally so. Here, the sparse arrangement complements the song’s message: the world is broken, and we are living among the pieces.
This is not the Sermon on the Mount, nor is it the Gospel of John. It's more like the Book of Lamentations, as if the weight of the world is crushing the speaker. It challenges us by asking, "What is the basis for your hope?"
Here are some of the messages in the stanzas.
Trouble in the water, trouble in the air
Go all the way to the other side of the world, you’ll find trouble there
Revolution even ain’t no solution for trouble
and
Drought and starvation, packaging of the soul
Persecution, execution, governments out of control
You can see the writing on the wall inviting trouble
and
Put your ear to the train tracks, put your ear to the ground
You ever feel like you’re never alone even when there’s nobody else around?
Since the beginning of the universe man’s been cursed by trouble
and
Nightclubs of the broken-hearted, stadiums of the damned
Legislature, perverted nature, doors that are rudely slammed
Look into infinity, all you see is trouble
* * *
Critically, Shot of Love received mixed reviews on release, and “Trouble” didn’t stand out for many listeners at the time. But in hindsight, the song feels like a bridge to Dylan’s later, darker works—echoes of this mood can be heard in Infidels, Oh Mercy, and even as far down the road as Time Out of Mind.
On one level, “Trouble” is not a hopeful song. It paints a picture of a world under siege. Yet on another level, it serves as a guidestone. By facing the reality of how things really are, we're liberated from the futility of wishful thinking.
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