"There Must Be Some Way Out of Here": Isaiah, Dylan, and the Sixties' Apocalypse

One of the joys of reading Scripture is discovering echoes where you least expect them. Sometimes they're intentional. Sometimes they're unconscious. Either way, they illuminate both the biblical text and the work that follows.

So it is with Bob Dylan's All Along the Watchtower. The song has always sounded biblical, but its roots run deeper than a few borrowed images. Much of its atmosphere appears to arise from Isaiah 21:1-10, a passage that is itself an apocalyptic vision filled with dread, watchmen, horsemen, and the collapse of an empire. It also helps explain why Dylan's brief, enigmatic song became one of the defining statements of the late Sixties.

Isaiah's Vision

Isaiah's oracle begins with a storm. As whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on, it comes from the wilderness, from a terrible land... (Isaiah 21:1) The prophet is overwhelmed by a terrifying vision.

My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the twilight I longed for has become a horror to me.

Then comes the command: Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees.

The watchman climbs his tower and waits. He scans the horizon. Finally he cries out: Look, here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses... 

And then comes the unforgettable announcement: "Babylon has fallen, has fallen!"

This isn't merely breaking political news. Rather, Isaiah is describing history reaching a breaking point. It is the collapse of a civilization. 

Dylan's Watchtower

Now consider Dylan's opening.

There must be some way out of here,

Said the joker to the thief...

Immediately we're dropped into a world of confusion. There are no names, locations or explanations. Only two archetypal figures trying to make sense of a world that no longer makes sense.

Then comes the second verse.

All along the watchtower

Princes kept the view

While all the women came and went

Barefoot servants too.

The watchtower is not a casual or haphazard image. In Scripture, the watchman occupies a sacred office. He stands between danger and the city. His responsibility is vigilance. He announces what others cannot yet see.

Dylan's watchtower feels like Isaiah's. Something is coming and everyone senses it. A few short years earlier Dylan sang, "The times, they are a-changin'" and there was a hopefulness there. Mr. Tambourine Man held up a torch for a new generation to light the way.  

"Two Riders Were Approaching..."

The song's final verse almost directly recalls Isaiah.

Outside in the distance

A wildcat did growl

Two riders were approaching

And the wind began to howl.

Isaiah's watchman also sees riders approaching from the distance before announcing Babylon's fall. Whether Dylan consciously borrowed the imagery or absorbed it through years of biblical reading hardly matters. Dylan knew the Scriptures extraordinarily well. The Bible shaped his imagination long before his public conversion to 1979 Christianity. Dylan used the Bible as a resource. (See 

That Thin Wild Mercury Sound by Daryl Sanders about the making Blonde On Blonde.)

In both Isaiah 21 and Dylan's Watchtower, the emotional landscape is the same. The watchman sees what others cannot. The world is unstable and judgment is approaching.

Apocalypse Before the Apocalypse

Today we tend to hear the word apocalypse as meaning "the end of the world." The Greek word actually means an unveiling—a revelation of what has been hidden. Isaiah unveils the fragility of empires. Dylan unveils the instability beneath modern civilization.

The Sixties were saturated with precisely this feeling.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

John F. Kennedy.

Robert Kennedy.

Malcolm X.

Vietnam.

Potential nuclear annihilation.

Race riots.

Burning cities.

Student revolts.

The Manson murders.

The optimism of the early Sixties slowly dissolved into something darker, as if history itself was becoming unmoored.

Heart of Darkness

In 1900 many intellectuals felt themselves on the threshold of a new era of enlightenment. Freud deliberately released The Interpretation of Dreams that year. Others rejoiced at the "liberation from Christian religion" spawned by Darwin's theory of natural selection and the elimination of any need for a God to explain how we got here. We were the product of time and chance. 

As in the Sixties, and like every era of human history, there were other voices being raised to question this optimismn at the turn of the last century. One of these was Joseph Conrad, author of Heart of Darkness, the story of a journey upriver into the Belgian Congo in the 1890s. Civilization, Conrad suggested, is a thin veneer. Strip it away, and something terrifying emerges. 

When Conrad traveled to the Congo in 1890, he entered one of the darkest enterprises of the nineteenth century. The region was not yet a Belgian colony but the personal possession of King Leopold II, who had persuaded European powers at the Berlin Conference (1884–85) that his control of the Congo would promote commerce and humanitarian ideals. The reality was starkly different.

Leopold's Congo Free State became a vast commercial enterprise dedicated to extracting ivory and, later, wild rubber, commodities that generated enormous profits as European and American demand soared. To maximize production, indigenous communities were compelled into forced labor under the supervision of colonial agents and the notorious Force Publique, a mercenary army that enforced quotas through intimidation and violence.

The human cost was catastrophic. Villages that failed to meet rubber quotas were burned, hostages were taken, and mutilation—including the severing of hands—became a grim symbol of the regime's brutality. Disease, famine, exhaustion, displacement, and systematic violence claimed the lives of millions of Congolese during Leopold's rule. Conrad witnessed this reality firsthand while serving as captain of a Congo River steamboat in 1890. The contrast between Europe's lofty rhetoric about bringing civilization to Africa and the naked exploitation he encountered profoundly shaped his imagination. Those experiences became the moral foundation of Heart of Darkness, a novel that strips away the pretense of imperial benevolence to reveal greed, cruelty, colonial hypocrisy, and the unsettling capacity for  darkness within the human heart. 

Francis Ford Coppola understood this perfectly when he transformed Conrad's novel into Apocalypse Now. Vietnam became Conrad's Congo. Colonel Kurtz became the man who had crossed every moral boundary. The famous helicopter assault set to Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries isn't merely spectacle, it's civilization announcing its own madness. The veil has been lifted. 

Dylan's Landscape

All Along the Watchtower belongs to this same imaginative world with no heroes or moral center. Only princes keeping watch, servants passing through, predators growling in the distance and riders approaching. "And the wind begins to howl."

I think it's great that Dylan chooses to not explain his songs, especially this one which is famously enigmatic. He puts it out there and if we choose to engage, it's almost like a labyrinth full of rabbit holes.

Jimi Hendrix's legendary recording intensified this apocalyptic atmosphere. The electric guitar  became a storm system more than an instrument. The swirling solos sound like civilization itself beginning to fracture. Dylan wrote the prophecy, Hendrix made it vivid.

Looking for the Watchman

What fascinates me is that Dylan's song never actually tells us what news the riders bring. Isaiah does: Babylon falls. Dylan, as I've noted, doesn't explain or interpret, which is a facet of his art.

 

Perhaps that's why All Along the Watchtower never grows old. Every generation imagines that the riders are approaching its horizon. Every generation feels that history is accelerating toward some undefined reckoning.

Isaiah reminds us that no empire is permanent. Conrad reminds us that darkness is not merely "out there" but within us. Apocalypse Now reminds us that technological sophistication does not guarantee moral progress. And Dylan reminds us that somewhere, on a lonely tower, someone is still watching the horizon listening for hoofbeats, waiting to announce what everyone else has been too distracted to see.

Related Links

All Along the Watchtower All Around the World... with Echoes

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2018/04/all-along-watchtower-all-around-world.html

All Along the Watchtower (2008)

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2008/08/all-along-watchtower.html

Dylan Often Sings About the Darkness He Sees: Trouble

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2020/03/dylan-often-sings-about-darkness-he.html

That Thin Wild Mercury Sound by Daryl Sanders Turns Readers into Blonde On Blonde Insiders

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2020/01/that-thin-wild-mercury-sound-by-daryl.html

Photo Caption: A Congolese man, Nsala, looking at the severed hand and foot of his five-year-old daughter who was killed, cooked, and cannibalized by members of the Force Publique in 1904.

ChatGPT's Book-By-Book Overview of the New Testament

1560 Geneva Bible

Have you ever wondered why the various books of the New Testament were written or what they are about? I asked ChatGPT for a one sentence description of each and found it enlightening.

Today seemed like a good day for an exercise like this, because Pope Francis is addressing the G7 Summit (A first for a pope!) to make an appeal for more regulation of AI. I'm sure that even Pope Francis would have no problem, however, with using Artificial Intelligence for an assignment like this one.

For those unfamiliar, there are 27 "books" in the New Testament canon. (Canon is defined as a collection of sacred books accepted as genuine.) The first five New Testament books are historical, four of them about the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. The fifth details the formation of the early church. The majority of the rest are letters from the early apostles.

Here is a list of the contents of each of these 27 books. 

Matthew

Matthew presents Jesus as the promised Messiah and King of the Jews, emphasizing His teachings and fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies to prove His divine authority and role in God's salvation plan.

Mark

"Ecce Homo"by Antonio Ciseri. 

Mark offers a fast-paced account of Jesus' life and ministry, highlighting His miraculous works and servant leadership to demonstrate that He is the Son of God who came to serve and sacrifice for humanity.
Luke

Luke provides a detailed and orderly narrative of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, emphasizing His compassion and inclusion of all people, especially the marginalized, to show the universality of the gospel.

John

John's gospel focuses on the divinity of Jesus, presenting Him as the eternal Word of God who became flesh to bring light, life, and salvation to those who believe in His name.

Acts

Acts chronicles the birth and expansion of the early church through the work of the Holy Spirit, detailing the apostles' missionary efforts and the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

Romans

Paul's epistle to the Romans presents a comprehensive theological exposition on salvation, faith, and righteousness through Jesus Christ, emphasizing that both Jews and Gentiles are justified by faith.

1 Corinthians

Paul addresses the divisions and moral issues within the Corinthian church, urging believers to live in unity and purity, grounded in love and the resurrection of Christ.

2 Corinthians

In this follow-up letter, Paul defends his apostolic authority and encourages the Corinthians in their faith, highlighting themes of reconciliation, generosity, and the power of God's grace in weakness.

Galatians

Paul passionately argues against the necessity of following Jewish law for salvation, affirming that faith in Christ alone justifies believers and sets them free from the law's bondage.

Ephesians

Paul writes to the church in Ephesus about the unity and richness of the Christian life, emphasizing the church as the body of Christ and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and integrity.

Philippians

In this letter of joy and encouragement, Paul thanks the Philippians for their support, urging them to rejoice in the Lord and to live humbly, following Christ's example of selflessness and service.

Colossians

Paul warns against false teachings and emphasizes the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ, urging the Colossians to live a life worthy of the Lord and rooted in His truth.

1 Thessalonians

Paul expresses his gratitude for the Thessalonians' faith and encourages them to continue living holy lives, providing hope and instruction regarding the return of Christ.

2 Thessalonians

Paul addresses concerns about the Day of the Lord, reassuring the Thessalonians of God's justice and urging them to stand firm and continue working faithfully until Christ returns.

1 Timothy

Paul provides Timothy with guidance on church leadership and sound doctrine, emphasizing the importance of godliness, prayer, and proper conduct within the church community.

2 Timothy

In his final letter, Paul encourages Timothy to remain steadfast in his faith and ministry, warning against false teachings and highlighting the importance of Scripture for teaching and guidance.

Titus

Paul instructs Titus on appointing church leaders and teaching sound doctrine, emphasizing the need for good works and godly living as evidence of faith.

Philemon

Paul appeals to Philemon to accept his runaway slave Onesimus as a brother in Christ, highlighting themes of forgiveness, reconciliation, and Christian love.

Hebrews

This letter, written to Jewish Christians, presents Christ as the ultimate High Priest and perfect sacrifice, urging believers to hold fast to their faith and persevere despite persecution.

James

James emphasizes practical Christian living, calling believers to demonstrate their faith through good works, wisdom, and ethical behavior.

1 Peter

Peter encourages suffering Christians to remain steadfast, reminding them of their hope in Christ and urging them to live holy and exemplary lives despite persecution.

2 Peter

Peter warns against false teachers and reminds believers of the certainty of Christ's return, urging them to grow in knowledge and godliness.

1 John

John reassures believers of their salvation, emphasizing the importance of love, obedience, and the rejection of false teachings as evidence of genuine faith.

2 John

John warns against welcoming false teachers into the community, stressing the need to adhere to the truth of Christ's teachings and to walk in love.

3 John

John commends Gaius for his hospitality and support of itinerant missionaries, contrasting his behavior with that of the prideful Diotrephes who opposes them.

Jude

Jude urges believers to contend for the faith and warns against ungodly individuals who have infiltrated the church, encouraging them to remain firm and build themselves up in faith.

Revelation

John's apocalyptic vision reveals the ultimate victory of Christ over evil, offering hope and encouragement to persecuted Christians by depicting the final judgment and the establishment of God's eternal kingdom.

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Your thoughts on this use of AI?

Cancel Culture Is Nothing New: Examples Ancient and Past

12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders. 
--John 7:12-13 (NIV)

While reading from the Gospel of John recently I was struck by the statement highlighted above. They were talking about Jesus, of course. Their response--fear of expressing their thoughts publicly--seemed to encapsulate our moment in history these past three years. People are afraid to speak publicly about many issues out of fear. Jobs have been lost for expressing the wrong point of view on a hot topic. Many are ridiculed simply for having honest doubts.

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When I was growing up my mother used to say, "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." Nowadays people are bullied and bludgeoned for questioning the current pop creed. This is not the way people are "won over" to a new idea that goes contrary to their beliefs or experience.

Then again, this is nothing new. Read the story about the man born blind whom Jesus healed. It's found in the Gospel of John, chapter 9. The religious leaders tried to corner his parents, but the parents knew it so they played it coy and gave evasive replies. 

20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” --John 7:12-13

One of the things I like about these stories from the Bible is that the behavior of these characters corresponds with the behavior we see in people today. Insecurity, alertness, political pressure, sorrow, confusion, fear of those in authority... It's nothing new.

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Throughout history there have been numerous instances where freedom of speech has been abridged by both governmental actions and cultural norms. Here are some historic examples:

Sedition Acts (1798): The United States passed the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798, which included laws aimed at curbing criticism of the government. The Sedition Act criminalized false, scandalous, and malicious statements against the government, leading to the prosecution of individuals critical of President John Adams and his administration.

McCarthyism (1950s): During our Cold War with the Soviet Union, the government's fear of communist infiltration led to witch hunts that cost people their jobs simply by being accused. When you can't express honest doubts or ask honest questions due to fear of repercussions, it's an abridgement of our feedom of speech.

Espionage Act (1917) and Sedition Act (1918): In the context of World War I, the United States passed these acts to suppress dissent and opposition to the war effort. They were used to prosecute individuals who spoke out against the war. Hundreds, and maybe a couple thousand, were imprisoned for expressing anti-war sentiments. At the same time, the government was allocating money to create propaganda in support of the war effort. 

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To be fair, censorship of free speech has not been limited to the United States. Nevertheless, the degree to which social media and government agencies justified the repression of contrary voices during the Covid lockdowns (and other ethical concerns) has been quite alarming.  

 

Related Link

He Who Controls the Narrative Controls the People

The Opening Idea in Thomas Merton's Opening the Bible

"What kind of book is this?" Such a question cannot be answered without taking into account the very peculiar claims that have been made for the Bible by Christian, Jewish and even Muslim believers: claims which, to many modern men, are outrageous. Claims that this book is unlike any other, and that man's very destiny depends on it.

We cannot understand anything about the Bible unless we face the fact that these claims are made seriously, and that the outrage taken at them is also fully serious. Neither can be discounted. It is of the very nature of the Bible to affront, perplex and astonish the human mind. Hence the reader who opens the Bible must be prepared for disorientation, confusion, incomprehension, perhaps outrage.

* * * *

Thus begins a little volume by Thomas Merton titled Opening the Bible.

What I like about Merton's opening setup is that for many Christians the Bible has ceased to be a challenge or a problem. We (and I include myself here) can easily fall into the trap of reading the Bible in a non-engaged way, superficially grazing its contents on auto-pilot.  

This weekend I was looking again at one of my journals from our year in Mexico. (My wife and I worked at an orphanage south of Monterrey beginning in late 1980.) I noticed that my approach to daily Bible study at that time included (1) identifying a passage, (2) recording the message it contained, (3) identifying the larger context, (4) questions it raises, and (5) application.

When I look at the questions I was asking myself, I saw honesty and real searching. For example, in an Old Testament passage from I Kings  we read that God raised up an adversary against Solomon from the royal line of Edom because Solomon's heart had turned away from God. 

Among the many questions raised then (4 November 1981) I find these of special interest: "Was Solomon being punished, or disciplined? If Solomon was so wise (he was called the wisest man on earth) then how did he fail so badly?

* * * *

For those unfamiliar with Merton (1915-1968), his book Seven Storey Mountain was a worldwide bestseller. I remember being introduced to the book by a social studies teacher who lived across the street from us in Bridgewater back in the 60s. Like Saint Augustine, Merton was a roustabout in his youth. When God got hold of him he joined the Abbey of Gethsemani, a Trappist monastery in Kentucky. 

In the 1990s, while doing research for my story The Unfinished Stories of Richard Allen Garston, I had a desire to visit Gethsemani in order to accurately portray the setting. The central character in my story had escaped to this place for murky reasons that can be deduced from the story's ambiguous end. While there I saw where Thomas Merton's remains are buried. The memory is still vivid. (What my children probably remember most is the stinky cheese I bought there, something akin to Lindbergher, which I ate in the car, much to their displeasure.)

Thomas Merton spent 27 years here in this remote community of ascetics. Daily Bible reading and reflection left him a changed man. He writes, "The Bible is without question one of the most unsatisfying books ever written--at least until the reader has come to terms with it in a very special way."

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Trivia: Thomas Merton died 10 December 1968, 54 years ago this weekend.

Here is a link again to my story The Unfinished Stories of Richard Allen Garston. Feedback welcome. Maybe one day I'll publish an anthology of my own unfinished stories.