One of Bob Dylan’s great songs is “All Along the Watchtower” from his John Wesley Harding
The lyrics to “All Along the Watchtower” raise more questions than answers, but that is the brilliance of the song. Who are the princes and the two riders? Who is the joker and who is the thief, and why did the joker tell the thief, “There must be some way out of here”?
All along the watchtower, princes kept the view.
While all the women came and went, barefoot servants too;
Outside in the distance, a wildcat did growl;
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.
Nerdwriter 1 created a short video exploring the depth of “All Along the Watchtower,” a song you may have thought was a simple tale. But in the video, Nerdwriter1 dissects some of the mysteries behind the lyrics, and why the brilliance of the song helps explain why Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in literature. Check it out.
Some believe that Dylan is the “Joker” in the song, while Elvis Presley is the “Thief.” Others surmise how the two characters are really different sides of Dylan. Still others see a Biblical reference, with Jesus as the Joker and the Thief being the thief on the cross. There is no one answer, but a great thing about the song is how it can make you think and find your own interpretation.
Another wonderful feature, as Jimi Hendrix knew, is the way the song rocks.
What do you think is the meaning behind “All Along the Watchtower”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Like most of Dylans lyrics, I believe it’s simply nonsense, stream-of-consciousness gibberish and that he falls asleep smiling every night amazed that most people are STILL of the belief that he has any talent at all. I’m sure people will start hating on me for that, but those are the same people that still believe that The Beatles “I Am The Walrus” has some deep meaning, even after John Lennon himself told everyone that it was a nonsense song that meant nothing…like Dylan’s songs.
Everybody who has tried to interpret this song has had to stretch the English language to contrive some semblance of meaning…no two explanations are in independent concurrence. Since even Dylan can’t or won’t explain what he meant, I take that to mean it is meaningless.
Wow, that’s a pretty awful take. He doesn’t explain things because he wants the song to mean different things to different people. He has a Nobel Prize in Literature, and has written many of the deepest, greatest songs ever. Once you write a song like “Like a Rolling Stone,” “All Along the Watchtower,” “Tangled Up in Blue,” “Blowin in the Wind,” or “The Times They are a Changin,” let me know. He’s truly the greatest songwriter of our time, and it’s clear
@JonnieNick, You were wise to say, “I believe it’s simply nonsense,” and “I take that to mean it is meaningless,” rather than It is nonsense, and It is meaningless. I applaud that you are owning your judgements on this matter. My judgement is, that a critic’s inability to find any meaning in art or literature does not say anything about the art, but does reveal the inabilities of the critic. It is true that both Dylan and Lennon wrote so-called nonsensical stream of consciousness lyrics, upon occasion, and it is also true that our consciousness is our vehicle to express and create meaning. Would I be correct in assuming you did not live through the ’60’s? I’m betting you don’t even know what a Protest Song is. My judgement is that you embarrass yourself. Do you honestly want to argue that “most of Dylans lyrics” are nonsense, or are you merely being nonsensical yourself? And that people are laughable for believing “he has any talent at all?” Do you even know what the Nobel Prize is? Or what it means that we “should not cast our pearls before swine?”