BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND

~BOB DYLAN

Analysis by Chara Georgoulea9th grade student

March-April 2021Art School of Gerakas, Athens, Greece

■ “Blowin’ In The Wind” was released in 1963 as the first single of Bob Dylan’s second studio album ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’. The song speaks about humanity, war and peace and other ambiguous questions that people refuse to answer. Bob Dylan claims that the answers are already there.

In an interview Bob Dylan said the following about “Blowin’ In The Wind”:

■ “There isn’t much to say about this song except that

the answer is blowing in the wind. No book, movie,

TV show or discussion group contain these

answers. Man, it’s in the wind – and it’s blowing in

the wind. Too many of these hip people are telling

me where the answer is but oh, I won’t believe that.

I still say it’s in the wind and just like a restless

piece of paper it’s got to come down some …But

the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer

when it comes down so not too many people get to

see and know . . . and then it flies away. I still say

that some of the biggest criminals are those that

turn their heads away when they see wrong and

know it’s wrong. I’m only 21 years old and I know

that there’s been too many . . . You people over 21,

you’re older and smarter”.

FIRST VERSE

How many roads must a man walk downBefore you call him a man?

■ One of the most famous quotes and mysterious

lyrics starts this song. There have been many

interpretations of this verse and there’s no wrong

one.

■ The simplest interpretation would be that the

artist is questioning the life experiences of a person

and how many of them it takes for someone to be

considered grown up. Other interpretations include

references to civil right marches that were popular

in the 60’s. How many of these walks would it take

to win what they naturally have a right to?

How many seas must a white dove sailBefore she sleeps in the sand?

■ A ‘white dove’ is the

international symbol of peace,

unity and harmony. Bob Dylan

wonders : how many of these

white doves must sail before

world peace is achieved? White

doves are released in

ceremonies commemorating

peace, and the day that no

white doves has to fly is the day

that everybody is in peace.

Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs flyBefore they’re forever banned?

■ A direct reference to war is spotted

in this line. Cannonballs were a

popular, destructive weapon that

were used in wars or uprisings

during the Middle Ages. How would

they be banned? The day there is no

use for such weapons would be the

day cannonballs would be banned.

And on such a day, we can expect

peace.

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the windThe answer is blowing in the wind

■ Is there no answer to world peace? Yes, there

is. The answers are blowing in the wind. They

are out there for anyone who is willing to grab

them. The real problem is that no one is

willing or capable of grabbing those answers.

SECOND VERSE

Yes, How many years can a mountain existBefore it is washed to the sea?

■ A mountain represents something

solid and strong. This is a reference

to life. How long can someone with

pride and glory exist before it all

fades away? There’s nothing

certain in this world and as great

mountains someday wash down to

the earth, people with greatness

will crumble down as well.

Yes, and how many years can some people existBefore they’re allowed to be free?

■ Bob Dylan captured the African American

mistreatment in “Blowin’ In The Wind” with

the above lines. He is wondering, “when

will these people be free?”. ‘Exist’ is a

powerful word in these lines. Dylan subtly

says that these African Americans are so

deprived of their rights that they are merely

‘existing’, implying that they are not living

their life to the fullest.

Yes, and how many times can a man turn his headAnd pretend that he just doesn’t see?

■ The greatest sin a person can commit is seeing a wrong action/deed

and turn their head the other way. How long can we go on without

addressing these issues that are before our hands? How long can we

turn a blind eye?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the windThe answer is blowing in the wind

■ As it was referenced

before, all the answers are

just out there, waiting for

someone to grab them.

THIRD VERSE

Yes, How many times must a man look upBefore he can see the sky?

■ The Sky the artist is referring to is freedom.

He believed that everybody deserves

freedom and equality. How long does

humanity have to fight and bleed for this

freedom? Why isn’t there a simple

solution? Why can’t everyone be happy in

peace?

Yes, and how many ears must one man haveBefore he can hear people cry?

■ The cries of war and cries of

freedom are left unheard, but for

how long? Isn’t two ears enough to

hear this pain? How can people

turn a blind eye to all those

outcries?

Yes, and how many deaths will it take till he knowsThat too many people have died?

■ War is just futile. Should there be one death or a thousand

of them ? There are countless wars where people were

sent into slaughter in the name of Lords ,Kings and Gods.

But none of them have mattered to glorified generals.

When would they realize that too many mothers, fathers,

husbands, wives and children have died for no cause?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the windThe answer is blowing in the wind

■ And the answer to all these

questions Bob Dylan poses are

floating in the air. They move, they

change, but the answers are

there. It’s only a matter of time

and effort to pick them up.

■ This was a review of one of the greatest songs of all times.

■ Bob Dylan was more than just a singer /songwriter; he was a visionary and he was a humanitarian. He put his skills to good use, as in this song.

Sources :

■ https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/bob-dylan/blowin-in-the-wind

■ https://www.gradesaver.com/blowin-in-the-wind/study-guide/summary

■ https://8mqilinkongthepoetsvoice.weebly.com/blowin-in-the-wind.html

THANK YOU FOR DEDICATING SOME TIME

TO MY PROJECT

Chara Georgoulea