14-12-2024, 09:47
I was thinking about protest songs this week, which is what triggered this choice - one thing leads to another! The songs come in many guises of course - some fairly subtle in delivery, as is evidenced by Bob Dylan among others.
There was a minor punk movement in South Africa in the early 80’s - music played a huge role in the lives of the youth of the time, giving voice to their frustrations, and making them heard. Not a unique phenomenon – this has happened throughout history, and the world, probably since time immemorial! But we were pretty starved of information and there were very few outlets/arenas that weren't policed or monitored in some way which made attending or supporting these concerts seem wild and dangerous. In retrospect, the sounds seem quite tame, but at the time, they were considered outrageous and subversive. The distance of years = perspective.
To fathom the meaning in some of Dylan’s lyrics may well be a fruitless exercise and I sometimes wonder if he didn’t just string words together that sounded fascinating and mysterious, all the while not really having a clear idea himself of the so-called meaning behind the lyrics. In other words – a giant bamboozlement, albeit one in which we are happy to be entangled. Sorry Sir Bob. This does not apply to all his songs, of course, but one could write a thesis on “As I Went out One Morning” and not be any nearer to a definitive answer at the end of it that when one began! Perhaps that is the whole point – keeping everyone wondering.
I’ve looked at several opinions as to the meaning of that song, some rather lengthy, and none of which entirely hits the nail on the head, IMHO, so I’ve given up. Not even going to attempt to unravel it myself. And the reason for this lengthy ramble is that Tribe after Tribe were one of those ‘punk’ bands I mentioned earlier, and they covered it, literally tribalising it as you will hear. Not sure I’ve come across the song done this way by anyone else. Maybe with good reason! LOL! But there you have it … for the helluvit – a snapshot of a bygone era.
The original ...
There was a minor punk movement in South Africa in the early 80’s - music played a huge role in the lives of the youth of the time, giving voice to their frustrations, and making them heard. Not a unique phenomenon – this has happened throughout history, and the world, probably since time immemorial! But we were pretty starved of information and there were very few outlets/arenas that weren't policed or monitored in some way which made attending or supporting these concerts seem wild and dangerous. In retrospect, the sounds seem quite tame, but at the time, they were considered outrageous and subversive. The distance of years = perspective.
To fathom the meaning in some of Dylan’s lyrics may well be a fruitless exercise and I sometimes wonder if he didn’t just string words together that sounded fascinating and mysterious, all the while not really having a clear idea himself of the so-called meaning behind the lyrics. In other words – a giant bamboozlement, albeit one in which we are happy to be entangled. Sorry Sir Bob. This does not apply to all his songs, of course, but one could write a thesis on “As I Went out One Morning” and not be any nearer to a definitive answer at the end of it that when one began! Perhaps that is the whole point – keeping everyone wondering.
I’ve looked at several opinions as to the meaning of that song, some rather lengthy, and none of which entirely hits the nail on the head, IMHO, so I’ve given up. Not even going to attempt to unravel it myself. And the reason for this lengthy ramble is that Tribe after Tribe were one of those ‘punk’ bands I mentioned earlier, and they covered it, literally tribalising it as you will hear. Not sure I’ve come across the song done this way by anyone else. Maybe with good reason! LOL! But there you have it … for the helluvit – a snapshot of a bygone era.
The original ...
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson