This is the first post with Bob Dylan quotes from the 60’s. The post will be updated many times in the future. There will also, off course, follow posts with quotes from the 70’s, 80’s etc…

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UPDATE – other posts:

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These quotes are collected from song lyrics & interviews. It’s not only “great” quotes we’ve collected, but also important quotes & funny quotes.

Quotes collected from song lyrics are tried to be kept brief…. it would often be tempting to quote whole songs. Also we’ll try to limit ourselves to max 3 quotes from the same song.

Some songs are sorted under the year they were released (on record), other’s are sorted under the year they were obviously written/recorded.

Please comment/send us input, but we don’t like quotes without a source…

1961

New York Times said it was the coldest winter in seventeen years

I didn’t feel so cold then

~Talkin’ New York

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I didn’t feel so cold then ~Talkin’ New York – Hey, hey, Woody Guthrie, I wrote you a song

’Bout a funny ol’ world that’s a-comin’ along

Seems sick an’ it’s hungry, it’s tired an’ it’s torn

It looks like it’s a-dyin’ an’ it’s hardly been born

~Song to Woody

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’Bout a funny ol’ world that’s a-comin’ along Seems sick an’ it’s hungry, it’s tired an’ it’s torn It looks like it’s a-dyin’ an’ it’s hardly been born ~Song to Woody ——————————————— Yeah, well, I was with a carnival when I was about thirteen and I used to travel with a carnival – all kinds of shows.

[Where] All around the Midwest. Uh, Gallup, New Mexico, then to Texas, and then… Lived in Gallup, New Mexico and…

~to Billy James, October 1961

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[Where] All around the Midwest. Uh, Gallup, New Mexico, then to Texas, and then… Lived in Gallup, New Mexico and… ~to Billy James, October 1961 – I traveled with the carnival when I was about thirteen years old.

All the way up to I was nineteen. Every year, off and on, I joined different carnivals.

~Oscar Brand Radio Show, 29 October 1961 (aired November 4)

1962

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man?

~Blowin’ In The Wind

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Before you call him a man? ~Blowin’ In The Wind – Well, I wus sittin’ home alone an’ started to sweat

Figured they wus in my T.V. set

Peeked behind the picture frame

Got a shock from my feet, hittin’ right up in the brain

Them Reds caused it!

I know they did . . . them hard-core ones

~Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues

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Figured they wus in my T.V. set Peeked behind the picture frame Got a shock from my feet, hittin’ right up in the brain Them Reds caused it! I know they did . . . them hard-core ones ~Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues – There’s beauty in the silver, singin’ river

There’s beauty in the sunrise in the sky

But none of these and nothing else can touch the beauty

That I remember in my true love’s eyes

~Tomorrow is A Long Time

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Yeah, but I really don’t think to myself as, a you know, a folk singer

~to Cynthia Gooding, WBAI FM Radio, 11 March 1962

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~to Cynthia Gooding, WBAI FM Radio, 11 March 1962 – [about – “Ballad of Emmett Till”] I stole the melody from Len Chandler. An’ he’s a funny guy. He’s a, he’s a folk singer guy. He uses a lot of funny chords you know when he plays and he’s always getting to, want me, to use some of these chords, you know, trying to teach me new chords all the time. Well, he played me this one. Said don’t those chords sound nice? An’ I said they sure do, an’ so I stole it, stole the whole thing.

~to Cynthia Gooding, WBAI FM Radio, 11 March 1962

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~to Cynthia Gooding, WBAI FM Radio, 11 March 1962 – [on songwriting] The song was there before me, before I came along. I just sorta came down and I sorta took it down with a pencil that it was all there before I came around. That’s how I feel about it.

~to Pete Seeger, Broadside Show, WBAI-FM Radio, May 1962

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~to Pete Seeger, Broadside Show, WBAI-FM Radio, May 1962 – Maybe I was happy when I was little or I was unhappy, a million other kids were the same way. What difference does it make?

~Edwin Miller, September 1962

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~Edwin Miller, September 1962 – I just played guitar and harmonica.. and sang those songs and that was it. He [John Hammond] asked me if I wanted to sing any of them over again but I said no. I can’t see myself singing the same song twice in a row. That’s terrible.

~Edwin Miller, September 1962

1963

“I’ll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours”

~Talkin’ World War III Blues

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~Talkin’ World War III Blues – Well, if you’re travelin’ in the north country fair

Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline

Remember me to one who lives there

She once was a true love of mine

~Girl From The North Country

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Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Remember me to one who lives there She once was a true love of mine ~Girl From The North Country – And I hope that you die

And your death’ll come soon

I will follow your casket

In the pale afternoon

And I’ll watch while you’re lowered

Down to your deathbed

And I’ll stand o’er your grave

’Til I’m sure that you’re dead

~Masters of War –

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And your death’ll come soon I will follow your casket In the pale afternoon And I’ll watch while you’re lowered Down to your deathbed And I’ll stand o’er your grave ’Til I’m sure that you’re dead ~Masters of War Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?

Oh, where have you been, my darling young one?

I’ve stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains

I’ve walked and I’ve crawled on six crooked highways

I’ve stepped in the middle of seven sad forests

I’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceans

I’ve been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard

And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard

And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall

~A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall

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Oh, where have you been, my darling young one? I’ve stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains I’ve walked and I’ve crawled on six crooked highways I’ve stepped in the middle of seven sad forests I’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceans I’ve been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall ~A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall – Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears

Bury the rag deep in your face

For now’s the time for your tears

~The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll

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Bury the rag deep in your face For now’s the time for your tears ~The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll – Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin’

~The Times They Are A-Changin’

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For the times they are a-changin’ ~The Times They Are A-Changin’ Come mothers and fathers

Throughout the land

And don’t criticize

What you can’t understand

~The Times They Are A-Changin’



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Anything I can sing, I call a song. Anything I can’t sing, I call a poem. Anything I can’t sing or anything that’s too long to be a poem, I call a novel.

~Nat Hentoff quoting Dylan, jacket notes Freewheeling Dylan

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~Nat Hentoff quoting Dylan, jacket notes Freewheeling Dylan – It’s not atomic rain, it’s just a hard rain, it’s not atomic rain, no. It’s not the fall-out rain….. I just mean some sort of end that’s just gotta happen, y’know.

~Studs Terkel Interview, 26 April 1963

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~Studs Terkel Interview, 26 April 1963 – “Because Dickens and Dostoyevsky and Woody Guthrie were telling their stories much better than I ever could, I decided to stick to my own mind.”

~Sidney Fields Interview, Aug 1963

1964

Ramona

Come closer

Shut softly your watery eyes

~To Ramona

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Come closer Shut softly your watery eyes ~To Ramona – Go ’way from my window

Leave at your own chosen speed

I’m not the one you want, babe

I’m not the one you need

~It Ain’t Me Babe

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Leave at your own chosen speed I’m not the one you want, babe I’m not the one you need ~It Ain’t Me Babe – Ah, but I was so much older then

I’m younger than that now

~My Back Pages

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I’m younger than that now ~My Back Pages – Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight

Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight

An’ for each an’ ev’ry underdog soldier in the night

An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

~Chimes of Freedom









“It’s hard being free in a song – getting it all in. Songs are so confining. Woody Guthrie told me once that songs don’t have to do anything like that. But it’s not true. A song has to have some kind of form to fit into the music. You can bend the words and the meter, but it still has to fit somehow. I’ve been getting freer in the songs I write, but I still feel confined. That’s why I write a lot of poetry – if that’s the word. Poetry can make it’s own form.”

~Nat Hentoff Interview, June 1964

1965

That he not busy being born is busy dying

~It’s Alright, Ma (I’m only bleeding)

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~It’s Alright, Ma (I’m only bleeding) But even the president of the United States

Sometimes must have to stand naked

~It’s Alright, Ma (I’m only bleeding)

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Sometimes must have to stand naked ~It’s Alright, Ma (I’m only bleeding) While money doesn’t talk, it swears

~It’s Alright, Ma (I’m only bleeding)

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~It’s Alright, Ma (I’m only bleeding) Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you

Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you

~It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

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Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you ~It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue Strike another match, go start anew

And it’s all over now, Baby Blue

~It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

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And it’s all over now, Baby Blue ~It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue You don’t need a weatherman

To know which way the wind blows

~Subterranean Homesick Blues

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To know which way the wind blows ~Subterranean Homesick Blues You used to laugh about

Everybody that was hangin’ out

Now you don’t talk so loud

Now you don’t seem so proud

About having to be scrounging for your next meal

~Like A Rolling Stone

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Everybody that was hangin’ out Now you don’t talk so loud Now you don’t seem so proud About having to be scrounging for your next meal ~Like A Rolling Stone – How does it feel

How does it feel

To be without a home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

~Like A Rolling Stone

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How does it feel To be without a home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone? ~Like A Rolling Stone – You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat

Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat

Ain’t it hard when you discover that

He really wasn’t where it’s at

After he took from you everything he could steal

~Like A Rolling Stone

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Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat Ain’t it hard when you discover that He really wasn’t where it’s at After he took from you everything he could steal ~Like A Rolling Stone – Because something is happening here

But you don’t know what it is

Do you, Mister Jones?

~Ballad of A Thin Man

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But you don’t know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? ~Ballad of A Thin Man – You’ve been with the professors

And they’ve all liked your looks

With great lawyers you have

Discussed lepers and crooks

You’ve been through all of

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s books

You’re very well read

It’s well known

~Ballad of A Thin Man

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And they’ve all liked your looks With great lawyers you have Discussed lepers and crooks You’ve been through all of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s books You’re very well read It’s well known ~Ballad of A Thin Man – I started out on burgundy

But soon hit the harder stuff

Everybody said they’d stand behind me

When the game got rough

But the joke was on me

There was nobody even there to call my bluff

I’m going back to New York City

I do believe I’ve had enough

~Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues

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“A song is anything that can walk by itself, I am called a songwriter. A poem is a naked person, some people say that I am a poet”.

~Jacket notes Subterranean Homesick Blues

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~Jacket notes Subterranean Homesick Blues – All I can do is be me – whoever that is

~to Paul J Robbins, 22 March 1965

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~to Paul J Robbins, 22 March 1965 – I left where I’m from because there’s nothing there. I come from Minnesota, there was nothing there. I’m not going to fake it and say I went out to see the world.

~to Paul J Robbins, 26 March 1965

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~to Paul J Robbins, 26 March 1965 – Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb

~Press Conference, London 26 April 1965

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~Press Conference, London 26 April 1965 – The big difference is that the songs I was writing last year, songs like Ballad in Plain D, they were what I call one-dimensional songs, but my new songs I’m trying to make more three-dimensional, you know, there’s more symbolism, they’re written on more than one level.

~Jenny De Yong And Peter Roche Interview, 30 April 1965

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~Jenny De Yong And Peter Roche Interview, 30 April 1965 – That’s because they ask the wrong questions, like, ‘What did you have for breakfast’, ‘What’s your favourite colour’, stuff like that. Newspaper reporters, man, they’re just hung-up writers, frustrated novelists, they don’t hurt me none by putting fancy labels on me. They got all these preconceived ideas about me, so I just play up to them.

~Jenny De Yong And Peter Roche Interview, 30 April 1965

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~Jenny De Yong And Peter Roche Interview, 30 April 1965 – Chaos is a friend of mine. It’s like I accept him, does he accept me?

~Nora Ephron & Susan Edmiston Interview, Late summer 1965

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~Nora Ephron & Susan Edmiston Interview, Late summer 1965 – [about – The Times They Are A-Changin’] I can’t really say that adults don’t understand young people anymore than you can say big fishes don’t understand little fishes. I didn’t mean it as a statement, truth, or anything like that. It’s a feeling – you know – just a feeling.

~Mary Merrifield Interview, Nov 1965

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~Mary Merrifield Interview, Nov 1965 – Oh, I think of myself more as a song and dance man, y’know

~Press Conference, San Francisco 3 December 1965

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~Press Conference, San Francisco 3 December 1965 – Yeah, that was at Newport. Well, I did this very crazy thing. So, you know, I didn’t really know what was going to happen, but they certainly booed, I’ll tell you that.

~Press Conference, San Francisco 3 December 1965

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1966

Lights flicker from the opposite loft

In this room the heat pipes just cough

The country music station plays soft

But there’s nothing, really nothing to turn off

Just Louise and her lover so entwined

And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind

~Visions of Johanna

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In this room the heat pipes just cough The country music station plays soft But there’s nothing, really nothing to turn off Just Louise and her lover so entwined And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind ~Visions of Johanna – But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues

You can tell by the way she smiles

~Visions of Johanna

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You can tell by the way she smiles ~Visions of Johanna – The ghost of ’lectricity howls in the bones of her face

Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place

~Visions of Johanna

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Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place ~Visions of Johanna – Grandpa died last week

And now he’s buried in the rocks

But everybody still talks about

How badly they were shocked

But me, I expected it to happen

I knew he’d lost control

When he built a fire on Main Street

And shot it full of holes

Oh, Mama, can this really be the end

To be stuck inside of Mobile

With the Memphis blues again

~Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again

And now he’s buried in the rocks But everybody still talks about How badly they were shocked But me, I expected it to happen I knew he’d lost control When he built a fire on Main Street And shot it full of holes Oh, Mama, can this really be the end To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again ~Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again But to live outside the law, you must be honest

~Absolutely Sweet Mary

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~Absolutely Sweet Mary – With your mercury mouth in the missionary times

And your eyes like smoke and your prayers like rhymes

And your silver cross, and your voice like chimes

Oh, who among them do they think could bury you?

~Sad-Eyed Lady of The Lowlands

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I found myself writing this song, this story, this long piece of vomit about twenty pages long, and out of it I took Like A Rolling Stone and made it as a single. And I’d never written anything like that before and it suddenly came to me that that was what I should do, you know. I mean, nobody had ever done that before.

~Martin Bronstein Interview, 20 Feb 1966

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~Martin Bronstein Interview, 20 Feb 1966 – It’s very tiring having other people tell you how much they dig you if you yourself don’t dig you. It’s also very deadly entertainment-wise.

~Nat Hentoff (The Playboy) Interview, March 1966

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~Nat Hentoff (The Playboy) Interview, March 1966 – There were a lot of people there who were very pleased that I got booed. I saw them afterward. I do resent somewhat, though, that everybody that booed said they did it because they were old fans.

~Nat Hentoff (The Playboy) Interview, March 1966

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~Nat Hentoff (The Playboy) Interview, March 1966 – I wouldn’t advise anybody to use drugs – certainly not the hard drugs. Drugs are medicine. But opium and hash and pot – now, those things aren’t drugs. They just bend your mind a little. I think everybody’s mind should be bent once in a while.

~Nat Hentoff (The Playboy) Interview, March 1966

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~Nat Hentoff (The Playboy) Interview, March 1966 – I mean everybody has done it, you know, ‘cos all you heard was rock n’ roll and country and western and rhythm and blues music. Now, now at a certain time it’s just the whole field got taken over into, into, into some milk, you know – into Frankie Avalon, Fabian and, you know, this kind of thing. …. Now it’s different again, because of the English thing. The English thing… what the English thing did was, they just proved that you could make money,

you now, at playing, you know, the same old kind of music that you used to play, and that’s the truth. You know that’s not a lie. It’s not a come-on or anything. But, uh, you know the English people can’t play rock n’ roll music.

~Klas Burling Interview, 28 April 1966

1967

“There must be some way out of here,” said the joker to the thief

“There’s too much confusion, I can’t get no relief

Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth

None of them along the line know what any of it is worth”

~All Along The Watchtower

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“There’s too much confusion, I can’t get no relief Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth None of them along the line know what any of it is worth” ~All Along The Watchtower – Well, that mockingbird’s gonna sail away

We’re gonna forget it

That big, fat moon is gonna shine like a spoon

But we’re gonna let it

You won’t regret it

~I’ll Be You’re Baby Tonight

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“What I’ve been doin’ mostly is seein’ only a few close friends, readin’ little ‘bout the outside world. Porin’ over books by people you never heard of. Thinkin’ about where I’m goin’ and why am I runnin’ and am I mixed up too much and what am I knowin’ and what am I givin’ and what am I takin’. And mainly what I’ve been doin’ is workin’ on gettin’ better and makin’ better music, which is what my life is all about.”

~Michael Iachetta Interview, 7 May 1967

1968

[on songwriting] Well once you set it up in your mind, you don’t have to think about it any more. If it wants to come, it will come.

~To John Cohen, June/July 1968

1969

Once I had mountains in the palm of my hand

And rivers that ran through ev’ry day

I must have been mad

I never knew what I had

Until I threw it all away

~I Threw It All Away



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You know… That’s really the way to do a recording – in a peaceful, relaxed setting – in somebody’s basement. With the windows open… And a dog lying on the floor.

~The Rolling Stone Interview, 29 Nov 1969

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~The Rolling Stone Interview, 29 Nov 1969 – The first time I went into the studio I had, I think, four songs. I pulled that instrumental one out… I needed some songs with an instrumental… Then Johnny [Cash] came in and did a song with me. Then I wrote one in the motel… Then pretty soon the whole album started fillin’ in together and we had an album. I mean, we didn’t go down with that in mind.

~The Rolling Stone Interview, 29 Nov 1969

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-Egil