In this post, I offer my thoughts on the new movie about Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown, stirring interest in many of the songwriter and singer’s famous words and lyrics.

When Bob Dylan met the Beatles back in the sixties, it was clear he and John Lennon had different takes on the music of the time. Lennon believed the music itself was the center of a song, while Dylan remained adamant the lyrics – the words – were most important. “I consider myself a poet first and a musician second,” Dylan said, “I live like a poet and I’ll die like a poet.”¹ It’s the old “you got peanut butter in my chocolate” or “you got chocolate in my peanut butter” conundrum expressed in an advertisement for Reese’s™ Peanut Butter Cups. The best songs, naturally, combine great music with great lyrics.

The recent release of the movie, A Complete Unknown, is causing an increased interest in Dylan and his career. Since we are at the beginning of a new year and already there are terrible things happening in the world, I want to focus on Dylan’s words and the lessons they can teach everyone. He has long been a major proponent of peace, dating back to 1963 when he released Blowin’ in the Wind, an anthem long used as a rallying cry to end the world’s suffering and unite in peace. It’s worth your time to listen to this song, as well as The Times They Are a-Changin’ and Man of Peace.

Here are some other Dylan quotes on a variety of thought-provoking topics for your consideration: 1. “Take care of your memories, for you cannot relive them.” 2. “A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.” 3. “There is nothing so stable as change.” 4. “People seldom do what they believe in. They do what is convenient, then repent.” 5. “He not busy being born is busy dying.” 6. “I define nothing. Not beauty, not patriotism. I take each thing as it is, without prior rules about what it should be.” 7. “You learn from a conglomeration of the incredible past – whatever experience gotten in any way whatsoever.” 8. “Here’s the thing with me and the religious thing. This is the flat-out truth. I find the religiosity and philosophy in the music.” 9. “I’ve always thought there’s a superior power, that this is not the real world and that there’s a world to come.” 10. “All I can do is be me, whoever that is.”²

It is interesting given their initial discussion about songs and lyrics that Dylan’s best remembered songs and John Lennon’s famous song, Imagine, have the shared message of seeking peace throughout the world. So, perhaps the power of words is really at the center of everything. There are numerous books available on Bob Dylan, his life, poems, and music that are good reads. Spend some time reading them and listening to Dylan’s extensive catalog of songs. Then, take his message of peace, love, and understanding and make it part of your daily life.

That will be at least another step on the road to a better world.

REMEMBER…

◊ As President Ronald Reagan said, “Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.”³

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1. www.brainyquote.com/authors/bob-dylan-quotes ↩︎
2. www.brainyquote.com/authors/bob-dylan-quotes ↩︎
3. www.brainyquote.com/authors/ronald-reagan-quotes ↩︎