Song Mr. Tambourine: Lyrical Poem
Many people assume that songs from the 1960s refer to drugs, and Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man is no exception. The common interpretation of Mr. Tambourine Man is that Dylan refers to visions seen during a drug high. The title supposedly refers to the dealer, while verses such as "lose their grip" and "laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun" lend credence to this claim.This paper argues that there is an alternate and more plausible explication for this lyrical poem. Drug references are available for those who look, but there are no such references in the chorus or the third verses. Instead, this paper argues that the "Mr. Tambourine Man" referred to in the poem is an inspirational figure, and the poet is a follower who struggles-sometimes in vain-to keep up.The lyrical poem begins in the chorus, where the speaker shares his present position. In the first verse, Dy
His old values and visions have gone, drained away like slipping sand. He is still on the street, he is still "too dead for dreaming. The first verses of the poem thus tell of an artist, seeking inspiration for a new vision, a new poem, a new song. " The Tambourine Man thus confirms the poet's suspicions. " The poet is able to skip "reels of rime" in time with the tambourine. However, this rime is not "aimed at anyone," as the poet is merely "escaping on the run. The poet now knows that there is the possibility of leaving behind his subconscious fears, symbolized by images of "haunted frightened trees" and "foggy ruins of time. lan describes how his "evening's empire has returned into sand. The evening's empire is a realm of sleep and dreams, a realm that the poet wants to reach. " He sees that there is the possibility of a fresh, pristine vision-one where the poet can be free by the sea, on the sands, under a diamond sky. He cries out for the inspiration that "Mr. The chorus interrupts, and as the poem ends, the poet is left back where he started. Without the possibility of dreaming, there is also no chance of new visions or new directions.
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