It's alright ma (I'm only bleeding) Live

Dylan biographer Howard Sounes described "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" as a "grim masterpiece." The only accompaniment is Dylan's guitar, playing folk-blues riffs and up and down chord progressions. Author Sean Wilentz has noted that the song's chord structure is similar to that used by the Everly Brothers' in their hit recording of "Wake Up Little Susie". The lyrics of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" express Dylan's anger at hypocrisy, commercialism, consumerism, warmongers and contemporary American culture.
In his book Bob Dylan, Performing Artist, author Paul Williams has suggested that the song addresses "the possibility that the most important (and least articulated) political issue of our times is that we are all being fed a false picture of reality, and it's coming at us from every direction." Williams goes on to say that the song successfully paints a portrait of an "alienated individual identifying the characteristics of the world around him and thus declaring his freedom from its 'rules'." As such, a major target in the song is the old, established concepts which give a false picture of reality and hinder new worldviews from being accepted.
... Author Michael Gray has commented that although the vitriol Dylan unleashes towards his targets is similar to his earlier political protest songs, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is a transitionary song in that it does not express optimism in the possibility of political solutions. Instead, Dylan sings in a new prophetic voice that would later become his trademark. However, with the political pessimism comes a more poetic vision than in his earlier protest songs, along with a more complex figurative language. Howard Sounes notes that the song features some of Dylan's most memorable images. The opening lines begin the song's torrent of apocalyptic images:
Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, the child's balloon
Eclipses both the sun and moon
To understand you know too soon
There is no sense in trying
According to Seth Rogovoy, this opening echoes the Book of Ecclesiastes, where the author states (1:17) "I observed all deeds beneath the sun, and behold all is futile.[13] There are echoes of Ecclesiastes throughout the song. Another example is:[13]
The masters make the rules
For the wise man and the fools.
The author of Ecclesiastes laments (2:15--16) "The fate of the fool will befall me also; to what advantage, then, have I become wise? But I come to the conclusion that this, too, was futility, because the wise man and the fool are both forgotten. The wise man dies, just like the fool."
One of the most famous lines from the song reminds listeners that even the most powerful people will ultimately be judged:[5][14]
But even the president of the United States
Sometimes must have to stand naked
These lines seemed particularly prescient when Dylan performed the song on his 1974 tour with The Band, a few months before Richard Nixon resigned as President of the United States as a result of the Watergate crisis.[14][15] After the song has confronted sex, religion and politics, it ends with the lines:[1][16]
And if my thought-dreams could be seen
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine
But it's alright, Ma, it's life and life only
Throughout the song, the words pour out quickly, with Dylan barely taking a breath between lines, so that the intricate rhyming structure is often missed: AAAAAB CCCCCB DDDDDB in the verses and AAB in the chorus.[2][5]
Dylan has cited "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" as one of his songs that means the most to him.[2] In 1980 he stated that "I don't think I could sit down now and write 'It's Alright, Ma' again. I wouldn't even know where to begin, but I can still sing it."

from Wikipedia

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bob
• Dylan
• live
• concert
• England
• UK
• It's
• Alright
• Ma
• I'm
• Only
• Bleeding
• Bringing
• It
• All
• Back
• Home
• 1965

[1vertigodown]

3,000 views? fuck this generation man

[youthXattack]

@1vertigodown Oh shut the fuck up

[missbabycakes431]

(Vogue) This months cover star, Lana Del Rey shares her personal playlist. It's Alright Ma BOB DYLAN It Was A Very Good Year FRANK SINATRA The Other Woman NINA SIMONE Love Me Chase Me CARNEY Lush Life NAT KING COLE The End Of The World SKEETER DAVIS Dream Brother JEFF BUCKLEY Diamonds And Rust JOAN BAEZ Peso ASAP ROCKY Wicked Games THE WEEKND

[MrEnterthehole]

Pristine 

[THthefirst]

Pure poetry and amazing that he got all the words so perfect and his pronounciation is awesome. I am not sure anyone else could have written this actually, which is what makes Dylan a genius. Certainly puts my generation of Coldplay etc into perspective because they have NOTHING to say on anything, apart from middle of the road, radio friendly, unit-shifting inoffensive shite.

[Battusai1984]

@DonnyG3000 "bringing it all back home" or something along those lines is the cd that has this version iirc ,hope you find it :)

[DonnyG3000]

Thank you so much for posting this. This is the best version of this song I've ever heard. What an amazing performance! Do you know if this particular version (or for that matter, the entire concert) is available on CD?



[TheChrishoughton]

Simply the greatest set of lyrics ever written!

[TheChrishoughton]

@sgrad87 Sheffield 1965

[CTOL1]

These lyrics are as poignant today as then, nothing changes. Thanks Robert and the uploader