About the song
Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” released in 1965, is widely regarded as one of the most iconic songs in the history of popular music. It marks a significant turning point in Dylan’s career and the broader landscape of music, combining his knack for storytelling with a revolutionary approach to lyrical content.
The song’s lyrics are a rapid-fire stream of consciousness, painting a vivid and sometimes chaotic picture of American life in the 1960s. Dylan’s clever wordplay and the song’s fragmented narrative style capture the essence of a restless generation grappling with social change and personal disillusionment. Its fast-paced, almost spoken-word delivery contrasts sharply with the traditional folk music of the time, helping to usher in a new era of rock ‘n’ roll.
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” is often credited as one of the first songs to bring a distinctly poetic, almost beat-like approach to rock music. Dylan’s innovative blend of rhythms and rhymes helped to shape the sound of modern music and opened the door for countless artists to experiment with their own lyrical styles. The song’s famous line, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” has become a cultural touchstone, emblematic of the era’s countercultural sentiments.
For listeners who have been following Dylan’s work for decades, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” represents a defining moment when the boundaries of music and lyrical expression began to expand dramatically. For those discovering it now, the song offers a fascinating glimpse into the revolutionary spirit of the 1960s and the early days of rock music’s evolution. Its impact on both Dylan’s career and the music industry as a whole cannot be overstated, making it a crucial piece of musical history and an enduring classic.
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Lyrics
Johnny’s in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I’m on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in a trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he’s got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid offLook out, kid
It’s somethin’ you did
God knows when
But you’re doin’ it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin’ for a new friend
A man in a coon-skin cap
In a pig pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten.Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin’ that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone’s tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the DALook out, kid
Don’t matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don’t tie no bows
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plainclothes
You don’t need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows.Ah, get sick, get well
Hang around an ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is gonna sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write Braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you failLook out kid
You’re gonna get hit
By losers, cheaters
Six-time users
Hanging ’round the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool is
Lookin’ for a new fool
Don’t follow leaders
Watch the parkin’ meters.Ah, get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don’t steal, don’t lift
Twenty years of schoolin’
And they put you on the day shiftLook out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don’t wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don’t wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don’t work
‘Cause the vandals took the handles.