Monday, June 29, 2015

The Levee's Gonna Break

Forget the levee.
Blocking floods isn't my job,
But loving you is.

Two things are happening here. One is that Bob Dylan's favorite metaphor, the flood, is threatening to overwhelm the levee. Regarding this, we have the following support:

- The levee, the rain and the state of human affairs: "God's work," "people are greedy," "people are desperate," "people are opportunistic."

- If it keep on rainin' the levee gonna break
Everybody saying this is a day only the Lord could make

- Some of these people gonna strip you of all they can take

- Some of these people don't know which road to take

- Some people on the road carrying everything that they own
Some people got barely enough skin to cover their bones

- Plenty of cheap stuff out there still around that you take

The state of Bob's love life: It's a combination of "you're hearthless," "I love you," "you're sexy," "you don't love me," "you make love with me" and "come back to me."

- I picked you up from the gutter and this is the thanks I get
You say you want me to quit ya, I told you no, not just yet

- I look in your eyes, I see nobody other than me
I see all that I am and all I hope to be

- When I'm with you I forget I was ever blue
Without you there's no meaning in anything I do

- Put on your cat clothes, Mama, put on your evening dress
A few more years of hard work then there'll be a thousand years of happiness

- I tried to get you to love me, but I won't repeat that mistake

- I woke up this morning, butter and eggs in my bed
I ain't got enough room to even raise my head

- Come back, baby, say we never more will part
Don't be a stranger without a brain or heart

The state of Bob's heart: "I worked hard," "I gave away everything I owned," "I paid my dues and am reborn," "I'm still hoping for a better tomorrow" and "Other people might be sleeping, but I am awake, and I see everything for what it is."

- Well I worked on the levee Mama, both night and day
I got to the river and I threw my clothes away

- I paid my time and now I'm as good as new
They can't take me back, not unless I want them to

- I can't stop here, I ain't ready to unload
Riches and salvation can be waiting behind the next bend in the road

- Some people still sleepin', some people are wide awake

The song is available on the 2006 album "Modern Times."



1 comment:

  1. Hello there Robert, Thank you for posting this analysis of a song from Bob Dylan's Music Box http://thebobdylanproject.com/Song/id/648/The-Levees-Gonna-Break Come and join us inside to listen to every song composed, recorded or performed by Bob Dylan, plus all the great covers streaming on YouTube, Spotify, Deezer and SoundCloud.

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