Political World

Political world:

Crime, death, fear, compromise: yes.

Love, mercy, God: no.

"Political World" is a general list of grievances about the state of the world, a table of contents of woe that opens the 1989 hit album "Oh Mercy." Dylan sings with an air of bitterness, but keeps the deadpan muffler on to keep from sounding too much like he's shocked to see gambling in this establishment. Producer Daniel Lanois keeps the musicians playing at a brisk clip, propelling the song from verse to verse in a way that keeps the listener hanging on, even though there's about as much variation in the tune as a James Brown funk workout. That's fine. It sounds good.

Aspects of a political world:

- Love has no place

- People commit crimes

- Crime has no face

- Icicles

- People get married

- Clouds cover the ground

- Wisdom is incarcerated, and placed safely out of the public's reach

- Mercy walks the plank

- Life is only a reflection of reality

- Death lives in banks

- Courage is obsolete

- Houses haunted

- Children unwanted

- Every day could be your last

- Even though we know nothing is real, everything seems real

- The deck is stacked

- Cities are lonely and frightening

- Nobody knows the meaning of life

- We're under the microscope

- You can go anywhere and do what you want, and there's always enough rope lying around to hang yourself with if you want

- We're trained to take the easy way out

- Peace is unwelcome and we often bully it

- Everything belongs to someone

- People are attention seekers

- Televangelists shout God's name on air without knowing what they're talking about