“Like A Rolling Stone”, analysis of Bob Dylan’s song Essay

Not very mevery songs comp be to Bob Dylans cadenceless Like A Rolling sway. He explores areas that most conventional lyricists and composers do non touch. Bob tells us many of lifes lessons in a mere six legal proceeding and nine seconds. The divine Bob describes life before and after the fall from fame and fortune by coition the stories of multiple persons, speaking to them in conversation. The theme of this song is loss, whether is it loss of social status, coin, or trust for humanity.The number 1 stanza tells the listener or reader not to throw the bums a dime because it is easy to loan as hale as many messs specie and never be repaid, leaving the possibility of losing everything. The lines of the first stanza address individual as you, suggesting they are speaking directly to the study of the stanza. The lyrics of Like a Rolling Stone, when close read as in the past you (the mystery individual the song is addressing) were rich and flashed your bullion around, spend ing and lending your money to people who never had any intent of paying you back. Dylan uses a similar idea in A Man of Constant Sorrow, in lines 15 and 16, If I had known how bad youd treat me honey/ I never would have come. This line implies that he came a long way to see someone and help them, and was never thanked for his efforts, in the same way the subject of this stanza was never repaid for their charity. Line three goes on that people told you that if you werent prudent with your money youd lose everything, and you didnt take them seriously. You used to jocularity at those who had less than you, but now you dont laugh at all. You dont act the like a big shot anymore, because youre working disfranchised just to be able to eat, and dont have the money to flash around.The first stanza is teeming with literary devices. In the second line, there is an internal rhyme with the boys dime and prime, along with an workout of metonymy with the word bums. In line three there is a n example of both internal rhyme and consonance. Peopled call, say, Beware doll, youre bound to fall. (line 3), shows an example of internal rhyming. In the same line the words call and doll are an example of consonance.How does it feel?How does it feel?To be on your own,With no precaution home?Like a complete unknown?Like a rolling stone?The choir is repeated between each stanza, consistently asking each subject of the stanzas how it feels to be left with zip when they once had something. Essentially, it means what it says. How does it feel to be homeless, rootless, and friendless, having no one know your name, like a musca volitans who is never welcome anywhere? at that place is provided one literary device in the chorus, and that is a simile with line 5 of the chorus itself, Like a rolling stone.It is suggested in the second stanza of lyrics that the well off do not always know how to take care of themselves. The narrator of this story tells the subject you went to the fin est schools, but you never went to learn, you only went to party. Those schools never taught you any street smarts or how to take care of yourself. at a time you are forced to learn how to, and youre going to have to get used to it. You said youd never tummy with shady businessmen, but now you realize you dont have any separate choice. The mystery tramp (line20), isnt offering to help her or give out charity, hes not selling any alibis (line 21). In realizing this, you ask him if he wants to make a deal with you to get you out of your predicament.The second stanza has two very rich examples of literary devices. The first is a metaphor in line 22, which reads, As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes. The man whose eyes the subject is consummate(a) into is about to take her for all shes got, and is in a sense sucking her completely of her conceit and status. In line eighteen there is an example of assonance with the words now and out.Stanza three brings a new tale of woe tellin g an unfortunate what they did wrong in their business dealings. He or she is informed that they never saw that there was something wrong going on around you, like observers of the situation did. You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns (line 30). Dylan uses images of jokers, thieves, and clowns often in his lyrics, such as in All Along the Watchtower with the line . . . said the joker to the thief. You never realized that it isnt a good idea to entrust your life or money to someone else. You shouldnt let separate people get your kicks for you (line 33). You used to parade around with your most trusted advisor, who was very cunning and sly. It was hard when you found out that he wasnt who you thought he was, and that he had stolen everything he could get his manpower on.This stanza a few repeats of literary devices weve already seen in earlier stanzas. Line 30 has another example of assonance using the words around and frowns. Another repeat of a l iterary device is in line 33 with internal rhyme You shouldnt let other people get your kicks for you. There are two examples of metaphors with the chrome horse in line 34 and line 35, who carried on his berm a Siamese cat. These strange, difficult to understand lyrics are very common in Dylan songs. sometimes entire songs are made up of these vague metaphors, such as Its All slump Ma, Im Only Bleeding, and Its a Hard Rain Thats Gonna Fall.A girl and all her friends are held up in society, and they spend their time partying and buying each other expensive gifts. They count on that life could never get any better, or any worse. The girl is aware to pawn her diamond ring now. She used to laugh at those who she felt were below her, and the slang they used. direct she can see herself falling to the same fate, and there is nothing she can do. Youre invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal (line 53). Of course, if you have nothing and are nothing, you can lose nothing, because th ere is no one nerve-wracking to tear you down.The fourth and final stanza doesnt slack off when it comes to literary devices. In line 45 there is assonance with the words steeple and peopleImmediately following it in line 46 there is an internal rhyme with drinkin, thinkin. Line 48 gives Like a Rolling Stone its only example of alliteration. But youd better take your diamond ring, youd better pawn it babe (line 48). The phrase, Napoleon in rags in line 50 is an example of synecdoche for all people of power and money who have fallen from their place in society.Like a Rolling Stone, by Bob Dylan attempts to inculcate a lesson to the listener using different tales of woe. Many of Dylans songs are meant to be didactic, and I think this is mainly because Dylan was a folk singer, and at the time of his popularity a lot of songs were written to educate people about war, famine, and peace. Like a Rolling Stone is meant to teach people to be smart with their money and their trust, and to realize that they are invincible. Dylan uses a lot of internal rhyming and assonance in his songs, which make them accrue so much easier to the music, and makes listening to the songs much more enjoyable.The meter of Like a Rolling Stone changes through the course of the stanzas. Sometimes the lines are iambic, sometimes they have no meter at all, and are free verse. For the most part they are free verse. Like a Rolling Stone is a classic folk song in American culture, and instills in the listener the notion of falling from grace, maculation incorporating many literary devices to help prove a point and make the songs arguing more powerful. Many would argue that Bob Dylan is only a songwriter, not a poet. In time however, Bob Dylan will be honored, as he rightly should be, as a robust wordsmith who helped exploit America with songs such as, Like a Rolling Stone.