The Never Ending Pool

confuse the inspiration with the art

please explain

don't understand the question.

what means more echo helstrom or the song

Bob says most of the songs were 'magically written.' I think the songs means more than where they came from or what inspired them. I don't really care about that.

'The songs were there before me, I just sort of came along and took them down with a pen.' Bob has some kind of mystical view of it. It's impenetrable.

nothing mystical about thievery.
of course the song was there before he came along and wrote it down.
someone else wrote it first.
what is so mystical about that?
its called folk music, passing the songs down

wurlitzer.... please explain

Michael Harding wrote:

QUOTE:
'The songs were there before me, I just sort of came along and took them down with a pen.' Bob has some kind of mystical view of it. It's impenetrable.

Bob was quoting "It's All Right, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)." You know,

"Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, a child's balloon ... ."

My take is that Bob was talking about a group on songs from that period that were "magically written," for which it may be questionable as to whether or not thievery was involved, as wurlitzer suggests. I don't think that "North Country Blues," for example. was "magically written." Whether or not "thievery" was involved in that particular case, I cannot say. No doubt, someone around here would know.

Bill is referring to the songs 64-66. I said that I can't penetrate Bob's personal view of how such songs were written. They weren't stolen, anymore than any song is stolen. Re confusing inspiration with art-I get confused just thinking about such things.

.

I think what Bob Dylan meant about the songs "being there" and "magical" etc he's saying that anyone with those ideas, thoughts, inspirations, energy and hunger for success, all spinning about in their heads could have done the same as him ! But in truth there was no one else before him who had those attributes to take the song world by surprise and spin it on it's head.

Many took HIS inspirations and ideas and followed in his footsteps.

He delved back to many forms - poetry, folk, traditional, blues, nursery rhymes, sea shanties, The Bible - everything, to bring some of it back to life that's not thieving - that is being inspirational and creative - we would never move on in any art form if we stayed static - Bob Dylan was the one person who moved FORWARD with music because he delved BACK and I'm so glad he did, his songs are filled with every form of emotion and colour and fun and sadness and thought provoking and humour and despair and hope - he's unique

Many of Bob Dylan songs are surreal, some with hidden meanings and thoughts only Dylan knows the answers to. But many are just his thoughts & feelings that everyone can understand.

im confused now.
he said that about its alright ma?
where and when?
its one of the most original things he has ever done. both musically and lyrically, it has no basis that i know of in the lexicon of folk music from which who so liberally stole.

i was referring to the songs dylan was referring to when he said the songs were in the air already and he just wrote them down,
which i took to mean that restless farewell used the melody of the parting glass, song to woody 1913 massacre, and most of the other songs from those first albums using folk melodies for his own lyrics.....

but i think i miss the point of this post altogether.

wurlitzer wrote

QUOTE:
im confused now.
he said that about its alright ma?
where and when?
its one of the most original things he has ever done. both musically and lyrically, it has no basis that i know of in the lexicon of folk music from which who so liberally stole.

He recited those lines to Ed Bradley in the CBS interview.

QUOTE:
i was referring to the songs dylan was referring to when he said the songs were in the air already and he just wrote them down,
which i took to mean that restless farewell used the melody of the parting glass, song to woody 1913 massacre, and most of the other songs from those first albums using folk melodies for his own lyrics.....

I think that something similar was said, but some years (decades?) ago, and without the use of the word "magic." And my hunch/memory is that the sorts of songs that you cite matched the comment made at that time.

QUOTE:
but i think i miss the point of this post altogether.

Maybe, I do.

wurlitzer, the reference that I am referring to appeared in this interview that aired on DE 05 04. The bit about the "magic" begins at about the two minute mark:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2L2VwHIv1k