Bob Dylan // North Country Blues (Newport Folk Festival 1963)

[@TommyChardonneret]

Maybe I should be too ashamed to admit this, but now at the age of 70, trying to listen to this just once again made me shed so many tears that I could not endure the entire length of this song's then prescient sadness. Hopefully, the present generations will someday have as wise a young artist of inspiration in their lives to counterbalance the almost overwhelming inhumanity of these currently troubled times.

[@spoonful1018]

Grow a pair old man -it's never too late

[@cameroneagle4370]

one could say the liberal mindset of folks like dyan is the reason for the current troubled times ... God bless you sir.

[@mypalfootfoot9591]

@@cameroneagle4370 Only a delusional cultist would say that!

[@MediocreOriginals]

@@cameroneagle4370 thats it

[@MediocreOriginals]

there needs to be inspiration and there has been some it just dont get any attention because the inspiration and need for rebellion in on the right now.........

[@maxlubitsch1639]

This song debuted in 1964 highlighting issues like: abandonment, alcoholism, broken marriage, unemployment, foreign competition, rural flight, isolation and loneliness. All in a 4 minute song written in the female voice by a 22-year old male. This is more than a song, it is a work of art.

[@dwaynepagnotto6771]

Very good call on that.

[@rangerdanger10]

I grew up in the town he did. Been on the iron range my whole life. That pretty much sums it up.

[@modernhustle11]

Sounds like Minneapolis now

[@hokehinson5987]

Sounds like america today! Thanx unkel obiden....

[@dwaynepagnotto6771]

Very true that is.

[@BobLehman-ij1yj]

Regretfully I only have seen him live once in my life when I was 11 years old in 1971 . Many of his songs helped me through life's ups and downs . An amazing career and influence on my life ✌️♥️🙏

[@rb6338]

More than 60 years later this song keeps its tremendous emotional power magnified by the brilliant performance of Dylan❤❤❤!!

[@devildog_usmc9384]

Who’s watching this almost 60 years later

[@gs8459]

Moi

[@TommyChardonneret]

@@gs8459 Thanks for answering that self-proclaimed "Marine's" answer for me, and probably many 1,000's of others! But do you think such a snarky sniper from the wings would even comprehend what "moi" means? Then again, maybe that dog thinks it's an acronym for More Openminded Intellect? We can always hope?

[@mmedved5567]

Anyone with an IQ over 6.

[@jonsylte8570]

Most of us in Nothern Minnesota and Wisconsin are only a couple generations away from immigrants. Life was not easy for our grandparents. This song captures that.

[@franktriscari7778]

One of my favourite Bob Dillon songs. So poignant, it still holds true today in so many ways.

[@matthewbrazille9849]

Bod Dylan is a part of the fabric of my life. I discovered him in 1966 when I was in the Army. A buddy would play Bob's albums in the Barracks and educated me to his music.

[@rJBowker007]

Love how the older guys behind stare in awe of this young pup … legend

[@Adam-ud8ck]

Wonder what that guy thought of his pick producing that sound and song

[@tombryant52jumpscoach]

@@northscrow9316 I think I recognize Doc Watson there at 1:00.

[@TrapDeacon]

@@tombryant52jumpscoach good eye

[@fmpockets]

@@Adam-ud8ck and then bob keeps the pick and walks off

[@mezzmezzrow426]

@@tombryant52jumpscoach As well as Hobart Smith and Judy Collins

[@nolanwolfe]

60 years ago today- and the legend is still touring. Just saw him in concert a few days ago

[@aaronmalay5497]

Sixty years, and we're still watching the Appalachians rot from neglect.

[@RaxOldies]

1st time I saw Bob...Joan Baez brought him ...Newport '63...I was 14...took a bus to get there...too young to drive !! I think it was the best time of my life.

[@RaxOldies]

('64 & '65 too)

[@RaxOldies]

**To add....many times after this too...including Rolling Thunder...Bob just keeps evolving. God Bless him.

[@DavidLS1]

Dylan went from performing in coffee houses and folk festivals to releasing 40 studio albums, 102 singles, 24 notable extended plays, 61 music videos and 16 live albums. Not to mention winning an Oscar for best song. He currently has a net worth of over five hundred million dollars.

[@mmedved5567]

Don't forget a Nobel Prize. How many Jewish kids from northern Minnesota have a Nobel for literature? Heck how many small town kids from anywhere have one? A genius of word and song.

[@colinsweeney2628]

He’ll be 80 this coming May, be grateful that he was around in our lifetime

[@johnanderson8096]

AMEN!!!!!!!

[@Adam13Chalmers]

That I was around in his.

[@michaelfitzgerald3200]

Dear Colin Sweden , not to be nasty but Dylan was not talented nor a roll model for the young. In other words he was just a pot smocking drop kick no talent

[@David-th2ug]

@@michaelfitzgerald3200 your an ignorant dickhead.

[@shelly2599]

David 💯 🍻

[@dmlevitt]

he was 22 when this was recorded. just stunning. old soul.

[@alicat7281]

Yes, I think it’s safe to say he’s been around and around the mulberry bush before, probably dozens of times.

[@dineroroberto309]

Good way to put it

[@cisium1184]

He looks about 14.

[@shelly2599]

Wrote alot also recovering from an accident 💯🎶💕

[@bl8896]

Thanks for doing what the OP couldn't find the inner fortitude to do thyself, and let us know the obvious fucking question of this post

[@heatherlindquist1899]

I’m from the iron range in upper Michigan. This song hits close.

[@lesvitraux]

He must have been 22 but, goodness, he looks like a youngster and yet his stories and his lyrics belie his youth. Just amazing creative talent.

[@bsnf-5]

inspirational

[@FlatlandMando]

I know Bob's voice was never really the point...but I don't think his singing voice ever got better than this! (tongue in cheek)

[@kevanbrown7620]

'The sad silent song made the hour twice as long' What a killer line

[@O.D.E.GuitarSoundtracks]

Incredible talent in words

[@ShhmiaASMR]

3:13

[@kevanbrown7620]

Thanks for the link miagarcia 1488 very kind of you. Have You seen The Other Side Of The Mirror. I have it on dvd. It's Dylan playing Newport Festival from 1963-'65. It has this North Country Blues on it. I just love that line it just gets me every time i listen to it. Once again thank you very much for your post. Take Care.

[@mattenflogel1781]

It comes from inside...and it hit's different! Outstanding Performance!

[@kevanbrown7620]

@@mattenflogel1781 I haven't got a clue what you're talking about, but i agree it is a totally outstanding performance. 1 of so many. 👍

[@jakw97]

I dont see any artist ever touching his genius. One of a kind

[@ChrisHDolemite]

You obviously haven’t heard of The Misfits.

[@jakw97]

@@ChrisHDolemite ok bro

[@wstrt]

@@ChrisHDolemitewho? 😊

[@johnwaynes4417]

This performance is mesmerizing. I just can't imagine being there live and feeling this first hand. When I watch the people behind him I can feel the weight of what this performance means. Heavy...

[@KateBates22zabu]

I love this version & Dylan being so young & Judy Collins behind hum looked at him with awe & the guy he borrowed the pick from seemed to change his jokey attitude to admiration. Edit: thank you March 1, 2022🥀🥀🍒.

[@davidknoecklein5499]

Let us all remember: this is late summer Newport. Men in short sleeve shirts: so/ AUGUST ‘63. SO… John Kennedy is going to have his brain smeared across his wife in 70 days. J D Tippett is going to be murdered, Oswald is going to be murdered, Jack Ruby- murdered; Morgenschild murdered, and then the list of women: ….. learn the women’s names. Let their names and the lives break your heart.

[@bigmon5513]

imagine that today, no phones just sitting listening to the greatest songwriter ever ...

[@johnhulsker9123]

You have to remember, he was a great mimic, ask anyone from the Village days, surely you've heard his Guthrie,

[@johnanderson8096]

@@johnhulsker9123 Woody wrote his lyrics??? and you don't think Woody had a role model??? an idol??? Hello

[@rickschucker9697]

Sorry, he was good ,but Lightfoot is better by far.

[@auletjohnast03638]

Sorry big mon, Lennon/McCartney are the greatest ever.

[@mehedifaysal2575]

Yes

[@sandipchatterjee7746]

I'm 71 and an Indian. Even Bob may not have thought that this piece was in spirit relevant for all countries for all time. Perhaps one of his best socially relevant writings.

[@scottmcfarland5830]

everybody just can't believe what they're hear'n. just on a different level

[@user-ey2tb8cb1f]

Oddly enough ..Being the same age as Bob ..I happened to have been in Hibbing when Bob still lived there.. Masabi iron range ..open pit mine ...red dust town .. Made an unforgetable mark in my mind ...~~~

[@user-ey2tb8cb1f]

Oddly enough ..I too was in Hibbing .. and was also the one who wrote the above ..Bob and Hibbing are still on my mind ..Just like him to know his writing inspired me to write also ..impressions of a red dust town ...~~~

[@ajc.1012]

I feel blessed...I have been living in the same age as Bob Dylan, Muhammed Ali, Johan Cruyff and The Beatles. Thanks God.

[@klausrain111]

You forgot the Stones, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Sandy Koufax.

[@RobertoGaspar69]

cruyff? Wtf!? There was Pelé! R9... Michael Jordan,.... Buckethead! Jimmy and Beck! ... Bonham .... Hendrix! Cruyff ...? Pff. Zidane! Ronaldinho! Messi... Sean Connery....Nina Simone! Christopher Lee....:) l respectfully pee on your cruyff , sir! Cheers!

[@thomasopdahl1873]

You missed Martha Hook and Bud Moore, the Montana one.

[@mrwes100]

Same here

[@CasperA]

@@RobertoGaspar69 WTF, there's been Abby dingleton.... Rigobarto Nicholas, Yuko Liponikamento!!!?!? I disrespectfully took a dump on Péle

[@martincvitkovich724]

Bob's memory contains a billion lyrics

[@HelianaSuper]

My God.... How emotions come with this Bob's voice and Bob's young time...🎶🎶🎶🎶🎸🎸🌟🌟

[@louisp.2798]

You can tell the crowd knows they are witnessing something special.

[@Youssef51]

I think many of the the people sitting around listening suddenly realized that a page of history was turning while he sang that song. Doc Watson knew for sure.

[@Riatzi]

And after this stunning and jaw dropping performance, he just casually gets up and walks away.

[@Anthony-hu3rj]

And the difference ... 2 years later ... also at Newport ... the reaction to all the adulation ... much trouble (and fun) brewing.

[@PADE1RTW]

This song brings tears to my eyes and sends chills up my spine.

[@AintItGreat]

Clarence Ashley over one shoulder and Doc Watson over the other, what a time to be alive

[@cisium1184]

I was going to post that - "gee that looks like Doc Watson."

[@twocentproductions5326]

Ya you can c how all of them were mesmerized by Bob!!!

[@scottk895]

And Judy Collins behind him

[@rzu7120]

@@scottk895 I thought that was her.

[@calvinsbnb76]

It's absolutely incredible, seriously incredible, that a 22 year old from Mennesota could write this, and also perform it like this. The poise, the timing, the vocalising . . . not to mention the writing. WTF? Where did this even come from?

[@antonioHR23]

god or the devil...

[@codeninja1]

"The chief commander from this world and the one we cannot see" - Bob Dylan kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5Daco1mZ6-Iqq8si=7MbbuqkqF59_QPd4

[@jonncockrell3606]

Woody Guthrie was a seminal influence on Dylan. The same road .

[@calvinsbnb76]

@@jonncockrell3606 Thanks for the reply. I got that. I still say it's crazy, though. I mean, 22 years old, WTF? Serious literary genius there.

[@heatherlindquist1899]

From living in the Iron Range. Like me

[@feralmario310]

MERVEILLEUX Bob Dylan ! he makes me learn English to understand what he was singing

[@viviandarkbloom100]

A young Judy Collins over Bobs right shoulder.

[@cristinabumbac151]

One of his best songs. And he was so young! He certainly deserved the Nobel prize, the first singer who got it.

[@johnwilliams7600]

Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industrial activity today. Hibbing is Bob Dylan's childhood home.

[@carrielampert8281]

Also lived in a house in Duluth on the hill for a while.

[@michaelhoage6704]

i have been listing to bob for 50 years now and he never let me down yet

[@SMcNulty55]

Well there was Gotta Serve Somebody, so nobody’s perfect but, yeah pretty much!

[@JoeRivermanSongwriter]

Dylan was and probably still is a conduit for a spirit that is ageless, timeless, ancient and eternal.

[@alicat7281]

Joe Riverman I think so, too. I’m glad to be on the planet at the same time as he, though. Dylan is our American poet.

[@buckyoung4578]

As he is a Christian, it is the Holy Spirit of the Living God in Dylan that you have identified.

[@JoeRivermanSongwriter]

@@buckyoung4578 God and spirit is above religion. Christianity and all religions are psyops.

[@Piggy-Oink-Oink]

I'm sorry to say..The first time I ever saw him up close and he looked right at me, he was a ghost. And I've tried to derail that thought but its the truth. Happy BDay Bob.

[@SkrvnHiptR77]

That's a damn good guess friend!

[@noname-fr9ss]

WOW!! That is sooooooo good!

[@daverigby23]

Two chords and the truth

[@markwilliams439]

Amen!

[@wendyjohansen6174]

No exactly different then a child playing a banjo on a porch in West Virginia!

[@piotrczuprynski]

and room smellted heavy from drinking ... selection of words ... perfect

[@cognitivedissident2881]

Yeah as punk has taught us less is more and straight to the point.

[@loriholman6125]

@@piotrczuprynski I've been in all those Bars he was signing about, all around from that Town called HIBBING MN. 💥TRUTH💥

[@rob5363]

I first experienced Bob Dylan at the "Bitter End" NYC in 1963. I am 70 years old and cannot not imagine living with out his music.

[@kurtjohnson4816]

Did your parents take you?

[@jodyvetter8889]

this brings me back to when i was at my happiest.People lived with such passion. the future was bright. we helped, cared about and loved each other. Anyone who lived through the 50's, 60's and 70's should feel blessed and lucky to have been part of it.

[@selfhelp9685]

True that.

[@barbarasteed3966]

Oh yes have thoughts of those days often.

[@veganvvarrior]

Everyone who lived then should also have a lot of modesty, because you people ruined the planet and screwed over all generations that came after in multiple ways.

[@Almost10AM]

There was nothing but wars ... what good old days you are talking about.?

[@letteringkwok9889]

during that time, I really believed the future world would be better. At that time, I really believed.

[@judefliegler1745]

i love him

[@cameronmurie]

He was a power like a bass driven hurricane and will always be very close to my heart. Me and a few million I reckon.

[@DannyRoseOfficial]

One of the greatest performances of all time love it 🥰

[@johnbland714]

And he came down to earth sidesaddle on a meteorite...and the world was glad

[@benjaminb.6424]

Incredible stuff

[@kenseibert144]

1963 Foke Song Bob Dylan sang i love the music ❤️🎵🎵🎶😊

[@robertlaporte2998]

I have no words just Thankyou!

[@johnmitchelljr]

I thank the music gods for Mr. Dylan. Thank you.

[@scrumpymanjack]

Never heard him sing as well as this before. Great song. Great performance.

[@thetrevorosborne]

The Carnegie Hall show of 1963 is also fantastic a must listen

[@lawr66]

everybody thinks dylan couldn't sing - i've said it before - he could sing as well as John Denver, essentially perfect pitch, just different intonation

[@natetheannihilnater1886]

Nashville Skyline has some of his best singing.

[@stv111play]

the early raw days

[@minkeyboodlebeedly]

This song is such an impressive act of empathy.

[@fredgillespie5855]

A song about the effects of globalisation - everything is cheaper somewhere else and damn the consequences.

[@travelerculture4963]

Look up his performance of 'Only A Pawn In Their Game' in Greenwood, Missisippi. You can clearly see the black people in the fields listening to him getting in awe thinking "he knows how we feel"

[@bobsmith-ji2uh]

@@travelerculture4963 I always thought they looked like they were thinking “this guy can’t sing”.

[@travelerculture4963]

@@bobsmith-ji2uh perhaps both lol but yeah it was a big deal back then, Sam Cooke got astonished when he listened Blowin' In The Wind for the first time and learned a white person wrote it. Which inspired him to write A Change Is Gonna Come

[@gumpag2899]

jon morgan, exactly! And to think Dylan only got Bs in his school in Hibbing, whereas people like Ted Cruz (cum laude at Princeton) or Josh Hawley (phi beta kappa at Standford) are seen as the educated ones. America has an education system, but it's hard to say what it measures. It certainly doesn't measure empathy.

[@charlottehuang1207]

Thanks

[@fabriziobariggi3891]

22 years old ... and he was already a master

[@wolfwind1]

And there behind Bob, so young, singing this heartrending song of mining, family life, death, and poverty, the gorgeous Judy Collins, already famous and bringing his music to the world with her soaring voice.

[@dwaynepagnotto6771]

So that's who that is. I thought she looked kinda familiar.

[@peebeedee6757]

Yes, she looks on mesmorised, thinking ok, I’ve got a pretty voice but this guy’s poetry will last forever! He wouldn’t have paid her much attention since he was there in the company of one Joan Baez. Either immediately before or after this song they did another of his together: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2S4iYyAr8qfoZY&ab_channel=LeviWeiss

[@dew4040]

She is feeling the song too, watch her breathing.

[@janepiepes2243]

I'm reading all these wonderful comments. I'm so glad. And yeah, there's Judy Collins paying perfect attention

[@mugdiller2124]

What a beautiful back drop for this song - Doc Watson, bowed head, listening.

[@ladykfilmartproductions273]

And Judy Collins behind him😁

[@bruceringrose7539]

Clarence Ashley handed him the pick! I have a better video of this that shows someone else, can’t remember who (Pete S maybe), I’ll have to pull up mine and re-watch it.

[@gooders7366]

like a prayer 🙏

[@Bee-hf3fc]

@@bruceringrose7539 Bob asks him for the pic butI can't tell if he says his name. I really want to know now. You may very well be right about that being Pete.

[@blueconversechucks]

Yeah, wow. Legends.

[@packhams4]

What beautiful clarity in the recording....

[@jameskennedy721]

Super rare glimpse of Dylan , deep in his phase of expanding on what Woody Guthrie pioneered .

[@AnnaLVajda]

Yeah I read in a biography Woody was a big influence on him early on. Listen to the depth of concern that generation had at such a young age. I have heard 30 year olds now who sound about as mature as 15 just want the latest video game and he's 22 there sounds like he's a grandfather. Been orphaned in some mining town got a bunch of mouths to feed etc.

[@jameskennedy721]

A lot of this stuff is symbolic . When Biden was sworn in , one singer ( Jennifer Lopez ) sang THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND . This subtle song was written as part of a government program called the WPA . In a time of poverty , Franklin Roosevelt paid unemployed Americans to build roads , but also write songs , if they were musicians . Woody Guthrie wrote this " socialistic " song for pay , when his family was hungry - or almost there . The Democrats were saying to the world , " call us names if you wish , but we come from a deep tradition , of Americans caring for one another , in hard times ,and we are NOT ashamed of that ! " Dylan's favorite book was Guthrie's autobiography . He met the aging Guthrie , and sang to him . Check out the song NORTH COUNTRY BLUES by Dylan . Starving miners . Rich , distant mine owners . The haves and have nots . Pure Woody Guthrie , in a modern song . In one of her poems , the bank robber , BONNIE PARKER , mentions the WPA program in a wry joke . This is Americana , and it runs deep .

[@aeoteroa818]

ive read 8 biographies about him. youre wrong. dylan has admitted that he just played what he thought would bring him success. hes said this himself. you can put him on a pedestal but in reality he was just trying to make things stick and folk happened to be his first vehicle for that. he was a big fan of woody and he imitated him alot. this takes nothing away from the music for me. in alot of ways he wasnt a genius but knew how to use imitation and sometimes copy what he like. (copying melodies or songs in folk is not disrespectful and its pretty common) alot about him was purposefully artificial

[@DieLazergurken]

@@aeoteroa818 source?

[@wendyjohansen6174]

@@DieLazergurken Dylan wanted to make a career of doing Gunthrie songs In bars and coffee shops but there were too many impostors already doing it so he sang whatever until Joan Baez made his career.

[@willieluncheonette5843]

this is wonderful

[@charlessykes7161]

When the Truth of our lives lie broken at our feet our children will mold them into the promises we once hoped were real.

[@user-ch5ll3px7e]

Think u Mr Robert Zimmermann all m'y respect Big Love from morocco❤

[@jaymika100]

i been looking for this video for ages so happy its back up on youtube

[@robertrighetti6478]

I believe Judy Collins is sitting right behind Doc Watson. What a legendary concert!

[@stephanevincent7773]

Seigneur, tu es mon refuge pour moi, de chants de délivrance tu m'as entouré. Psaume 31, hébreu32. Merci Bob❤

[@shawndeleon9938]

I thank God for working for a hippie named Cliff that introduced me to Bob Dylan. I hope the best for his family as well. I hope they remember me?

[@wesleyjohndelaney106]

Everything from borrowing a pick from someone behind him to watching everyone's face go from smiles and laughing to "oh shit ,I'm witnessing something special right now."

[@TravisAMitchell]

Mom mom

[@bruceringrose7539]

I believe that is Clarence Ashley that gave him the pick! Trying to figure out the gentleman with the banjo to Clarence's right?

[@jaredwblack]

@@bruceringrose7539 Roscoe Holcombe?

[@Schatti789]

The guy - who gave him his pick - was no one else than young Chester Atkins !!!

[@peebeedee6757]

@@bruceringrose7539 Clarence Ashley would have been 68 in 1963. It's not him.

[@davecarron323]

the magnitude of this boys poetic intelligence. to tell a tale like that at his age shows such keen and discerning observation of the lives of people lived. to convey such tragic emotion and specific hardship for a fictional character is just incredible. musical giant

[@nyhcbd]

with likes from 80's thrash/death metal to other alternatives genres, man, i just luv Dylan! i could go from listening Morbid Angel to Dylan in a sec! and I luv even more the "acoustic" albums! what a writer, performer, artist... (no wonder about the Nobel)... the lyrics, the melody, his voice, his poetry, metaphors, hidden messages! he sings about life as hard as it could be, like in this song... see the people around him, quiet, listening to him... man, one just gotta luv Dylan!

[@iputuedysupartha7091]

Same here

[@handle8431]

Wow is that song underrated and probably not even considered one of his top 50 songs. Gave me chills listening to it.

[@illiadmcswain3956]

The simplest and most straightforward...the American folk song. He puts his heart into it.

[@ferociousgumby]

I always think it's part of a trilogy, along with Ballad of Hollis Brown and Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll.

[@sebastiandakin9]

Joan Baez did it too and absolutely nailed it. It's a different song but still amazing

[@bsnf-5]

@@ferociousgumby all greats songs, preach

[@ferociousgumby]

An incredible story, and he makes it seem so easy, but this guy has the perception of a man at the end of his life, when he's just a raw-boned kid. This is a magnificent piece of writing that is deceptively simple.

[@Fubeman]

Love seeing Doc Watson accompanying Bob.

[@TimNelson]

He lived down the street from my grandparents' home in Hibbing. Saw him running around town. A good boy.

[@patearly9492]

Great classic! Amazing that Bob could do such a masterpiece at such a young age! God bless everyone from Patrick

[@femmedeplume1]

Thank's a lot from France. Marvelous song !

[@fredhonest7258]

Hello Sylvie..

[@xy3536]

This youngsters voice And charisma is stunning.... Till now im in oooowwwee

[@emiliopedace3915]

Music Legend

[@burnellmusic]

The greatest folk/rock poet of my generation.

[@rolandl4782]

For my generation too. Born in the early sixties. Dylan became a favourite early on..

[@constantwireless3290]

Greatest song writer after his even more famous father. King David. Family business.

[@lottiehall9807]

always gives me the goosebumps

[@bellerophonchallen8861]

Some things in the world never change, one generation to the next.

[@ewaldspanner8815]

Oh yes, so true ! I just feel the same as I listen to young Bob !

[@loriholman6125]

Ditto🕊️&☮️

[@peteturner4427]

Yes

[@pauljenkins6807]

Same, it's like an old man singing through a young man's body.

[@odinp]

Truly a master song writer. Thanks for the music Bob.

[@vincarcin]

Generations of singer/songwriters owe it to this genius.

[@wesleyjohndelaney106]

Lyrics... Come gather 'round friends and I'll tell you a tale Of when the red iron pits ran a-plenty But the cardboard-filled windows and old men on the benches Tell you now that the whole town is empty In the north end of town my own children are grown But I was raised on the other In the wee hours of youth my mother took sick And I was brought up by my brother The iron ore poured as the years passed the door The drag lines an' the shovels they was a-humming 'Till one day my brother failed to come home The same as my father before him Well, a long winter's wait from the window I watched My friends they couldn't have been kinder And my schooling was cut as I quit in the spring To marry John Thomas, a miner Oh, the years passed again, and the giving was good With the lunch bucket filled every season What with three babies born, the work was cut down To a half a day's shift with no reason Then the shaft was soon shut, and more work was cut And the fire in the air, it felt frozen 'Till a man come to speak, and he said in one week That number eleven was closing They complained in the East, they are paying too high They say that your ore ain't worth digging That it's much cheaper down in the South American towns Where the miners work almost for nothing So the mining gates locked, and the red iron rotted And the room smelled heavy from drinking Where the sad, silent song made the hour twice as long As I waited for the sun to go sinking I lived by the window as he talked to himself This silence of tongues it was building 'Till one morning's wake, the bed it was bare And I was left alone with three children The summer is gone, the ground's turning cold The stores one by one they're all folding My children will go as soon as they grow Well, there ain't nothing here now to hold them

[@loriholman6125]

Thank you.

[@KateBates22zabu]

I think he says the stars one by one are folding..not stores But I could be wrong. For 57 years I been hearing stars...I'll have to listen again Thank you for taking the time to type this in entirety 🥀

[@KateBates22zabu]

I listened again & it could be stores but I'm a stick with the stars blinking out

[@hywelthomas5515]

Also I think (2:44) "They Say in the East, they are paying too high. then (3:13) "And the sad, silent song made the hour twice as long". How does such a long song seem so short?

[@fiorellafenati5395]

a masterpiece, only so many other Bob songs are. A true Master

[@temsedgwick9494]

Robert Zimmerman - LEGEND.

[@wendyjohansen6174]

Why didn’t he have the balls to keep his name?

[@pauljenkins6807]

This is some good stuff

[@groovyguru5314]

The start of something extraordinary

[@cworegon3164]

The on lookers just thinking “Where did this guy come from” just stunning. Feel fortunate to be part of his generation.

[@loriholman6125]

My Father's Home Town. It was hard. Bob got out so did my Father, WWII.

[@laurentmouflier]

Truly spectacular ❤❤❤I mean seriously. The song itself made me sad and emotional . Like a great movie plot. This is beyond greatness.

[@alexbowman7582]

Tell it like it is Bob.

[@raindeerprojekt4119]

I was Listening to a lot of heavy metal in my early teens.(1980's 90's) Then I heard this..... It was The Hardest Darkest and heaviest Sound I had ever felt... It made me feel Sick and Scared and Changed my Life...30 years later... Still Writing songs and Listening to this Pied piper

[@deriangueldner23]

one of the most ironic things about music, loud doesnt always mean heavy. Beethoven Symphony no.7 in A major, Op. 92 is one of my favorite examples

[@wendyjohansen6174]

It made me sick and annoyed so I never listened anymore!😂

[@SkrvnHiptR77]

@@wendyjohansen6174 😶

[@psmguy63]

@@wendyjohansen6174 annoyed at him or the story line or just the endless struggle of human life regardless the decade, century, millennia? Curious and respect your freedom to express a view and expand upon it. Have a fantastic week.

[@TBrickvision]

That's exactly how I was affected when I heard "The Ballad of Hollis Brown". Darker then any metal song I'd ever heard.

[@insomniac2340]

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing this man live.

[@joekavanagh7171]

Me too. Slane 1984

[@mumbles215]

5x for me and long for 6th

[@jamesonredbreast6310]

I love the faces in the background frozen in stunned amazement.

[@emmanuelvillalobos7093]

He was born a legend

[@jackdawification]

Incredible!

[@mikeyj.3605]

The way Dylan sings this is perfect. So happy to see this on youtube again. It makes you think that there might be more than meets the eye.

[@loriholman6125]

Robert Zimmerman aka Bob Dylan; He grew up in HIBBING MN.,all of the men worked the Iron Oar Mines that's all they knew, his Family own a Cleaners. They were Jewish. He got out of that Town and so did my Father but by WWII, my Father return a couple of times per. year. All the men would be sitting in the same Bar's surrounded this Town drinking, we would stop in the same men would be sitting at the same seats telling the same stories year after year. That's all they knew is was their Father's did to their Grandfather's did. It was sad but as I know they all died and very few moved on. It was once the Richest to the Rags now not as bad in parts their Highschool there in that Town was nicer then the White House, even had a indoor pool. So glad my Family was from there, a Town but with Strong Immigrants and PROUD.

[@loriholman6125]

There was he got out of a Mining Town to WINNING THE NOBEL PRIZE, passing everyone by far..

[@mikeyj.3605]

@@loriholman6125 It's incredible how he describes the lives here. Thanks for sharing some memories of that town. Gives this song more background.

[@jacksonmorganfroghin4815]

I heard Dylan say in an interview that when he started playing music he really just did it to get girls. He wanted to be like Elvis, not to sound like him but to change music in a very profound way. Which he did. Eddie Murphy's big dream was also to be Elvis. In the comedy world. Which he was. The Beatles also wanted to be like Elvis. Not to imitate but to have a tremendous influence. Which they did. We can all agree on that.

[@custer2449]

Mikey, there IS.

[@fraseredkins2509]

Earliest Bob I've ever seen. Tks.

[@stumac59]

This is wonderful ✌️♥️🙏✊

[@ioannisc.drivas2657]

The young, simple and legendary Bob

[@ianflemming7389]

Nothing simple about him. Unless you’re simple. The man is a mirror. This song reflected decades of middle class nightmares. Who are you my friend? Are you simple?

[@kavityphiller4891]

Wow- pretty harsh reply to a straightforward note of appreciation- it seems YOU may be the simple one my friend...

[@hookywookywithmalarkyman704]

Most iconic voice ever along with leonards.

[@paulrevere2928]

Who is Leo Nards?

[@hookywookywithmalarkyman704]

@@paulrevere2928 Cohens of course !

[@Ellen-hs7zb]

Leonard Cohen

[@joseramonespadaeraso3077]

gracias