Bob Dylan - Changing of the Guards (Official Audio)

“Changing of the Guards" by Bob Dylan
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Lyrics:
Sixteen years
Sixteen banners united over the field
Where the good shepherd grieves
Desperate men, desperate women divided
Spreading their wings 'neath falling leaves.
Fortune calls
I stepped forth from the shadows to the marketplace
Merchants and thieves, hungry for power, my last deal gone down
She's smelling sweet like the meadows where she was born
On midsummer's eve near the tower.
The cold-blooded moon
The captain waits above the celebration
Sending his thoughts to a beloved maid
Whose ebony face is beyond communication
The captain is down but still believing that his love will be repaid.
They shaved her head
She was torn between Jupiter and Apollo
A messenger arrived with a black nightingale
I seen her on the stairs and I couldn't help but follow
Follow her down past the fountain where they lifted her veil.
I stumbled to my feet
I rode past destruction in the ditches
With the stitches still mending beneath a heart-shaped tattoo
Renegade priests and treacherous young witches
Were handing out the flowers that I'd given to you.
The palace of mirrors
Where dog soldiers are reflected
The endless road and the wailing of chimes
The empty rooms where her memory is protected
Where the angel's voices whisper to the souls of previous times.
She wakes him up
Forty-eight hours later the sun is breaking
Near broken chains, mountain laurel and rolling rocks
She's begging to know what measures he now will be taking
He's pulling her down and she's clutching on to his long golden locks.
Gentlemen, he said I don't need your organization, I've shined your shoes
I've moved your mountains and marked your cards
But Eden is burning either brace yourself for elimination
Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards.
Peace will come
With tranquillity and splendor on the wheels of fire
But will bring us no reward when her false idols fall
And cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating
Between the King and the Queen of Swords.
#BobDylan #Folk #SingerSongwriter

[@tottifrancaisco6421]

i wonder how come people like me in Morocco for example arab muslim country far from the west and they all know and love all dylan's songs? the answer is that's what we call real art for artsake.art has no nationality and location. i ve been listening to dylan me and my familly from his first beginnings during the 60s dylan is a great man of art.hello from casablanca Morocco

[@tottifrancaisco6421]

@@vincentfernandez7328 he is not a jew nor christian he signed the pact with the devil u can check on youtube his interview in which he cofessed this

[@alancarlton8380]

You're not the only person with similar feelings of Bob Dylan....somuchso they gave him the Noble Peace prize......we'll still be listening when we move to outer space 😂❤❤

[@alancarlton8380]

Ps...hello from London England ❤❤

[@jadebrees3144]

Can I tell you guys something? I’ve actually never heard this song before in my life. I was converting my home videos to digital and watching footage of my dad. My dad passed away 16 years ago when I was 16 years old. In one video, he looks at the camera that’s being held by my mother and he says, “I love you, baby. I’ll always love you. You’re the IT of it all.” He lays a vinyl down on the player and this song begins… it was like a scene from a movie. And hearing, “16 years……. 16 years”. Well, hearing it made me tear up immediately. What are the chances I find this video and it’s been 16 years since he passed when I was just 16 years old? Thank you for reading… Have a lovely day. ❤

[@johnvanzant2398]

You’re dad sounded awesome.

[@lesterepperson6331]

God bless and carry on, love 💕 and prayers 🤟🎶🎶❤️❤️

[@jimfischione2743]

WOW!

[@ChrisDefalcoblues]

God Bless you😇

[@jeffclement2468]

"I've worked with a couple of the greats...but Dylan takes the cake."- G.Harrison 🌹

[@GrantAnderson-p6v]

You were one of the lucky ones in more ways than you ....all the greatest you had the privilege to work with ....not to mention ...they had the privilege to work with you ....another one of the GREATEST

[@GrantAnderson-p6v]

I would have GIVEN you my girlfriend just for the opportunity to hang around in your shadow

[@GrantAnderson-p6v]

I hope you know I'm talking to George...not you Jeff

[@davido3026]

He deserves it!

[@timwilson9900]

Yes!!​@@GrantAnderson-p6v

[@MilesJordan-om8yt]

This song alone is worth a Nobel Prize. I play it whenever I need relief from the madness. So soothing, so inspiring, simply brilliant.

[@pauledwards8275]

A smoke and a couple of nips of vodka works well ... but I know what you mean. The chanting voice and the reply.

[@timearp1229]

@@pauledwards8275 I've just reconnected with this song after many years of not being able to play my old vinyl collection. I totally agree its genius, pure genius. The lyrics are pure poetry.

[@sadderthanyou7793]

@@timearp1229 Patti Smith did a surprisingly good cover of this.

[@robertshapiro3733]

This superb song is a highlight of my final years in Graduate School. When Dylan performed this song soon after the album's release, its performance hadn't yet been altered being temporally close to its conception. I was working at an upscale dept. store supporting my academics and was looking forward to taking a date, Chris McK..... and as the concert approached she kept insisting that following the concert she was not going to spend the night at my apartment, and kept insisting that very mantra. The concert must have worked magic on her, however--she did indeed spend the night with me. I just had to get over a comment she made weeks earlier that troubled me but I tried to ascribe it to her most unusual sense of humor: "You know, you look like David Berkowitz." It was a fun night and she did indeed survive.

[@jeffreydowell8970]

My favorite

[@allanb9709]

I thought I had a favourite Dylan song, but it's not possible. One leads to the next.

[@Gethsemane956]

Haha. My sentiments exactly. I jump from Tambourine Man to Like a Rolling Stone to ALL THE REST haha

[@paulgreenaway-jl6ik]

So true mate as all Dylan's songs are fantastic 😊 and lyricaly he is a genius 👌

[@HamiltonRb]

@@paulgreenaway-jl6ik One of my best friends is black, and hasn't heard Dylan before. I told him the story of Hurricane, and played it for him. Lot of tears were shed believe me, and Bob has a new fan.

[@deeday4361]

Too true

[@saskiafinnan4216]

@@HamiltonRb Dylan brings people together from all races, all walks of life, throughout all of time. He is so beautiful that way. Music heals everything.

[@thinkNewIdeasNow]

The goodness of this song is beyond communication.

[@beverlykasahara8485]

I've been with him on his journey and I cannot get enough. I'm 70 now.

[@nancykargl4708]

Me too

[@angusmount3913]

Bob was born to tell the future

[@anthonyscott5612]

Me too, I'm 69. I enjoy his music, but there are occasions that he's terrible live. The honest truth. He's a musical God. March 18, 2024

[@bonnyholder]

76 for me. And now he makes more sense than ever.

[@gaynorplant]

I was introduced to him by a friends husband when I was about 22 been a huge fan since I’m in my 50s now 👍😀

[@plbeckman]

Such a classic. Glad to see the comments.

[@rebeccahafferkamp322]

Once again, I am listening to and absorbing this album. It is probably my favorite. A verse I find particularly intriguing........."Gentlemen, he said. I don't need your organization. I've shined your shoes and marked your cards, but Eden is burning. Either getting ready for elimination, or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guard". It's 2022 and I continue to be amazed by his lyrical genius. I'm 68 and must have a regular dose of Dylan. My list of favorites is endless, yet he has written so much more. It's so good to see that there are so many out there who appreciate z

[@DerekGiesbrecht]

Just as there is impressionist painting, there is impressionist prose. No one else does it like Dylan, he's the Salvador Dali of songwriters, concerned with images, impressions

[@Gethsemane956]

My sentiments exactly. I listened to street legal around 1981-82 in North Carolina stationed with the Marines. Am 64 now and have my collection of over 32 Dylan albums which I still listen to. Saw Dylan in Austin, Tx in 1986 on his True Confessions Tour with Tom Petty. Ahhh the memories!!!

[@stephenhunter4886]

He does that to you doesn,t he,Sometimes you just need to stop and listen to him and ya just feel so good after listening to this legend

[@Philinleshed]

Idk album wise Blood on the Tracks still reigns supreme for me...but damn if this isn't one of my absolute favorite Dylan songs of all time.

[@WarwickFry]

It's a nice comment on the English 'scene'.

[@loudeedee]

How many have been moved by this Genius? He Inspired a generation to open their minds. Thank you Bob Dylan

[@julianciahaconsulting8663]

more than just one generation

[@kooale]

A complete unknown

[@DannyCuddy-n7v]

My dad is the man who introduced me to Bob dylan he played guitar I remember this song fuckn brilliant 👏 my early memory was blood on the tracks buckets of rain and the jack of hearts greetings from Liverpool England 🇬🇧 keep chillin with dylan folks

[@bonnyholder]

Yeah! Yeah!

[@nickiperk]

I’m also one super lucky to have a dad who was a big Dylan fan. A farmer, too, he was.

[@DannyCuddy-n7v]

@bonnyholder what you mean yeah yeah hope you respect a fuckin great musician and genius lyrisistgive man respect brother

[@Genjo_N_Mojave]

Lyrics: Sixteen years Sixteen banners united over the field Where the good shepherd grieves Desperate men, desperate women divided Spreading their wings 'neath the falling leaves Fortune calls I stepped forth from the shadows to the marketplace Merchants and thieves, hungry for power, my last deal gone down She's smelling sweet like the meadows where she was born On midsummer's eve, near the tower The cold-blooded moon The captain waits above the celebration Sending his thoughts to a beloved maid Whose ebony face is beyond communication The captain is down but still believing that his love will be repaid They shaved her head She was torn between Jupiter and Apollo A messenger arrived with a black nightingale I seen her on the stairs and I couldn't help but follow Follow her down past the fountain where they lifted her veil I stumbled to my feet I rode past destruction in the ditches With the stitches still mending 'neath a heart-shaped tattoo Renegade priests and treacherous young witches Were handing out the flowers that I'd given to you The palace of mirrors Where dog soldiers are reflected The endless road and the wailing of chimes The empty rooms where her memory is protected Where the angels' voices whisper to the souls of previous times She wakes him up Forty-eight hours later, the sun is breaking Near broken chains, mountain laurel and rolling rocks She's begging to know what measures he now will be taking He's pulling her down and she's clutching on to his long golden locks Gentlemen, he said I don't need your organization, I've shined your shoes I've moved your mountains and marked your cards But Eden is burning, either getting ready for elimination Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards Peace will come With tranquility and splendor on the wheels of fire But will offer no reward when her false idols fall And cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating Between the King and the Queen of Swords (If you've read this far, to the end, then you realize what a Masterpiece of poetry Dylan has painted. What all it means is up to you, allegory or otherwise.)

[@lenafay6641]

You

[@lenafay6641]

Classic

[@davidyoung]

It's "but will offer no reward". Otherwise, good work. It's a fantastic piece of song-writing, isn't it?

[@Genjo_N_Mojave]

@@davidyoung *Thanks for the correction! I have edited the line, and appreciate your help.*

[@jasonsenator6144]

Like every things good Dylan did all in one

[@Enneise]

I'm French and I can listen to this song more than a million times. I'll never,never be tired. And in fact, it's the same for all Bob Dylan' s songs. ❤❤❤

[@evafohlin4857]

Same here..I can listen over and over...also to his song hurricane . All the best to you from Sweden

[@markyarbrough4806]

Bless you for having a soul.

[@Enneise]

Thank you and all the best to you too. From Réunion Island ( a French department in the Indian Océan ) ,​@@evafohlin4857

[@Enneise]

​@@markyarbrough4806 Bless you too.

[@eddisstreet]

especially All The Tired Horses!!

[@IrisGalaxis]

You know it's a masterpiece when the lyrics move you without you comprehending them

[@Mrpachuko13]

16 years!

[@franceleeparis37]

You have to have lived in the time this was written…to understand the imagery 🙂

[@AA-sn9lz]

@@franceleeparis37 can you help?

[@franceleeparis37]

@@AA-sn9lz well, here’s my take: The song is about a change in the world order, of the Cold War, Vietnam , the black civil rights movement, End of colonialism… it was the best of times and the worst of times, The first verse is about the number of different nations that fought over Vietnam. The falling leaves refer to Agent Orange that desperate Americans sprayed across the jungles to de-leaf the hiding places of the Vietcong Verse 2 & 5 is about all the guys going about their normal life not really caring about the changing world Verse 3 is about some leader who is in love with his black maid, but he doesn’t join the celebrations because he know he will lose her with the civil rights movement Verse 4 is obscure but I think it about the French collaborators during the war who had their head shaved. The woman probably stopped believing God, but in the end went ahead with a traditional church wedding Verse 6 is about the French Revolution when the king was overthrown and the people took over (Palace of mirror= Versailles). The first real change in world order. Verse 7 is about the the hippies who are just living in a stupor during the tumultuous change.. Verse 8 is about the civil rights movement where the blacks have become emancipated and no longer have to do menial jobs The last verse is the coming of the messiah and Ezekiel vision of the angel of God coming in a wheel of fire to bring everlasting peace since everybody in the sixties believed that the end of the world was near

[@milesjolly6173]

I usually try to comprehend the lyrics of songs but with Bob I think it’s beyond my mental ability to figure out, so I just let his words wash over me and enjoy the melody and lyrics. The guy is the Shakespeare of our times. Respect.

[@DAVIDNichols-c7t]

Always Look both ways Before Crossing the Street...

[@pufmama]

One of the worlds best songs. No one ever wrote such lyrics. Incredible masterpiece.

[@jeffmilner8740]

Tarot influence ?

[@jeffmilner8740]

Yes, brilliant song

[@stuartparker3923]

Street legal is an amazing album.

[@F0LTRAN]

♥️🎼🎶

[@hernanyamaha]

Sure !!!

[@jeffparker8913]

I have to agree with all who say this is his most underrated album. In 1978 I was studying for my 'A' levels, the exams that would decide whether or not I got into university, when Dylan came to play six nights in London, right in the middle of my exams. I queued for 27 hours to get the maximum four tickets, took two of my exams on three hours sleep. Never regretted it.

[@mauricewalshe8234]

I rember playing this in my 6th form class room

[@robertblenkinsop2483]

Saw him 4 times in uk 👍👍👍

[@44zaydin]

I was in that queue too. All night in Hanover Square.

[@jeffparker8913]

@@44zaydin Night of the FA Cup final I seem to recall. Lots of somewhat bemused football fans wandering about.

[@oooo8493]

Rock n roll ✌️

[@paulgreenaway-jl6ik]

For my good friend and fellow Bob Dylan fan Davy who died suddenly today 30th may 2024 on holiday 😢I will always remember you mate and never forget you 😢😢 "At peace"🙏

[@divalivingston1664]

Sorry to hear of the passing of your friend, Davy. I’m a female and my nickname as a child was Davie. A good song to remember him by. Blessings to you and to the good memories of friends.

[@avebehrendt2300]

Sorry for the loss of your friend❤

[@jamesfallon9265]

Sorry for your loss.... He had fine taste in music

[@NaomiNay-ei4jv]

Made me Cry, sorry ❤

[@giovannitatti4042]

Hasta siempre, O Salude e Vida ! 👍💪🍷🍷

[@shcxatter2]

Seriously, does anybody come even close to this lyrical profundity? If someone knows other artists like these, please share!

[@burkhardsieber8798]

Leonhard Cohen.

[@burkhardsieber8798]

Leonard Cohen

[@schorschzumtal7326]

Ach Gott! "Street Legal" habe ich (Jahrgang 1962) damals rauf- und runtergehört. Die Platte hat mich zum echten Dylan-Fan gemacht.

[@ashleigh8453]

My wee brother loved this song.. he was beyond his years. Passed away at 25 heart breaking but this song gives me comfort ❤❤

[@okalright8097]

Sorry for your loss. May this song bring you peace when you most need it most ❤

[@aJarrowLad525]

Your brother is with you when this is played sorry for your loss

[@Snwman_]

Street Legal is a great album.

[@amaranthine4015]

This song is criminally underrated. 💔

[@bradtrimble1728]

Underarated by who? The critics? smh...

[@antonisahajiorgis4775]

It simply is one of his best, definitely on my top ten Dylan songs

[@justsaying605]

Read Dylan's Chronicles, it's a great book. If you're waiting for this song to be rated it won't be. It was written in 1978 lol.

[@nelsonx5326]

@@justsaying605 I read that book. It was interesting, brought Dylan down to earth. I think there's a Chronicles 2. This song, I'd play it over and over.

[@remorufer5754]

the whole record street legal is underrated. that means we can listen to it on our own. because its great.

[@prudencastaneda4669]

¡Gracias Bob!

[@AdamAndersonMusica]

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 I couldn't tell you what these lyrics mean, but they make me feel things beyond communication. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@Bobcats-PoppyandRosey]

💯. Good way to word it. I've kinda made up my own meaning. I've done that with a few other Dylan songs

[@THEJR-of5tf]

I have been a Dylan fan since 1963. I have every album he made. Changing of the guard is better than people realise.

[@clay408]

I can't understand the music critics at all, who gave this album a lukewarm evaluation.

[@stevenhanson6057]

Had it all going on

[@milesjolly6173]

Who cares what critics think? It’s only opinions. If you like it, that’s fine. If you don’t, that’s also fine.

[@caroleking4095]

Lifelong Dylan fan, now aged 71, never ever tire of his amazing lyrics, absolute genius. Street Legal is one of my favourites. His early songs are just as relevant now. Blowing in the Wind and Times They Are A Changing, were prophetic. An amazing songwriter.

[@ecyt4237]

My favourite are the witmark demos

[@Suzisart]

Dylans tunes are ageless because they are channelled by spirit

[@lpquagmire3621]

This had me hooked from the first time I heard it years ago -- such a groove to this one!

[@mountaintyme2000]

I will celebrate these lyrics 'tl the end of time.

[@hannavaisanen-rouvinen7045]

Me also❤

[@riproaring3140]

Yep.

[@Countdownia]

This song should get the noble award for literature

[@fernandodefrutosballestero8170]

Dylan ya lo tiene, entre otras cosas por esta joya

[@williamsullivan4994]

One of Dylan's best songs both lyrically and musically. Thank you eternally Bob.

[@henkhoed9635]

bedankt Bob dylan

[@mcfrans11]

This is the best song ever written

[@jimshier2901]

YES

[@tizfrreecharm]

"Renegade priests and treacherous young witches" - been a favorite lyric since I first heard it.

[@kenbellchambers4577]

My God, how true - stunning. This guy is a genius.

[@mariaafricapinedolopez9372]

The best song for ever

[@mikechirrick]

One of Bobs best Albums but for some reason people dont seem to get it. Too bad! Ive been listening to Street Legal for 40 years....Love it...

[@TheJazz61]

Me too .i still have the cassette on stereo 7...!,

[@johansterk354]

@@TheJazz61 I also have the cassette, the minidisc, the 8-track and many copies of the album on vinyl, the 7' as well, that's how much I love this song. Greetings.

[@senadbajrami6910]

It's his best album. Period Who cares what people think? ✌️

[@almirpaixaofreitasmachado1476]

Brasil.

[@MrThermostatic]

Street Legal has been called underrated for so many years now, that I no longer think it qualifies as "underrated" anymore.

[@roscoefoofoo]

"But Eden is burning! Either get ready for elimination or your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards." When Bob is right, he's very, very right.

[@space8387]

Wow you made me think of Covid. Eden is burning it eliminating the past, need courage!!!!

[@georgecoventry8441]

"Peace will come, with tranquility and splendor on the wheels of fire, but will offer no rewards when the false idols fall, and cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating between the King and the Queen of Swords." One of the greatest songs of all time, sung as only Bob can sing it!

[@hodathunkit8572]

@@georgecoventry8441 Trumps pandemic

[@jacksonk.fozzbodie213]

@@hodathunkit8572 Fuck you.

[@sas6561]

@@jacksonk.fozzbodie213 ... Stephen Miller / Marjorie Taylor Green ticket in 2024 for you???

[@MellowMutts270]

One thing I love about Dylan is the undertones of rebelliousness. His music just speaks to my soul in a way no other artist could.

[@fredlibby8518]

Yes, he speaks universally like no other.

[@dvdortiz9031]

​@fredlibby8518 folks, try "Van Morrison" Dylan's closest pal, named Van the Man!!!

[@dvdortiz9031]

Genius

[@constantwireless3290]

Not rebellious a discipel of truth. He can not help himself. He must do it. A true member of the priesthood.

[@mfrmorrobay]

Dylan acknowledged the lyrical ambiguity of this song in a 1978 interview, commenting: "It means something different every time I sing it. 'Changing of the Guards' is a thousand years old' - at another time he said 'What does it matter what a song means if it sounds good?'

[@peterfangiullo2064]

I listen to this, My Back Pages, and Stuck Inside of Mobile.... about 20 minutes of music that have confounded and changing meanings for the past 40 years to me

[@alancarlton8380]

If Bob said that in front of me I'd reply; of course it's important what it's about, otherwise I'd think a song was about a woman and after hearing & singing several times with enthusiasm someone might think I'm weird enjoying a song about Mugabe or the Atomic bomb🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@gudlisner501]

Refer to that press conference when he said “Some are about 3, some are about 4 etc minutes long”

[@clintressel359]

My favorite Dylan song and there are MANY!❤

[@KnutHoiby]

But it does matter

[@phildavison9100]

What do these lyrics mean? No idea. Did Bob know what they meant? No. He was touched by God. And now they mean everything to us.

[@scottdraper1822]

I cannot stop hearing this song

[@Mr.Jtea3]

I feel like my dad liked bob Dylan this is the type of music he listened to. I’ll never know. Miss you everyday my best friend. He was my number one fan and I miss that so much. Life is a great thing

[@trailingarm63]

Got this album when I was in my local sixth-form (16 to 18-years-old). A bleak North Wales in the late '70s. I knew nothing, my teachers new nothing. But listening to this album made me realise there was a big world out there that needed exploring. Cheers for that Bob.

[@sterlingceballo4794]

Education on a whole nother level

[@nateb335]

Nobel Prize Winner indeed

[@grahamedwards7658]

His influence ,on the music ,is immeasurable .Not just in 60's and 70's 80's and 90's . Even today .He IS a genuine American legend . Not just in u.s.a ,but around the world

[@gerardclarke1664]

And so say all of us dear friend !!!!

[@brianhiggins8603]

Dylan is god

[@sh230968]

Very special phenomenon for 60s and 70s. Unique lyrics and huge cultural importance. But an annoying and complex person. Cannot take away his greatness from him though. Not that I am trying to.

[@natestricker]

Dylan inspired the Beatles. That’s pretty much all that needs to be said.

[@cesarreyes8150]

You better believe it,,!!!! I'm from Peru....

[@gigliolaschenardi8086]

Bob Dylan è sempre Bob Dylan!!!!!

[@inverterville]

that opening line SIXTEEN YEARS so simple and yet so powerful, even now after all these years I keep finding stuff in this song, a masterpiece

[@adamchagoya6922]

Reminds me of four score and twenty years ago

[@adamchagoya6922]

I meant seven years ago

[@MichaelSmith-tp1pj]

underrated song

[@richardgenz7406]

yeah it does hit hard "Guards" was released sixteen years after his first album

[@raybosman204]

Poet Maybe??

[@MarquisSmith]

Imagine how good your regular stuff has to be to have songs like this in your back pocket.

[@AndrewHindley]

That's why he is bob dylan

[@nancyromero7965]

..... and say thanks for this great song.....we need a changing of the guards more now than ever...

[@nancyromero7965]

Bob Dylan is one of the most amazing persons in my lifetime which spans two centuries... dob 1951. Thanks again Bob Dylan.... thousands of Thanks 🙏

[@andrewft31]

He was born in 1941 not 1951.

[@nancyromero7965]

@@andrewft31 I was born in 1951.

[@nancyromero7965]

@@andrewft31 first time I heard him was at 12 or 13 in Concert Miami Beach.

[@nancyromero7965]

@@andrewft31 I’m pretty old.... please cut me some slack if I’m off on the dates. I have always known Dylan was 10 years older than me.

[@morganluvsluxury]

I can't go a day without listening to this song! Todays music just doesn't come close to Bob Dylan:)

[@WallyVanRiper1]

You need help.

[@morganluvsluxury]

@@WallyVanRiper1 I'm actually fine, Thanks. :)

[@danielkokal8819]

what is this song about ?

[@morganluvsluxury]

@@danielkokal8819 several commentators have shared their ideas on the depth and meaning in this song's lyrics. Michael Gray, author of The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, commented that "Changing of the Guards" is a thorough description of Bob Dylan's personal journey, from the beginning of his musical career, about sixteen years prior (the opening line is "Sixteen years"), through his marriage to and divorce from Sara Dylan, up to his conversion to Christianity, which was announced soon after this song was released. Much religious and biblical imagery is found in this work, especially apocalyptic imagery. Bob once commented: "It means something different every time I sing it. 'Changing of the Guards' is a thousand years old'". The seemingly deliberate ambiguity of the lyrics marked Street-Legal's effective abandonment of the narrative approach that dominated Dylan's previous album Desire. Like many of Bob Dylan’s songs the meaning is unclear. And there very well might not have been any meaning at all to this song when he wrote it. The meaning is for the listener to decide, but not take to seriously.

[@danielkokal8819]

@@morganluvsluxury understood. I'm 61, been a Dylan fan since forever, got to see him live once. I normally dont analyze his lyrics, I usually just go with it. Lyrically, I've never encountered his equal. The only one who comes close IMO is Leonard Cohen. who was another lyrical beast.

[@jamesdonovan2468]

I could listen to this song 10 times in a row

[@johnnorth6004]

I have !!

[@tonys7175]

More times, easily.

[@pasisalomaki6402]

It is so fascinating how almost every sentence of this song paints a picture that one must stand in awe studying, yet still keeping the mystery of it all. I never ever get enough of it.

[@jennynoone]

You are right. I never thought of it.

[@paddybpaddyb9940]

This ain't a song, just like Desolation Row......It's cinema.

[@shaunlowthian4234]

My favourite Dylan track of all time and I have everything he's ever made

[@sh230968]

I have pretty much everything of Dylan in 60s and 70s. My top track would probably be Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands.

[@zb_ych]

Masterpiece. This song could go on forever , just like "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands".

[@clay408]

I especially like it at the end when it is just the instruments playing and the background singers do their thing.

[@jeffmccoy1700]

I think a few of Dylan's songs do go on forever - the recording means and the irritable limitations of time just sometimes get in the way.

[@mohamedabdelkrim5007]

The best song of Bob Dylan, i'm sixteen years and I still love this song.

[@natalliaf6387]

wow....since when?

[@AA-sn9lz]

@@natalliaf6387 since he was a sperm in his dad's ballsack

[@loghilman5429]

Bob Dylan worships Satan. Many famous people worship Satan.

[@AA-sn9lz]

@@loghilman5429 and why not?! Satan is so cool! Hail Satan!!

[@loghilman5429]

@@AA-sn9lz satan hates everything good that God created. So your joke doesn't really make sense. The devil is not cool. God is cool.

[@PaulDakin-u7b]

I have never been able to figure out what this song means, but i love it all the same. The part that goes "I don't need your organization..." is as good as Dylan gets.

[@jamesfallon9265]

Agreed That verse is pure genius

[@riproaring3140]

This is a song of hope and great optimism. Check out the last verse: "Peace will come, with tranquility and splendor, on wheels of fire ..... And cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating between the King and the Queen of Swords."

[@riproaring3140]

It's a song of great optimism and hope, for a troubled world.. Check out the last verse.

[@alastairmcbricky3456]

its about transformation "changing of the guards"

[@nicolaburch7878]

I’m 53 today sat with my sons listening to it , my 100000th time they’re first so beautiful

[@williamedilbertomarrufodia3292]

BEST SONG OF BOB DYLAN

[@paulburrows202]

Possibly my favourite song ever. I love this absolutely amazing 👏

[@danyakrohn5625]

We are experiencing a Change of the Guard right now ❤😊

[@bonnyholder]

YOU UNDERSTAND!

[@grahammcbean6362]

It still blows me away how human kind can create such sublimely beautiful works of art.

[@robindutt7169]

What can I say? I felt it then as a youngster. I feel it more now...

[@nicolaagazzi4575]

For me the B' best song!

[@jimshier2901]

Me too

[@Modforhd]

Dylan writes to release the beautiful explosions in his mind. In a rock song, we get lines like "..renegade priests and treacherous young witches were handing out the flowers that I'd given to you." And ".. the empty rooms where her memory is protected, where the angels voices whisper to the souls of previous times."

[@nancykargl4708]

I can’t describe how awesome the words to this song are?

[@Bryanadamsmusicinc]

Hello Dear, it’s nice meeting you on here

[@kimpisarski9146]

This song alone could of earned Dylan the Nobel Prize added to his body of work!

[@patriciofernandez2711]

"They shaved her head/she was torn between Jupiter and Apollo". No one else can write lyrics this rich. Bob is #1.

[@gordoncampbell8067]

Just listened to this during " lockdown" this is America's greatest poet.

[@hodathunkit8572]

Hear hear

[@donnacollis3824]

America and the world ... the greatest on earth x

[@amyrachakorn]

Thank you. 🥰Once someone listened to this song together, thank you from the bottom of my heart.🌹😍💓

[@Staylogical]

Dylan has the most under-rated songs of pretty much anybody.He'll make the big time some day.

[@trumsolon]

This is one of the best songs I have ever heard. The lyrics take you on a journey, and the relentless repetition of the music becomes an actor in itself, immersing you in the colourful imagery. Love it!

[@paddybpaddyb9940]

I am speechless even now after hearing this in the 70s. More power to you Bob.

[@brendanmorey4308]

One of the most underrated songs of ALL TIME

[@Exclusifs]

Easily his best song.

[@principesolitario7579]

Difficult ti say, too many gems. Maybe my choice Is for knokning...

[@Monsterknecht]

Yes!

[@deborahlauterbach6156]

.One of a kind AMAZING Artist. So grateful to be a part of this lifetime.

[@miamipaul9755]

There is, and forever will be, only one Bob Dylan.

[@thomaswschaller]

Of all the great Dylan songs, this is the one I always come back to. The lyrics are beyond belief and are just as fresh and revelatory every time.

[@BibleLifeMaui]

Beautiful melody. Wonderful chord progressions. Great production balance. Tight background vocals. Horns. Excellent lyrics (a bit cryptic though). All in all another American classic. No one writes like this. Thank you Bob.

[@sh230968]

Not that I disagree with you but this song with the lyrics quality it has could have been better done without pop sounding backing vocals where the singers just repeat part of what Dylan sings. Maybe an acoustic guitar riff (like It's All Right Ma) IMHO. I am coming from my love for folk music where instrument accompaniment and chorus are not important.

[@kerrybindon940]

lyrics not cryptic clear as a bell

[@numbat0072]

masterpiece ! i have ABSOLUTELY no idea what the lyrics are about but it's a joy to read the poetry anyway .

[@imsocuteimsorich4952]

@@ArchilochusOfParos I see you did your homework 👍 to be honest I was confused about the song and read the words to it but it confused me to the point of 😱😬😦😕😭,what u said has helped me 😰😁😇🙌👌✌️thank you 👋🇮🇪

[@imsocuteimsorich4952]

Number 007 I thought I understood the song but to be honest I'm confused 😱😦😭😰😨😭, but thanks to SOLOSAUR 👍👌😘💟

[@johnobrien9753]

He is saying that you must have the courage to accept the new order which is coming when we have the change of the guards

[@grahamedwards7658]

Dylan ? THE greatest American songwriter in 20th century popular music .Huge influence on SO many artists . This wasn't a hit In UK ? WHY ? ITS a masterpiece of a song .THE best song of 1978 .Absolutely NO DOUBT .The other great release from that year ,by Dylan ? 'Baby stops crying ' .Mind-blowing '

[@Lawma_Vaiphei_Mizo]

I don't understand the meaning of the song But I fell in love with the melody

[@LebSista]

Oh my heart, what a song, I sure hope he realises what he's created here. ❤

[@peterbaruxis2511]

If he could feel what he's made so many of us feel his heart would be very full.

[@jacksondemarre8057]

“Street Legal” seems to be Bob’s most overlooked album. Why? It’s so fantastic!

[@bennyhillschineseblokechar3689]

's'funny, I had most of his albums(vinyl, then CD) and for years overlooked this one for unknown reasons. Finally got it 'bout a year ago, 'tis great!

[@oliveeisner8964]

It really is. Fantastic. perhaps it wasn't promoted as much as BOTT or Desire, post Rolling Thunder tour. who knows. He was in fine form as always!

[@viviandarkbloom100]

Truth? So much of the U.S. was coked up in Discos in '78 to bother.

[@Hev61277]

Still play it.

[@gluce]

It got some bad reviews but I always thought it was because so many critics like to take an artist up for awhile, then drop them for some new thing. Or maybe it's that they had him pegged and thought this album didn't match their expectations. In any case, I too think it's a fine record and indeed seriously underrated.

[@ErnieCoco]

That opening fade in just gets me so excited every time

[@sbindoctor6414]

I kid you not this song was stuck in my head for years without knowing what song it was. Finally I heard it again one day and a light bulb went off in my head. I'll never forget it now.

[@BruceEldridge]

My story is almost the same but deeper

[@matthijsschutter7031]

Street legal was my first Dylan record, I have the vinyl and later bought it on cd, still my favorite Dylan record, very underrated.

[@sidneibarcelos9242]

Bob Dylan the best forever

[@BackToTheBlues]

One of the many things I love about this track is the way the backing singers don't always match their timing on the response vocals. It's like a musical double punch, and it really pleases my ear!

[@bagua8]

I was just thinking the exact same thing!

[@SuperLuis1314]

I knoow I also noticed! It's like done "wrong" in some way but It makes it so much greater.

[@sandrawadsworth5173]

Love the song except the background singing is off.

[@oscarmarrero6596]

Bob is the religion. He's a God!! So many, many good songs, wonderful lyrics, different life.

[@miss.ailtoncardozo8940]

Dilan é simplesmente um ser humano quê do pó veio, para o pó voltará! Está ficando velho como eu e você. Deus é eterno! Quê antes da fundação do mundo já sabia quê dilan iria existir através do seu grande poder. Tudo passa, mas, o grande Deus existe de eternidade há eternidade. Glórias ao grande Deus e não ao pequeno e destrutivo dilan.

[@tzurlerner7054]

I love Bob so much ❤

[@nevennekic5262]

Fervent intro in his forthcoming GOSPEL years. Never miss to fulfill our minds and soul.

[@ברישמלי]

My favorite song!!! Accompanying me in good times and bad ones. There is no one and will never be like Bob. one of a kind.

[@maxmartino8979]

When you listen to Bob for the first time, you enter a wonderful tunnel of masterpieces, hidden gems, great albums, great outtakes, underrated songs...and you can never get enough!

[@yianpap6093]

Lol, so true, an endless treasure trove

[@josephsanangelo]

Street Legal is a fantastic album. This song still enters this brain with a silken hint of times that are now upon us all. Heal Earth, love one another as we all are family, and lift all life back to its own halos and crowns. Best wishes to this planet's poet laureate.

[@bobdylan1561]

Hello Thanks for your nice comments and support on my post, it's means a lot to me, your comments and constant support has brought me this far. I want you to send me a direct message via hangouts using my personal mail that will be indicated below. Also endeavor to add your name to the text so I can know you are the one texting because I don't reply unnecessary messages. Hangout Mail: [e-mail]

[@josephsanangelo]

@@bobdylan1561 thank you but not sure it's you BD, as I've had others use different email and message contacts and they never want to chat c2c so I give up.

[@PeteLewisWoodwork]

It's Bob Dylan. It's what you'd expect. Perfect poetry set to timeless music. Simple as that, really! "Where the angel's voices whisper to the souls of previous times"; a beautiful line.

[@jyrkitikka6954]

this is my favorite

[@dz-gj6nx]

Seven minutes of "Changing of the Guards" have more imagery than the most extensive tome I have ever read. I have always listened to this with zeal as if it is my last sermon and played it on a loop for hours a million times and never tired of it. A masterpiece dripping with "every one of them words rang true and glowed like burning coal pouring off of every page" verses and rhymes that only a very few in known history rivaling Dylan could write (Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Angelou, Poe, Saâdi, Rumi, Hughes, Dickinson, Verlaine, Dante, Frost, Ferdowsi, Homer, Keats, Milton, Cummings, Baudelaire, Tagore, Neruda, Byron, Blake, Whitman, Eliot, Yeats, Wilde, Ginsberg, Pound, Rimbaud, etc.)

[@johansterk354]

That's a great reference to Tangled up in blue, matey!! Well on you!!

[@brianpack2683]

Absolutely terrific song, up there with his best. Great arrangement.

[@caterinaroscelli3905]

Un bravissimo Dylan💖