First Listen - "Every Grain Of Sand" by Bob Dylan (Hip Hop Fan Reacts)

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[@toussaid5340]

Dylan is the best lyricist ever, well earned title. I love his music so much.

[@alanalbee4655]

Good reaction Syed. I took the line "When the pool of tears below my feet flood every new born seed" to mean that his sorrow is so deep that even the seeds of hope that try to spring up in his life are drowned before they can take root. Deep spiritual stuff in this song.

[@nathanwolfshohl8377]

yeah thats how I saw it as well and I thought Syeds interpretation of that line was cool also, so maybe there is a double meaning there. By accident or intentional, its cool.

[@davidgagne3569]

Amazing song. These lyrics could only be created by a master lyricist. This is an all time great creation - gives me chills.

[@ziggymarlowe5654]

So much of the imagery in this song comes from the Bible. In Matthew 10:29-31 is says "But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." There is also a scripture from the Old Testament about God knowing every star, that he even named them, likewise God knows you and sees what is happening to you. This song is a about a man contemplating his creator, and his own worth. I can't remember scripture that specifically mentions grains of sand, but like stars and the hairs on our head, who can number them but the creator? Dylan never fails to amaze me with his poetry. Beautiful.

[@hampusheh]

It's also inspired by William Blake, "To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour"

[@ziggymarlowe5654]

@@hampusheh I haven't read Blake in years, thank you for sharing this info. That stanza fits "Every Grain of Sand" perfectly.

[@doiminiclynch5208]

One of his best ever songs, played it as the finale on his latest tour. Great video, Cheers

[@kensilverstone1656]

No one who has ever lived who could write a better song lyric. Wonderful review.

[@buddyneher9359]

So glad to hear this song again. I loved it when it first came out, but I haven't listened to it for a long time. Beautiful, and powerful.

[@whogrl]

Dylan is the coolest! Love him!

[@SimonRobeyns]

He's by far the best lyricist we've ever had and I doubt anyone will follow up his stature when you see the current generation of music..

[@chrisbanks5925]

Masterful.

[@chipjones817]

yeah, wonderful....I think what this song means is we go through life with all its trials, all the victories and defeats and somehow we come to the place where we understand that God is with us and he is aware of us and best of all that he loves us. The sand, the trembling fallen leaves, the hair on our heads and the fallen sparrow he's mindful of all the small things and big things. He's got a plan and everything is in his control. For Us...wonderful. Good job Sy

[@paulmancini-sb9qn]

If you listen to enough Dylan you will find in his most emotional personal Songs will typically have a Harmonica solo or Harp ending as he expresses his feelings of the Song thru his Harmonica ..

[@tofty21]

The most beautiful heartfelt song ever written by anyone at anytime. Pure prayer!

[@johnrosemeyer]

A couple of absolutely beautiful and perfectly fitting harmonica breaks.

[@pault2461]

Dylan wrote this in '81 at a time when his popularity had waned to the point he believed he was washed up as an artist (he talks about this in Chronicles). Bearing this in mind, this song feels like a eulogy to his career, his swansong if you like. Having said this, Dylan often makes references to always being on the move, so is this song a metaphor for drawing a line in the sand (of his iconographic phase), maybe. TBH as much as it is interesting to read between the lines of his lyrics one thing for sure is his songs are timeless in their own right, which is why he is the maestro.

[@michaelwelsh7362]

Bob is often very contemplative in his lyrics and music, this one is about looking back on life and trying to find purpose, which is not easy to do but arriving at the conclusion that everything has a purpose even if we can’t understand what it is and we except that through a faith in something greater than ourselves🎶🎶🎶🎶

[@triscat]

Nothing that I could say that would add to the praise of this song from the others here. One little note. In addition to the Bible references, kudos must be given to Bob looking to William Blake's poem "Augeries of Innocence". To see a world in a grain of sand And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand And eternity in an hour.

[@David_6324]

Nice job analyzing this beautiful song! The ‘bad with good’ theme is definitely a thing he is driving at here. You recognized it right off and I think your interpretation of each instance is spot on. Every line of the ‘rags to riches’ verse has this same contrast. The ‘good’ phrases, ‘Rags to riches-summer’s dream-wintry light-dance’ certainly evoke images of happiness and/or contentment. Their linked ‘bad’ counterparts (in the same order), ‘Sorrow of the night-violence-chill-bitter/loneliness’ signify the prices paid for each good thing. What we can take away from it is that perhaps everything we experience (bad with good) is necessary in order to reach some higher place as we journey through life. (To some it may simply be a place of peace and contentment in the secular world, while to others it could be the necessary pathway to heaven itself). A final important note here is that when Bob now performs this song live (it’s currently the closing song to all of his recent shows since he returned to touring after COVID), he sings the penultimate line of the last verse as, ‘I am hanging in the balance of a perfect finished plan.’ This suggests (to me, anyway) that we may ALL be part of a grander scheme than we realize.

[@scratchfinger627]

Thanks for listening to my suggestion, mate. It was great hearing how you interpreted the lyrics; because some of your ideas I hadn't considered, and it gave me an even deeper appreciation for the song. More than anything, I'm just glad to bring more great Bob Dylan content onto your channel for you and others to appreciate. Thanks again for listening to the song, and for the shout-out.

[@billnmaree]

Another Aussie here, love this channel. I hear this song as Dylan coming to grips with the uncertainty of life after looking for certainty in Christianity,and still retaining faith that there is something to hold on to.

[@scratchfinger627]

@@billnmaree Nice, another Aussie! I agree with your assessment. I definitely don't think it's a coincidence that Dylan chose this track to close this particular era of his music.

[@markshamilton]

I'm from New Zealand, you can't get further away than that and I love your channel

[@TrekBeatTK]

He closed with this song on his recent tour. Really great.

[@frankied1107]

Great reaction to one of Bob's most beautiful songs. ☮

[@dyl-annfan6]

Listen to "Chimes of Freedom" the beautiful poetic way he describes the thunder and lightning and rain mixed with such humane lyrics it's just amazing. Also "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" "Angelina" "Hard Rain" "Idiot Wind" "My Back Pages" all just the tip of the iceberg

[@dudermcdudeface3674]

The sense of warm sunlight in this is an amazing contrast to the Gothic imagery in All Along The Watchtower.

[@sandramcfarland9368]

bob dylan was named poet laureate in 2016. well deserved too. his songs are mesmerizing.

[@olibertosoto5470]

Great lyrics. There is comfort knowing others have these questions and realizations during those times we feel this way.

[@electraruby4078]

What a gifted artist. I'm in awe.

[@cazgerald9471]

2:45 many seeds and seedlings die if they get flooded - perhaps it's a way of saying he's in such despair that rebirth seems impossible

[@elston3153]

This is my funeral song. It's haunting mystica, His voice and the harmonica fit perfectly in this song, mate you get Dylan a lot of people don't,

[@henrybourland2605]

A good one of his that is built in a similar way to this is Chimes of Freedom - great message in that one also!

[@pdaniel9413]

One of my favorite Dylan songs, but I prefer the raw version from the bootleg series.

[@mary-louisepoulin8690]

The one with the dog barking in the background? Yeah me too!

[@michele-33]

@@mary-louisepoulin8690 I prefer this one vocally but love hearing his doggie ❤️

[@lorimancuso8487]

I love the bootleg version the best myself it is very raw and a tear or two have fallen when listening and I love the dog barking myself

[@michaelopm1]

Amen!

[@wimdonkers7448]

Thank you Syed for your beautiful analysis.

[@boosingh]

Beautiful stuff, especially Pressing On, Solid Rock and What Can I Do For You. On his latest tour he ends every show playing Every Grain Of Sand

[@AlexanderKnollwood]

Simply amazing. Speaks to the power and mystery of the Lord on high. My favorite line is “I hear the ancient footsteps, like the motion of the sea. Sometimes I look, there’s someone there. Other times it’s only me.” It finally struck me that footsteps on the “motion of the sea” didn’t really make sense until I thought of Jesus, walking on water. Sometimes he chooses to see the Lord’s miraculous. Others, he chooses not to look, and he’s just on his own. Talk about “hanging in the balance of the reality of man.” To be torn between stripped down belief and despair. Just phenomenal stuff.

[@thebacons5943]

Oh goodness yes

[@dickvanlunteren8953]

I love your explanations.

[@peterginger]

Amazing how he says whar he says and rhymes everything.

[@michele-33]

God knows his creations so well, every hair on our heads and every grain of sand. A beautiful song indeed, I can't hear it w/o tears trickeling down my face. There's an alternate version. He said he wished all his songs could be like it "at home with an open window and a dog at his feet". The dog can be heard barking once in the background. Better vocals on this on tho. Awesome recommendation & reaction. Thank you🕯️

[@michele-33]

God knows his creations so well, every hair on our heads and every grain of sand. A beautiful song indeed, I can't hear it w/o tears trickeling down my face. There's an alternate version. He said he wished all his songs could be like it "at home with an open window and a dog at his feet". The dog can be heard barking once in the background. Awesome recommendation & reaction. Thank you🕯️

[@shirley3371]

I love that demo tape that's featured on The Bootleg Tapes volume 1-3. The dog barking in the background adds to it's specialness Its so beautiful and raw.

[@michele-33]

@@shirley3371 It is great but I prefer vocals on this version - I love them both for different reasons. I could only dream of expressing my emotions so beautifully - some men would be embarrassed to open their heart to the public like Bob... even if they were capable of doing so !

[@shirley3371]

@@michele-33 I agree, both versions are great. I think I prefer the demo tape one because that's the only version I knew of and I listened to it over and over. and has a sad but beautiful sound that's magical to me. I also can't imagine writing such deep lovely emotional sentimental songs and I'm sure he is very rare among men in that respect. I adore him and his music . and his music .

[@gilevin100]

When seeds get flooded ...they do not sprout lol...a different take on that line.....very good reaction.....transcendence emerging from the ashes of experience....

[@warrenhughes911]

Great reaction again.. Yo, check out...Slow Train Coming album ..Bob is singing well !!!.. Precious angel...

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Amazing song. Great reaction and analysis. Wow.

[@vii9284]

love this kid

[@wimdonkers7448]

A true poet and a great chroniqueur.

[@eirikrdberg1161]

Shot of love was the very first Dylan album I bought back in 1995.

[@tofty21]

A nice review my friend!

[@rikurodriguesneto6043]

Speaking of reach, I'm from Finland! :D I saw an interview with Bob where he said this album never got the credit it deserved.. he said it had a really good sound.

[@zenhaelcero8481]

The first version of this song that I'd heard was the Emmylou Harris cover from Wrecking Ball. Good cover, but I prefer this original. Solid reaction!

[@maggiebryan2355]

Ɓeautiful song

[@dennisboyd1712]

God's Truth sung through the lips of Bob Dylyn

[@dickwilliam3793]

incredible song... Lenny Bruce is also a great song off this album.

[@michele-33]

The live performance from the special "Hard to Handle" is very powerful...a better vocal delivery imo If you haven't heard it yet I highly recommend. ..filmed in Australia in '86 and available free on Utube. Oh, Petty and Heartbreakers are his backing band. 💓

[@warrenhughes911]

P.s. Street Legal album is a must!!! of course, 'Changing of the Guard ' is a classic!! But..Senor(omg)..Bob sings awesomely(lol).. also, No time to think...and.. Where are you tonight!!!!

[@keithmcintyre103]

I've listened to this song 30 -40 times. I start crying right where you got overwhelmed, "newborn seed" As a very reverent devout Christian as well as a Dylan fanatic. I felt compelled to understand what he was saying. My take - no other input from any review, the first 4 lines are Jesus speaking while on the cross. NOT saying this is in anyway, implying this is a piece of inspired scripture. It is by charismatic christian standards the most astounding "Word from the Lord" ive ever heard any where or seen written any where else. So Jesus on the cross was feeling human emotion as well as seeing God's perspective. The pain, the suffering, the humiliation, He was enduring for the jeering spectators. He had confessed to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. he asked not to drink this cup, the sweat he had was dipping blood from His head. His death was anguished, He even thought God had forsaken him, that part, the dying voice within me, raching out somewhere, lost trying to find his father somewhere toiling in the danger (he was being murdered slowly). the morals of despair. that last is soooo deeep. What morals does he have with such overwhelming despair? That could take years to understand. The pool of tears Jesus had at that moment was probably infinite and he was watering the very seeds that would be created after the faith in His sacrifical acts were heard and believed by HIs followers. Hope I made sense. Dylan said this song was written in about 10 minutes. It started coming and he just went with it. Look up other references, watch his 60 minutes interview. He considers himself a conduit. That by the way, is how almost anyone who has received a word from God describes it. Now you know what inspires his genius.

[@w.geoffreyspaulding6588]

Helene here. I love your break-downs, Syed…..but a suggestion, for what it’s worth: listen through once without trying to analyze. Then go back and do your analysis. The full meaning becomes more apparent in context of the whole. When interpreting a poem in school, I doubt the teacher had you analyze each couplet or verse separately. She had you read the entire poem before she/he asked you to begin your interpretation, no? Apply the same principle to Dylan’s lyrics. It is, after all, poetry. Anyway, it’s just a thought. Love your channel……allot. What a beautiful and sad song this was. First time hearing it. I never followed his music from this period.

[@Open2Reason]

I purchased this album on vinyl when it was first released in the 1980s. This song is not the only gem on the album, but it is clearly the one masterpiece thereof. The follow-up album Infidels excluded it's masterpiece, Blind Willie McTell, which was eventually released by Columbia on one of the Bob Dylan Bootleg Series albums. It's well worth a listen. Infidels had so many outtakes that were not included, that it could have been a double or triple album, but Dylan's popularity at the time seemed to have waned a bit, and Columbia did not think it would sell as well as a single LP. When Shot of Love was eventually released on CD, Columbia added the outtake Groom's Still Waiting At the Altar. This entire period of the early to mid 80s included much time in the studio. Dylan produced many high quality outtakes at the time, spanning Shot of Love, Infidels, and Empire Burlesque. Then Dylan's creativity faded out with his next 2 album releases, and returned in 1989 for the wonderful Oh Mercy album, and I don't think his creativity ever faded since. Every Grain of Sand is a phenomenal song both lyrically and musically.

[@rboypia189]

I think he is just singing great praise to our heavenly Father. It's a psalm, and he sees all our father created is designed so beautifully even every little grain of sand.

[@cooperstonebadge2228]

as an agnostic i really enjoy dylans christian period. i think because he approaches religion from his own agnosticism. it was also a big influence on my own writing,

[@jasondylansargent2195]

Never the less Dylan is a genius 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿😄

[@martykayzee8398]

I'm a total atheist but this song brings me to tears.

[@w.geoffreyspaulding6588]

Might I put in a request for one of Dylan’s,most powerful songs…..and still so relevant today: Masters of War. It’s not that long….and you could do a back-to-back with a cover version by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam which is just searing.

[@seansersmylie]

Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me. That for me is the key line of the song, a struggle with faith.

[@stevewebster973]

I don’t think you’ve heard anything off Blood on the Tracks yet

[@John-ux8zj]

He’s done “Tangled up in Blue”. But there’s still a lot more from the album to discover. “Idiot Wind” and “You’re a big girl now” would be my suggestions from one of the greatest albums in music history.

[@meltimmins6368]

As I believe every grain of sand was played at Johnny Cash’s funeral. And there are echoes of William Blakes Auguries of innocence…

[@thomasdesmond2233]

I recommend the version from the bootleg series. If only for the dog barking in the background

[@kinksfan9781]

As a nice counterpoint, try Randy Newman's "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)"

[@station3913]

Flooding a seed will likely kill it, at the very least stunt its growth. So I think that line is saying the opposite.

[@michaelopm1]

bobby's truth

[@jakobbartelsvodsgaard6730]

Another great reaction! Just go ahead and shift your channel to Dylan-only.. You'll have plenty of material for the next couple of years! Suggest reacting to "You're a Big Girl Now" next.. On an off-topic note, does your jacket have a brand to it?

[@s3ksh2y]

React to the band THE SMITHS...they will surprise you in a good way.

[@cogbd]

The only equal to Dylan in my musical life is Van Morrison. Check out the album Astral Weeks and see where it leads you over the next five decades.

[@dickvanlunteren8953]

It is not a "Christian" song. It is fantastic poetry which forces you to think about "life things". It doesn't fit in a box!

[@mhibbing1]

Bob's a good harmonica player to begin with but in my opinion, this is the greatest example of his mastery of the instrument.

[@ilnuovoredibastoni]

No no no. Slow Train Coming is by far the best album of the three. This is an excellent album, but STC is a masterpiece. Also, imo, the version of this song on the Bootleg Series Vol. 3 is much better - more raw and aching, giving full rein to his religious experience and amazing lyrics. This version is tamer and more audience-friendly.

[@laughliketheflowers]

A beautiful, sad song: Bob coming to terms with the fact that sin pushes back the Spirit of God and the child of God feels empty and forlorn. Actually, this only lasts until the spiritual blood of forgiveness washes away the sin, but Bob captures this time beautifully. People who do not know Christ can only vaguely (mis)understand this song. i know of no song similar to this. The later song, When the deal Goes Down, possibly describes a decaying relationship with God that is just about alive. The album that this is on contains only one other of the other masterful songs he recorded around this time.

[@triscat]

Only one?

[@valueofnothing2487]

So glad Dylan became born again. It both teaches atheists about the value of god and religious people the value of humanism. And, By Dylan giving up drugs, alcohol and women, it probably is why he is alive today.

[@Kelters]

It really helps to have actually read the Bible if you want to get to the heart of this one. So many references to an all seeing creationist God. A God who takes personal account of every person, their sorrows, their errors, but is there for you every step of the way. -- If you have read the Bible, you will get this, otherwise you might be at a bit of a loss for the references. -- Good representative choice of this creative period of Dylan's.

[@lgpsan]

Bob ended all of his concerts with this song last year.

[@nickdeseta3591]

I don't think he is talking about earthly riches but his conversion to Christ, exchanging the worthless rags of his own efforts to the riches of excepting the grace of God

[@jvblhc]

The album "Shot of Love" was not a great album, but "Every Grain of Sand" may be his most beautiful song and Bob's voice is perfect for this song!

[@mariagrenat6147]

All these wonderful bands and music and I wonder why you might not have touched upon “Queen” and all their wonderful works. Please react to their music. You should probably begin with the original (official) version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” possibly followed by “Innuendo”, but there is so very much more. You might enjoy what you hear. I have just now found you and your reactions and like what I see. I’ll be following you from now on. Your work is appreciated. Thank you.

[@pitchforkcustom]

it’s jesus talking isn’t it? hanging in the balance. the whole thing is the story of jesus

[@TwiddleJones]

Love Dylan, this might be his most overrated song imo

[@bartstarr100]

This is a very introspective song. Just him and his doubts and fears.

[@AlexanderKnollwood]

Simply amazing. Speaks to the power and mystery of the Lord on high. My favorite line is “I hear the ancient footsteps, like the motion of the sea. Sometimes I look, there’s someone there. Other times it’s only me.” It finally struck me that footsteps on the “motion of the sea” didn’t really make sense until I thought of Jesus, walking on water. Sometimes he chooses to see the Lord’s miraculous. Others, he chooses not to look, and he’s just on his own. Talk about “hanging in the balance of the reality of man.” To be torn between stripped down belief and despair. Just phenomenal stuff.