Dylan has often expressed amazement at people reading greater profundity than intended in his lyrics. But like all good poetry you can sure find a lot of yourself in the words. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But I enjoyed reading your posts.
--- In [email protected], hermandan0 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hello folks. I monitor FFL but don't have a lot of time to spend > posting, and so have made only an occasional foray into expression > here. This is a longer indulgence. > > Prompted by the admiration for Dylan expressed on this list by diverse > posters, by the suggestion a while back that commentaries on some of > Dylan's memorable verses/songs/quotes could be a fun thing, and in > honor of the release of his his new cd, I decided to put fingers to > keyboard and comment *briefly* :) on one of my favorite songs from > one of my favorite Dylan albums, "Love and Theft". > > For me, this song is one where Dylan hits it out of the park in terms > of describing the "seeker's journey" or whatever we wish to call it, > when one is on the cusp of awakening. Of course, it is all my > interpretation, my seeing something in the lyrics that is meaningful > to me, but hey, one could argue that's what we all do with all speech > all the time anyhow. Some of the commentary is more generally about > some of the ways in which "spiritual evolution" can happen (got to > call it something) and some is more about my personal story with the > TMO, but still generally applicable to other situations. ( I know, > it's *all* personal.) It's not meant to be universal or to say > everyone has to experience in the way I have, nor that their journey > need be similar to mine. > > Ill ask your forgiveness and/or indulgence right from the outset as > it's a bit long even skipping some lines. The text is, of course, > multi-layered. The commentary is not meant to be definitive, but it's > a beginning. Here goes; I hope you enjoy. I'll post it in three parts, > one for each verse, so if you don't like it you don't have to bother > opening the rest. :) > > Verse One > > "Every step of the way, we walk the line/" > > So many lines and layer's right away:e We have the thin line of > discrimination between the seen and unseen, Being and existence, > manifest and unmanifest, between being awake and asleep; walking the > razor's edge. > > "Your days are numberedand so are mine/time keeps piling up" > > Very interesting lines, not only an obvious comment on mortality, but > also about time itself, the piling up of moment after moment after > moment that produces the illusion of continuity and veneer of reality > to our experience and sense of self. Time, of course, does not exist > "in reality" whether we are talking about lifetimes or just today. The > yoga sutras have interesting things to say about time, as does > Augustine's "Confessions". It is a central theme of philosophical and > spiritual inquiry. > > On the other hand, the lines can refer to the eternal, ubiquitous, and > inevitable growth towards enlightenmentyou will get there, I get > there, we all will get there. > > "We're all boxed in, nowhere to escape/" > > There's nowhere to go in the field of the ignorance where *I-ness/ego" > is the wily manipulator, always ready with another ruse, another > desire, another gimmick to keep us bound to what is not. > > "City's just a jungle, more games to play/trapped in the heart of it, > trying to get away/" > > The city represents the structure of that which is created to tame the > mystery, to put order on chaos, to contain the uncontainable, explain > the inexplicable. My city contained a lot of the TMO (which ended up > being torn down because it was, you guessed itbad vastu ;-) ) but it > applies to the entire edifice of mental constructs creating our social > world. It's not a bad thing; it's just structure. > > "I was raised in the country; I've been working in the town/I've been > in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down./" > One of my favorite lines, the country being the wild, natural, > untamed, connected with the mystery. After wandering in the wild for > many years I came to TMOpolis with it's alluring structures, science, > technology, and society. It was a good place to come to, a little > shelter from the storm and a good home, but there's the question of > that troubledouble trouble. Trouble within the organization because > as a free-thinking iconoclast with political and social values on the > progressive end of the spectrum I kept opening the suitcase of a > relatively free tongue and never could abandon notions of practicality > and common sense. And you could say trouble within just from setting > it down. If you're gonna work in the city you must, to some degree, > become the city. > > "Got nothing for you/had nothing before/don't even have anything for > myself any more/" > > Beautiful and multi-layered. From "It's become untenable for me to > espouse the values and doctrines of the organization" to there not > being anything to give because everyone already has it, to the > impossibility of any jivan having anything to offer Being which is > totally complete already. And nothing for myself? I've run out of > excuses, let alone solutions; no more concepts, nowhere left to hide; > all boxed in, nowhere to escape. > > "Sky full of fire, pain pouring down/There's nothing you can sell > me/I'll see you around/" > The conflagration of ego structures burning in perhaps what some refer > to as the dark night of the soul before the dawn of illumination. > Nothing can help and I'm not buying any more. And from the malls of > TMOville, not another technique, not a pill, not a vastu home, not a > course, not an idea, not hope, not guilt, not shame, not the glory of > saving the world. Nada. Sayonara. > > "All my powers of expression I thought so sublime/ Could never do you > justice in reason or rhyme/" > > As has been pointed out so many places including on this forum, many > time, the Tao that can be spoken is not the Tao. > > "Only one thing I did wrong/Stayed in Mississippi a day too long/" > > I believe Curtis in one of his posts said something about how he > probably could have left sooner than he did (sorry if I'm > mis-paraphrasing you Curtis), and I think many may have a similar > experiencewe know we're going to be leaving before we actually do. > Don't think twice, it's all right. > > ... cont'd > To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! 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