Doug writes:
> In my rightwing days, I used to read Dylan's "My Back Pages" as a
> libertarian anthem .... Reasons: "ideas as my map"
> (e.g., Soviet planning rather than Hayekian spontaneous order); "lies
> that life is black and white" (critique of Communist certainty); and
> especially the use of the word "liberty," which is almost a marker of
> conservative thought, and the contemptuous treatment of the word
> "equality."
On the other hand, "Gates of Eden" (also by Bob Dylan) is more leftist:
... Relationships of ownership
They whisper in the wings
To those condemned to act accordingly
And wait for succeeding kings
And I try to harmonize with songs
The lonesome sparrow sings
There are no kings inside the Gates of Eden
[this implies a criticism of (right-wing) libertarianism, which ignores the role of
class ("relationships of ownership") and the kingships it implies.]
... The kingdoms of Experience
In the precious wind they rot
While paupers change possessions
Each one wishing for what the other has got
And the princess and the prince
Discuss what's real and what is not
It doesn't matter inside the Gates of Eden....
[this seems a critique of post-modernism.]
but who knows what Dylan's lyrics mean?
for one recent attempt, see Chimes of Freedom: The Politics of Bob Dylan's Art
by Mike Marqusee. He has a different interpretation of "My Back Pages."
Jim Devine
