Bob Dylan

        One of the best pieces of music produced by Bob Dylan was the protesting song he made in the 1960’s. It was like a national anthem so no one really questioned who wrote the song. Some musicians of the Sixties used Songs as a means of social protest, which is the means of the song blowin in the wind. It would not be wrong to state that The Protest and Counter Culture musicians of the Sixties ushered in a revolution, or, in the least, gave rise to thought processes that resulted in America's withdrawal of forces from Vietnam, abolition of slavery, striving towards attaining world peace, a universal distaste for anarchy, fighting for the cause of homeless and the under-privileged children, and such other historical milestones.

        The song describes the recognition that a marginalized group is seeking. As a whole, the lyrics are about freedom and equality in the struggle that blacks faced. Represented in this struggle is the resistance that they faced, as well as the violence that resulted from their actions. The melody of the song is soft and melancholic, perhaps in keeping with the yearning for more hopeful times. There does not seem to be a call for action, but instead the song seems resigned to the state of things. The verses are actually questions that ask for a change in the present circumstances, social and political.

Each verse conveys a different idea, but they focus on several themes. The first theme is about the absence of rights. This is illustrated by such verses as how many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man, which allude to the struggle for voting rights. How many years can some people exist before they’re allowed to be free, illustrates that decades have passed since the abolition of slavery and yet blacks still do not have some basic rights. There are many similar verses that refer to the lack of standing among the disenfranchised.

The second theme is call to discourage and avoid violence. This is evident in the verses how many times must the cannon balls fly before they’re forever banned? Perhaps this was a reaction to the urban uprisings and the need for constructive dialogue. Other references to violence include how many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died? It suggests that the deaths due to racial unrests seemed to not have taken their toll, and even if blood is shed, resistance remains. Furthermore, it suggests indifference on the part of elected officials, otherwise they would have taken stronger action. How many ears must one man has before he can hear people cry illustrates this. Politicians after all would pander to whatever issues that would win them votes and civil rights was not one of them, at least at that time.

Finally, a repeated verse the answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind, suggests that there are the undercurrents that are encouraging change, and that change is as inevitable as the wind blowing. It shows that the strength of the civil rights movement cannot be underestimated because despite the setbacks described in earlier verses, the movement will not fade.

This song suggests that there must be change, but it simply reflects on what needs to be changed. It does not take a position on how things must be changed, except to discourage violence. It stands as an observation of the times and uses analogies to convey its meaning. Surely that would not have been lost during that time. For those who heard it, they might have been compelled to act, if they had not already done so. For those who had heard it, they might have felt that the song expressed their feelings, but might have been too passive because it merely observes. Today, this song can be easily understood. As a pop song, its simplicity is its virtue because it captures the essence of the civil rights movement without overstating the issue.