Anr Bjotk wrote:
That's nonsense.
Yes, he sometimes flubs the lyrics, but apart from it being another example of his undeniable coolness, is has no other signigicance. And certainly nothing to with his religion. What, do Christians never forget stuff and never take themselves lightly?
There's a big difference between "sometimes flubs the lyrics" and "has only a vague idea what the lyrics are." Have you ever actually listened to any post-gospel tour recordings of "Gotta Serve Somebody"? Sometimes he holds it together for the first verse or two, sometimes it's gibberish right from the start.
It's never occurred to me that forgetting the words of your own songs is cool. I thought it was just careless, not really giving a shit about the song or the people who've come to hear you. Or that when you've written as many songs as Bob Dylan has, it's natural to slip up once in a while. But this is a song he's performed over 400 times. You'd think that once in a while, knowing he was going to do it on a given night, he'd think, "You know, I'd better check the lyrics on that one."
Yeah, Christians forget stuff too. Everybody does. But consider this. He performed those gospel songs for three years, and hardly ever forgot a word. They weren't just songs to him; they were a way of testifying, of telling the world what he believed. And he wanted to make sure that his audience heard every word. But when he came back to them, starting in 1984, he wasn't testifying anymore. They
were just songs--just a riff, just some words that felt good to sing, or some other words if he couldn't think of the real ones, just something he felt like playing, because he had to play
something. Empty vessels, broken cups. Maybe he still thought he was a Christian. Maybe he still does. But it's not something he has any interest in sharing with the world anymore. And that's what listening to the bizarre nonsense that "Gotta Serve Somebody" has turned into will tell you, very clearly.
You ignored my request for some hard data. Let's see some evidence of these lyrics you claim to be inferior. Are we supposed to accept your opinion without having the opportunity to decide for ourselves? Maybe some of these lyrics were an improvement. Regardless, it still doesn't take account of the fact that Dylan was very meticulous with the lyrics of all other comparable songs during the relevant period, so it doesn't come anywhere near proving your overarching claim. So, evidence please, or withdraw.
As for not 'sharing with the world anymore', there are none so blind as those who simply will not see. Most of his lyrical content of the last thirty years or so is Christian. When he released a Christmas album, an example of sharing his views with the world, he received nothing but mockery from many non-believers. Is not this forthcoming box-set not a huge example of what you claim he does not share with the world? The problem is not with Dylan, it is with those who deny what they simply don't want to accept.