About the song
Background on Subterranean Homesick Blues:
- Released in 1965 on the album “Bringing It All Back Home,” marking Dylan’s shift towards a more electric sound.
- The song is considered a forerunner of music videos with its accompanying black and white clip featuring Dylan flipping cue cards with lyrics.
- The title might be inspired by Jack Kerouac’s novel “The Subterraneans” and reflects the Beat Generation’s influence on Dylan.
Themes in Subterranean Homesick Blues:
- Social Commentary: The lyrics are a rapid-fire critique of society, touching on issues like police corruption, the Vietnam War (“Army life”), and the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement (“Better stay away from those / That carry ’round a fire hose”).
- Disillusionment: The song captures a sense of alienation and frustration with the status quo, particularly for younger generations.
- Wordplay and Surrealism: Dylan uses stream-of-consciousness lyrics, slang, and non-sequiturs, creating a dreamlike and playful atmosphere.
- Breaking Boundaries: The song’s unconventional structure and Dylan’s distinctive voice challenged the norms of popular music at the time.
Overall, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” is a powerful and thought-provoking song that captured the zeitgeist of the mid-1960s. It remains a timeless classic for its innovative style and its sharp commentary on social issues.
Video
Lyrics
Johnny’s in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I’m on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in a trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he’s got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out, kid
It’s somethin’ you did
God knows when
But you’re doin’ it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin’ for a new friend
A man in a coon-skin cap
In a pig pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten.
Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin’ that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone’s tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the DA
Look out, kid
Don’t matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don’t tie no bows
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plainclothes
You don’t need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows.
Ah, get sick, get well
Hang around an ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is gonna sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write Braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You’re gonna get hit
By losers, cheaters
Six-time users
Hanging ’round the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool is
Lookin’ for a new fool
Don’t follow leaders
Watch the parkin’ meters.
Ah, get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don’t steal, don’t lift
Twenty years of schoolin’
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don’t wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don’t wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don’t work
‘Cause the vandals took the handles.