|
Essensen av Bob Dylan
Jada, han har kommet opp med det ene legendariske albumet etter det andre. Gjennom fire tiår, faktisk. Han befinner seg der oppe sammen med The Beatles, Rolling Stones, U2 og R.E.M. Han skremte vettet av den amerikanske vise-bevegelsen (folk, på engelsk) da han fant det mer funksjonelt å plugge gitaren i en forsterker. Han har lagd The Times They Are-a-Changing. Han har lagd Knockin On Heavens Door som yngre generasjoner bare kjenner gjennom den destruerte Guns n Roses-utgaven. Han er mannen bak Masters Of War. Han har til og med ansvar for Blowin In The Wind, den viktigste pasifistsangen som er skrevet.
Men først og fremst er han Kjærlighetens låtskriver. Kan du tenke deg noe vakrere, enn når Bob Dylan synger Whats A Sweetheart Like You, Doing In A Dump Like This? Det kan du ganske sikkert ikke. Og hans beste album handler utelukkende om kjærlighet mest om tapt kjærlighet. Eller helst: Om å lengte. Om å være på jakt etter den kjærligheten som synes uoppnåelig. I forkant av konserten i Oslo i oktober, det Herrens år 2003, har jeg lytta meg gjennom alle Dylans album. Det har vært en nytelse, en berikelse for sinnet. Jeg har mangt og meget jeg gjerne skulle sagt om alle sammen - til og med de som kom i løpet av hans utskjelte Saved-periode men akkurat nå får de ligge i fred. Alle, unntatt ett. Bob Dylans beste album - så langt i karrieren; la oss håpe den kommer til å vare et par tiår til - heter Time Out Of Mind. Det kom i 1997, og er dyptpløyende som en trist roman. Faen heller; tekstene kunne gjerne vært gitt ut selvstendig, som en novellesamling. Forfatteren må ha vært dypt ulykkelig. En dypt ulykkelig mann. Midt i femtiåra. Bli med PULS, på en vandring gjennom Robert Zimmermanns masterpiece. Tekstene er ikke trykt i coveret og det er vel ikke så fryktelig mange av dere som har tatt jobben med å feste dem til papir...? Her har du dem, med våre kommentarer. God tur. Veikartet bærer tittelen Time Out Of Mind, og er å få kjøpt hos enhver musikkhandler med respekt for seg sjøl. LOVE SICK Im walking
Through streets that are dead
Walking
Walking with you in my head My feet are so tired
My brain is so wired
And the clouds are weeping Did I
Hear someone tell a lie
Did I
Hear someones distant cry I spoke like a child
You destroyed me with a smile
While I was sleeping Im sick of love
That Im in the thick of it
This kind of love
Im so sick of it I see
I see lovers in the meadow
I see
I see silhouettes in the window I watch them til theyre gone
And they leave me hanging
To a shadow Im sick of love
I hear the clock tick
This kind of love
Im lovesick Sometimes
The silence can be like thunder
Sometimes
I wanna take to the road of plunder Could you ever be true?
I think of you and I wonder Im sick of love
I wish Id never met you
Im sick of love
Im tryin to forget you Just dont know what to do
Id give anything to be with you *
Kjærlighetssorg? Du og jeg får heldigvis ikke oppleve mer pinefull kjærlighetssorg. Musikken minner om tonefølget han valgte til Serve Somebody, mest på grunn av det elektriske pianoet. Det er likevel spissere, antageligvis først og fremst som følge av den elektriske gitaren som ganske sikkert trakteres av Daniel Lanois en herre hvis fremste oppgave her i livet har blitt å produsere pop-musikk. Så lekkert, så lekkert. Og så spartansk, så spartansk. Til sammen gjør herrskapet Dylan/Lanois bruk av ikke mindre enn 11 musikere på denne plata, men ingen av dem får lov til å bråke. Her går alt i moll, og ingen får briljere. Ingenting av det som spilles på Time Out Of Mind krever teknisk ferdighet ut over det som fordres av høyst ordinære musikanter, som ferdes på en hvilken som helst Per På Hjørnet. (Et lite forbehold for trommegeniet Brian Blade, men dog.) Men feelinga. Gode Gud. DIRT ROAD BLUES Gonna walk down that dirt road
Til someone will let me ride
Gonna walk that dirt road
Til someone will let me ride
If I cant find my baby
Im gonna run away and hide Well, I been pacing round the room
Hoping maybe she come back
Pacing round the room
Hoping maybe she come back
Well, I been praying for salvation
Laying round in a one-room country shack Gonna walk down that dirt road
Until my eyes begin to bleed
Gonna walk down that dirt road
Until my eyes begin to bleed
Til theres nothing left to see
Til the chains have been shattered
And I been freed But I been looking at my shadow
I been watching the clouds up above
Looking at my shadow
Watching the clouds up above
Rolling through the rain and hail
Looking for the sunny side of love Gonna walk down that dirt road
Til everything becomes the same
Gonna walk down that dirt road
Til everything becomes the same
I keep on walking
Til I hear her holler out my name *
En ny låt? Vel kanskje. Men egentlig burde det kanskje stått (traditional) i parentes. Dette er nemlig blues i sin mest nedstrippa form. Om noen spurte ham, tipper jeg Dylan kunne lage en slik sang sånn omtrendtlig ti ganger om dagen. Men lyrikken kunne han neppe kommet opp med, ikke uten å være i den stemninga som førte fram til Time Out Of Mind. Rastløshet, tror jeg det heter. STANDING IN THE DOORWAY Im walking through the summer nights
The jukebox playing low
Yesterday everything was goin too fast
Today its movin too slow I got no place left to turn
I got nothin left to burn Dont know if I saw you
If I would kiss you or kill you
It probably wouldnt matter to you anyhow
You left med standing in the doorway cryin
I got nothin to go back to now The light in this place is so bad
Makin me sick in the head
All the laughter is just makin me sad
The stars have turned cherry red Im strummin on my gay guitar
Smokin a cheap cigar The ghost of our old love has not gone away
Dont look it like it will anytime soon
You left me standin in the doorway cryin
Under the midnight moon Maybe theyll get me and maybe they wont
But not tonight and it wont be here
There are things I could say, but I dont
I know the mercy of God must be near I been ridin a midnight train
Got ice water in my veins I would be crazy if I took you back
It would go up against every rule
You left me standin in the doorway cryin
Sufferin like a fool When the last rays of daylight go down
Buddy youre old no more
I can hear the church bells ringin in the yard
I wonder who theyre ringin for I know I cant win
But me heart just wont give in Last night I danced with a stranger
But she just reminded me you were the one
You left me standin in the doorway cryin
In the dark land of the sun I eat when Im hungry
I drink when Im dry
And live my life on the square
And even if the flesh falls off of my face
I know someone will be there to care It always means so much
Even the softest touch I see nothing to be gained by any explanation
Theres no words that need to be said
You left me standin in the doorway cryin
Blues wrapped around my head *
Vi snakker om en klassisk låt, og jeg har en sterk følelse av at Mr. Daniel Lanois har hatt en finger med i spillet, minst én også i komposisjonen. Det må være han som spiller lead guitar. Jeg setter det i anførsel, fordi dette jo strengt tatt er det motsatte av å spille solo-gitar, i den forstand eksempelvis Ron Wood i Rolling Stones gjør det. Her handler det om å følge melodien, nærmest slavisk. Og hvilken melodi?! Elvis sang den da han udødeliggjorde Cant Help Falling In Love. Om det er frekt gjort? Mye mer enn det. Men Bob Dylan har lov. MILLION MILES You took a part of me that I really miss
I keep asking myself how long it can go on like this
You told yourself a lie
Thats alright mama I told myself one too
I try to get closer but Im still a million miles from you You took the silver, you took the gold
You left me standing out in the cold
People asked about you, I didnt tell them everyting I knew
Well I try go get closer but Im still a million miles from you Im driftin in and out of dreamless sleep
Somehow my memorys in a ditch so deep
Did so many things I never did intend to do
And I try to get closer but Im still a million miles from you I need your love so bad, turn your lamp down low
I need every bit of it for the places that I go
Sometimes I wonder, tell us just what its all coming to
Well I try to get closer but Im still a million miles from you Well I dont dare close my eyes and I dont dare wink
Maybe in the next life Ill be able to hear myself think
Feel like talking to somebody but I jsut dont know who
Well I try go get closer but Im still a million miles from you Yes the last thing you said before you hit the street
Gonna find me a janitor to sweep me off my feet
I said thats alright mama, you, you do what you gotta do
Well I try to get closer but Im still a million miles from you Rock me pretty baby rock me all at once, rock me for a little while
Rock me for a couple of months
And Ill rock you too
I try to get closer but Im still a million miles from you Well theres voices in the night trying to be heard
Im sittin here listenin to every mind-pollutin word
I know plenty of people put me up for a day or two
Yes I try to get closer but Im still a million miles from you *
Her kommer én til; broren til Dirt Road Blues. Tradisjonell. Ny tekst, urgammal musikk i formen, vel å merke. De svarte slavene sang denne musikken på 1800-tallet, men de hadde ikke muligheten til å spekulere i denne typen utforming. Her skrangles det avgårde på orgel og gitar og trommer og bass; den musikklæreren som hadde tilgang til et instrument som måler hvor stramt man greier å holde takta en metronom ville ganske øyeblikkelig sagt at nå gutter, nå tar vi det forfra. Og så prøver vi å konsentrere oss, ikke sant? Men mye viktigere enn som så. Om man er forelska hvor langt unna er det mulig å komme? TRYIN TO GET TO HEAVEN The air is gettin hotter, theres a rumblin in the skies
Ive been wadin through the high muddy waters
But the heat riseth my eyes
Everyday your memory goes dimmer
It doesnt haunt me like it did before
Ive been walkin through the middle of nowhere
Tryin to get to heaven before they close the door When I was in Missouri, they would not let me be
I had to leave there in a hurry, I only saw what they let me see
You broke a heart that loved you
Now you can seal up the book and not write anymore
Ive been walkin that lonesome valley
Tryin to get to heaven before they close the door People on the platforms, waitin for the trains
I can hear their hearts a-beatin, like pendulum swingin on chains
When you think that youve lost everything
You find out you can always lose a little more
Im just going down the road feelin bad
Tryin to get to heaven before they close the door Im goin down the river, down to New Orleans
They tell me everything is gonna be allright
But I dont know what alright even means
I was ridin in a buggy with Miss Mary Jane
Miss Mary Jane got a house in Baltimore
Ive been all around the world boys
Im tryin to get to heaven before they close the door Gotta sleep down in the parlor, and relive my dreams
I close my eyes and I wonder, if everything is as hollow as it seems
Some trains dont pull no gamblers
No midlife ramblers like they did before
Ive been to Sugartown, I shook the sugar down
Now Im tryin to get to heaven before they close the door *
En helt annen type sang. Her har Dylan igjen gått i den moderne låtskriverbåsen, som i Standing In The Doorway. Ingen kompliserte greier, stadig like få akkorder. Men likevel nytt, og veldig forseggjort - som låtskriving betrakta. Og nok en gang; produksjonen. Dette er så gjennomtenkt. Dylan spiller munnspill ja, han framfører sågar noe som, to ganger, kan kalles en munnspill-solo. Hør på ham første gang, mellom vers tre og fire, forsøk å høre hvor mange toner han bruker. To. Sier og skriver: To. Her ligger dette albumets genialitet. Det er så enkelt lagd, så nedstrippa - men likevel så kultivert. Ikke en gang kompet til Bob Marley greide å gjøre dette mer sparsommelig. Hvordan vil du ha det?, tenker jeg at Daniel Lanois har spurt da de ankom studio. Enkelt, tror jeg Dylan må ha svart. Enkelt, men stilig. Kultivert. TILL I FELL IN LOVE WIH YOU Well my nerves are exploding
And my body is tense
I feel like the whole world
Got me pinned up against the fence
I been hit too hard
Seen to much
Nothing can heal me now
But your touch
I just dont know what Im gonna do
I was alright til I fell in love with you Well my house is on fire
Burnin to the sky
Well I thought it would rain
But the clouds passed by
I feel like Im comin
To the end of my way
But I know God is my shield
And he wont lead me astray
Still I dont know what Im gonna do
I was alright til I fell in love with you Boys in the street
Beginnin to play
Girls like birds
Flyin away
When Im gone
You will remember my name
Im gonna win my way
To wealth and fame
Yet I just dont know what Im gonna do
I was alright til I fell inn love with you Well junks pilin up
Takin up space
My eyes feel
Like theyre fallin off my face
Sweat fallin down
Im startin at the floor
Im thinkin about that girl
Who wont be back no more
I just dont know what to do
I was alright til I fell in love with you Well Im tired of talkin
Im tired of tryin to explain
My attempts to please you
They were all in vain
Tomorrow night
Before the sun goes down
If Im still among the livin
Ill be Dixie bound
Still I just dont know what Im gonna do
I was feelin alright til I fell in love with you *
Så er vi over i den tradisjonelle bluesen igjen. Poenget er at Dylan på mystisk vis får det til å låte som om det ikke er tradisjonell blues. Jeg veit ikke helt hvorfor. Gi denne sangen i henda på eksempelvis Buddy Guy, og ingen ville hørt på den utenom de som er forplikta til det. Ikke misforstå meg; Buddy Guy og en Knut Reiersrud i det klassiske hjørnet ville ganske sikkert fått dette til å låte fint. Men de hadde ikke fått det til å låte sånn. Og ingen andre enn Bob Dylan ville kunnet skrive akkurat denne teksten. Her er vi veldig nær Døden. Og det kommer mer. NOT DARK YET Shadows are falling and Ive been here all day
Its too hot to sleep and time is runnin away
Feel like my soul has turned into steel
Ive still got the scares that the sun didnt heal
Theres not even room enough to be anywhere
Its not dark yet, but its getting there Well my sense of humanity is going down the drain
Behind every beautiful thing, theres been some kind of pain
She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind
She put down in writin what was in her mind
I just dont see why I should even care
Its not dark yet, but its getting there Well Ive been to London and Ive been to gay Paris
I followed the river and I got to the sea
Ive been down on the bottom of a whirlpool of lies
I aint lookin for nothin in anyones eyes
Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear
Its not dark yet, but its getting there I was born here and Ill die here, against my will
I know it looks like Im movin, but Im standin still
Every nerve in my body is so naked and numb
I cant even remember what it was I came her to get away from
Dont even hear the murmur of a prayer
Its not dark yet, but its getting there *
Den flotteste sangen Bob Dylan har lagd? Sånn er det i hvert fall, i mine øyne. Her står han med barberbladet i ene hånda, og det du veit litt ovenfor den andre hånda. Og kan du være snill å kikke en gang til på akkurat denne linja? I cant even remember what it was I came her to get away from.
Kan Svenska Akademin, som deler ut Nobelprisen i litteratur, snart reagere? COLD IRONS BOUND Im beginning to hear voices and theres no one around
Now Im all used up and the fields have turned brown
I went to church on Sunday and she passed by
And my love for her is taking such a long time to die
God Im waist deep, waist deep in the mist
Its almost like, almost like I dont exist
Im 20 miles out of town, Cold Irons bound Theres a wall of pride high and wide
Cant see over to the other side
Its such a sad thing to see beauty decay
Its sadder still to feel your heart turn away
One look at you and Im out of control
Like the universe has swallowed me whole
Im 20 miles out of town and Cold Irons bound Theres too many people, too many to recall
I thought some of them were friends of mine
I was rong about em all
Well, the road is rocky and the hillsides mud
Up over my head nothing but clouds of blood
I found my own, I found my one in you
But your love just hasnt proved true
Im 20 miles out of town, Cold Irons bound
20 miles out of town, Cold Irons bound Now the winds in Chicago have turned me to shreds
The RT has always had too many heads
Some things last longer than you think they will
Som kind of things you can never kill
Its you and you only Im thinkin about
But you cant see in, and its hard looking out
Im 20 miles out of town, Cold Irons bound Well the fats in the fire, and the waters in the tank
And the whiskeys in the jar, and the moneys in the bank
I tried to love and protect you because I cared
Im gonna remember forever the joy weve shared
But looking at you and Im on my bended knee
You have no idea what you do to me
Im 20 miles out of town, Cold Irons bound
20 miles out of town, Cold Irons bound *
I sin essens, det mest rocka sporet på plata. Fortsatt bare tre akkorder, men tre mystiske sådanne - uten at du legger merke til det. Det låter rett og slett bare tøft. Det er sånn jeg drømmer om at Rolling Stones låter, den dagen Mick Jagger for den kommer vel...? ikke lenger orke å løpe en maraton under hver konsert. MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love When evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love I know you havent made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
Ive known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong Id go hungry, Id go black and blue
Id go crawling down the avenue
Oh theres nothing that I wouldnt do
To make you feel my love The storms are raging on the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You aint seen nothing like me yet I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldnt do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love *
Bob Dylan i fotspora til Elton John og Billy Joel? På sett og vis. Her fins til og med harmonier Paul McCartney og Stevie Wonder ville stussa over den gang de lagde Ebony And Ivory. Likevel låter det umiskjennelig Dylan. Basic Dylan. CANT WAIT I cant wait
Wait for you to change my mind
Its late
Im tryin to walk the line
Well its way past midnight
And theres some people all around
Some on their way up
Some on their way down
The air burns and Im tryin to think straight
And I dont know how much longer I can wait Im your man
Ive tried to recover the sweet love that we knew
You understand
That my heart cant go on beating without you
Well your loveliness has wounded me
Im reeling from the blow
I wish I knew what it was that keeps me loving you so
Im breathin hard standin at the gate
And I dont know how much longer I can wait Skies are gray
Im lookin for anything that will bring a happy glow
Night or day
It doesnt matter where I go anymore I just go
If I ever saw you comin I dont know what I might do
Id like to think I could control myself
But it isnt true
Thats how it is
When things disintegrate
And I dont know how much longer I can wait Im doomed to love you
I been rollin through stormy weather
Im thinkin of you
And all the places we could roam together
Its mighty funny
The end of time has just begun
Oh honey, after all these years youre still the one
Well Im storllin through the lonely graveyeard of my mind
I left my life with you
Somewhere back there along the line
I thought somehow that I would be spared this day
I dont know how much longer I can wait *
Nå er skrangleorkesteret for alvor på plass. Det står i første vers; its late, og uten å låte utilsikta billig må det være lov å tro at dette opptaket er gjort relativt seint på natta. Dette bandet vil jeg ha i privat selskap, aller helst den dagen jeg er overmåte fornøyd med privatlivet. Doomed to love you. Verdens ende er ikke en gang i nærheten. HIGHLANDS Well my hearts in The Highlands, gentle and fair
Honeysuckle bloomin in the wildwood air
Bluebells blazing where the Aberdeen waters flow
Well my hearts in The Highlands
Im gonna go there when I feel good enough to go Windows were shaking all night in my dreams
Everything was exactly the way that it seems
Woke up this mornin and I looked at the same old page
Same old rat race, life in the same old cage I dont want nothin from anyone, aint that much to take
Wouldnt know the difference between a real blonde and a fake
Feel like a prisoner in a world of mystery
I wish someoned come and push back the clock for me Well my hearts in The Highlands wherever I roam
Thats where Ill be when I get called home
The wind it whispers to the buckeye trees of rhyme
Well my hearts in The Highlands
I can only get there one step at a time Im listenin to Neil Young, I gotta turn up the sound
Someones always yellin Turn it down
Feel like Im driftin, driftin from scene to scene
Im wonderin what in the devil could it all possibly mean Insanity is smashin up against my soul
You could say I was on anything but a roll
If I had a conscience, well I just might blow my top
What would I do with it anyway, maybe take it to the pawn shop My hearts in The Highlands at the break of dawn
By the beautiful lake on the Black Swan
Big white clouds like chariots that swing down low
Well my hearts in The Highlands only place left to go Im in Boston town in some restaurant
I got no idea what I want
Or maybe I do but Im just really not sure
Waitress comes over, noboby in the place but me and her Well it must be a holiday, theres noboby around
She studies me closely as I sit down
She got a pretty face and long white shiny legs
I said Tell me what I want
She say You probably wnat hard boiled eggs I said Thats right, bring me some
She says We aint got any, you picked the wrong time to come
Then she says I know youre an artist, draw a picture of me
I said I would if I could but
I dont do sketches from memory Well shes near she says Im right in front of you or havent you looked
I say All right I know but I dont have my drawin book
She gives me a napkin, she say You can do it on that
I say Yes I could but I dont know where my pencil is at She pulls one out from behind her ear
She says Alright now go ahead draw me Im stayin right here
I make a few lines and I show it for her to see
Well she takes the napkin and throws it back and says
That dont look a thing like me I said Oh kind miss, it most certainly does
She say You must be joking, I said I wish I was
She says You dont read women authors do ya?
At least thats what I think I hear her say
Well I say How would you know, and what would it matter anyway? Well she says Ya just dont seem like ya do, I said Youre way wrong
She says Which ones have you read then?, I say Ive read Erica Jong
She goes away for a minute, and I slide out, out of my chair
I step outside back to the busy street, but nobodys goin anywhere Well my hearts in The Highlands with the horses and hounds
Way up in the border country far from the towns
With the twang of the arrow and the snap of the bow
My hearts in The Highlands, cant see any other way to go Every day is the same thing, out the door
Feel further away than ever before
Some things in life it just gets too late to learn
Well Im lost somewhere, I must have made a few bad turns I see people in the park, forgettin their troubles and woes
Theyre drinkin and dancin, wearin bright colored clothes
All the young men with the young women lookin so good
Well Id trade places with any of em, in a minute if I could Im crossin the street to get away from a mangy dog
Talkin to myself in a monologue
I think what I need might be a full length leather coat
Somebody just asked me if Im registered to vote The sun is beginnin to shine on me
But its not like the sun that used to be
The partys over and theres less and less to say
I got new eyes, everything looks far away Well my hearts in The Highlands at the break of day
Over the hills and far away
Theres a way to get there, and Ill figure it out somehow
Well Im already there in my mind an thats good enough for now *
Du som har hørt Brownsville Girl trenger neppe flere stikkord, og utover det er det vel ikke stort mer å si. Jeg oppdaga denne sangen for alvor da jeg var i Statene for å se U2. En Florida-bar hadde jukebox, og jeg hadde lite penger. Hvilken lykke å finne en låt som skapt for anledninga: 2 dollar - for 3 x 16 og ½ minutt Dylan!
Arild Rønsen
|
