On Hearing "Not Dark Yet"

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GKeeley
On Hearing "Not Dark Yet"
ON HEARING NOT DARK YET and i’m looking at this old photo
he’s standing in busy new york city
and it’s a close-up photo
and I notice his lips are chapped
and i’m wondering why doesn’t he
get Chapstick?
it looks llike wintertime in the photo
his lips must hurt
and even bleed at times
and it looks like hell
those cracks in his lips
then it occurs to me
i’m worried so much about his lips
that i’m not even listening to the words
of his song
you need to hear his words
 but i’m so worried about his chapped lips
that i can’t concentrate
then it occurs to me
why in the world am i worried about
his chapped lips
this photo has to be from the 60s
he’s young as a mouse
and i’m sitting here worrying about
his lips
and then I make the huge mistake of
looking closely at his fingernails and
OMG, they’re filthy
I remember reading long ago that
he didn’t smell nice
he must have written for days in
the same clothes and with the
smell of body and the smell of
smoke he must have been quite unpleasant
to be around
but those words
stringing them together the way he did
not bothering with his dirty fingernails or
chapped lips or unpleasant smells
OH and, that hair!
each strand following it’s own
drum and becoming electric
interacting with the elements
and never settling and I remember Tommy Saunders
was soooo cool, he’d play what he
wanted on his program
was supposed to play only what’s
on the top 40 survey
but I tune in this one morning and
he’s playing something about
freedom the likes of I’d never heard before
I was 16 and
that voice,
what the hell???
  The first song I ever heard was
The Times They Are A-Changin’
How did he get those words to
fit so succinctly? How’d he do it? He smoked, he wore blue work shirts
jeans, a handmade harmonica rack
Absolutely nothing that spoke of money Woody Guthrie came to mind
nasal drawl, sign of the times lyrics
comments where nobody dared tread
direct copy really in those first days Took him quite awhile to develop
his own style
his own sound
All hell broke loose when he went electric
those who thought they’d owned him
were incensed, angry, dumb-struck Pete Seeger wanted to pull plugs
at Monterey Folk Festival
fit to be tied, that one
All he could do to keep from
Jumping the Bob right on stage
wrestling him to the ground
drop-kicking his harmonica
lynching him with his own guitar strings He kept right on playing, didn’t flinch
“You’re A Liar!” he accused
and went right on ELECTRIFYING the
believers and nonbelievers
one tale after another, loud, sexual
brash and confident sing out  magazine laughed, jeered, smoked tears
feeling betrayed and spat upon...
spit is good for the soul... stuck to his guns, never went back
continued on to see where he’d go To all Ramonas everywhere
don’t cross this guy
you’ll get written up
chewed up
skewed up
spat out
and recorded about All he ever really wanted to do
was, baby.....  
bobby55
San Franciso Poetess
Panning for verbal nuggets in reading Keeley's poem, this Dylan fan was not disappointed. Like a miner SF 49er, I dig her words.
GKeeley
Very clever, Bobby55. haha
Very clever, Bobby55. haha

G. Keeley

Kelti
Kelti's picture
This Post Abouve.....
I know we are all entitled to our own opinions and observations of  Dylan, or anybody else for that matter...BUT...
the entry abouve was NOT written by a Dylan fan.. 
Kelti...
 

Bob Dylan: changed music forever. He is a Paradox indeed....

Kelti
Kelti's picture
Dylan didnt apologize for
Dylan didnt apologize for himself and that was part of his wonderous gift as the entertainer and man that he was.
I dont apologize for myself either.......
Kelti...
 

Bob Dylan: changed music forever. He is a Paradox indeed....

Kelti
Kelti's picture
DYLAN ALL OVER THE DECADES...
GKelley, I was just wondering if you believe every thing you read?? As a singer, I can attest to the fact that as an artist myself, I have sat up for days at a time working on my craft. Scoring songs and new arrangements is dirty work. Working with pencil and paper to put it all down in black and white gets your hands dirty. Pencil lead  'dust' does get under the nails and all over one's hands..we erase a lot... erasers 'dust' gets on your hands a lot too.  And when I finally do break away from my work, I definitely need a shower... also, some guitar musicians have long grown out fingernails. It is easier to 'pick' with some nails lest the skin becomes so tender and sore one just simply cannot do it every day and stand the pain.   This is incredibly common in such an industry as being a song writer and singer.
 I have read many articles written about me through out the years and no body has ever 'told on me' for getting dirty. If you sat at your desk for days at a time you would need a shower too. Also, one other thing. Carbon paper rubs off too. Back in the Dylan days there were no computers, so it had to be done with writing on paper and using a non electric type writer. It made my hands blue!!
'Tangled Up In Blue............................. Dylan's hair had a lot to do with his success. It made him who he was. Same goes for his many voice changes. They made him famous, just as did his choice of clothing including his great hats!  If you have ever been to a live Dylan concert you can plainly see his self made image had everything to do with why we love him so much. God broke the mold when He gave us Dylan and his many talents. Ever hear him tell a story about himself? He is incredibly funny and witty and is always on his toes. I wouldn't have Dylan any other way. So he gets dirty when he is working. So does a lot of people, but we dont go on the internet and 'tell'. Dylan reads us here. I would never post anything here that may hurt Dylan's feelings. Why would I want to indulge into that?  Dylan is a very sensitive man and has experienced many feelings. We all know that bc he wrote metaphors about himself in his songs. There was always some kind of life lesson he was sharing so abundantly with 
his audience, and YES, he does love every single one of us, truly deep down into his soul. And, he quickly admits to that even to today. As you know, he is 72. He is touring in Europe. I can only imagine how exhausted this American, self made hero is after a tour. He has my utmost respect in every way. And he knows that. It is why he is on the tour circuit once again... Rock on Dylan...
I love you...
Kelti...

Bob Dylan: changed music forever. He is a Paradox indeed....

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