Bob Dylan has long been revered as one of the most influential songwriters in music history. His lyrics transcend mere poetry, diving into social and political landscapes with an intensity rarely matched. One of his most powerful compositions, It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding), stands as a defining moment in his career, showcasing his lyrical prowess and intricate acoustic guitar work. Released in 1965 as part of the seminal album Bringing It All Back Home, this piece of music captures the raw energy of the 1960s and remains as relevant today as it was upon its release.
Bringing It All Back Home – A Groundbreaking Album
Before delving into the song itself, it’s important to acknowledge the album that housed it. Bringing It All Back Home marked a significant shift in Dylan’s career. Prior to this record, he was primarily recognized as a folk singer with acoustic roots. However, this album saw him transitioning towards a more electric sound on its first side while retaining acoustic storytelling on the second.
Released on March 22, 1965, Bringing It All Back Home was a game-changer in folk and rock music. The first half of the album introduced electrified instruments, paving the way for the revolutionary Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde. However, the second half stayed true to his folk origins, and this is where It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) found its place.
The Sound and Instruments Used in the Song
Unlike some of the other tracks on the album, It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) relies solely on Dylan’s acoustic guitar and harmonica, making it one of the most stripped-down yet powerful songs in his catalog. The piece is defined by a relentless, cascading fingerpicking pattern that creates a sense of urgency. Dylan’s voice carries the weight of the song, delivering rapid-fire verses filled with biting social commentary.
The song does not feature piano, drums, or bass, yet it achieves a fullness that many fully arranged pieces of music struggle to capture. The stark arrangement allows the listener to focus entirely on Dylan’s lyrical delivery, which is the true driving force behind the song.
Lyrical Depth and Social Commentary
Dylan’s songwriting in It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) is nothing short of masterful. The song is an unrelenting critique of consumerism, hypocrisy, war, and societal illusions. It contains some of his most quoted lines, such as:
“He not busy being born is busy dying.”
“Money doesn’t talk, it swears.”
The song takes listeners on a journey through the disillusionment of the American dream, exposing the cracks in the system and challenging listeners to question the world around them. Unlike some protest songs of the era that offered hope or solutions, It’s Alright, Ma is stark, uncompromising, and refuses to sugarcoat its message.
The Influence and Legacy of the Song
Few songs in Dylan’s repertoire have maintained the same level of cultural impact as It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding). Its influence can be seen in artists ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Neil Young, both of whom cite Dylan as a major inspiration. The song has been covered by various musicians, each bringing their own interpretation to its intense lyrics and haunting melody.
Even decades after its release, the themes explored in the song continue to resonate. In an age where misinformation, political strife, and social unrest dominate headlines, the lyrics of It’s Alright, Ma feel eerily prescient. Dylan’s ability to craft such a timeless message is what cements his status as one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
Similar Songs for Further Listening
If you’re captivated by the raw energy and thought-provoking nature of It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding), here are a few other tracks that capture similar themes and styles:
- “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” – Bob Dylan
- Another Dylan classic, this song carries apocalyptic imagery and social commentary that is just as powerful today as it was in the 1960s.
- “Masters of War” – Bob Dylan
- A searing critique of war and those who profit from it, this track features a similarly haunting acoustic arrangement.
- “The Times They Are A-Changin’” – Bob Dylan
- One of Dylan’s most well-known protest songs, urging listeners to embrace social change.
- “Ohio” – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- Written about the Kent State shootings, this song carries the same spirit of protest and disillusionment found in It’s Alright, Ma.
- “The Needle and the Damage Done” – Neil Young
- While more personal in nature, this acoustic piece captures a similar sense of sorrow and raw honesty.
Conclusion
Bob Dylan’s It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) is a tour de force of songwriting, encapsulating themes of societal disillusionment and personal reflection. With nothing but his acoustic guitar and harmonica, Dylan delivers a performance that is as chilling as it is profound.
For those who appreciate music that challenges conventional thinking and pushes boundaries, this song stands as an essential listen. Even in the modern era, where music production often leans towards elaborate instrumentation with piano, synthesizers, and electronic elements, the stripped-down brilliance of It’s Alright, Ma remains unmatched. As Dylan himself might say, “It’s life and life only.”
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Lyrics
Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, the child’s balloon
Eclipses both the sun and moon
To understand you know too soon
There is no sense in trying.
Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fools gold mouthpiece
The hollow horn plays wasted words
Proves to warn
That he not busy being born
Is busy dying.
Temptation’s page flies out the door
You follow, find yourself at war
Watch waterfalls of pity roar
You feel the moan but unlike before
You discover
That you’d just be
One more person crying.
So don’t fear if you hear
A foreign sound to your ear
It’s alright, Ma, I’m only sighing.
As some warn victory, some downfall
Private reasons great or small
Can be seen in the eyes of those that call
To make all that should be killed to crawl
While others say don’t hate nothing at all
Except hatred.
Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark
Make everything from toy guns that spark
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It’s easy to see without looking too far
That not much
Is really sacred.
While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
And goodness hides behind its gates
But even the President of the United States
Sometimes must have
To stand naked.
And though the rules of the road have been lodged
It’s only people’s games that you got to dodge
And it’s alright, Ma, I can make it.
Advertising signs that con you
Into thinking you’re the one
That can do what’s never been done
That can win what’s never been won
Meantime life outside goes on
All around you.
You lose yourself, you reappear
You suddenly find you got nothing to fear
Alone you stand with nobody near
When a trembling distant voice, unclear
Startles your sleeping ears to hear
That somebody thinks
They really found you.
A question in your nerves is lit
Yet you know there is no answer fit to satisfy
Ensure you not to quit
To keep it in your mind and not forget
That it is not he or she or them or it
That you belong to.
But though the masters make the rules
For the wise men and the fools
I got nothing, Ma, to live up to.
For them that must obey authority
That they do not respect in any degree
Who despise their jobs, their destiny
Speak jealously of them that are free
Do what they do just to be
Nothing more than something
They invest in.
While some on principles baptize
To strict party platforms ties
Social clubs in drag disguise
Outsiders they can freely criticize
Tell nothing except who to idolize
And say “God Bless him”.
While one who sings with his tongue on fire
Gargles in the rat race choir
Bent out of shape from society’s pliers
Cares not to come up any higher
But rather get you down in the hole
That he’s in.
But I mean no harm nor put fault
On anyone that lives in a vault
But it’s alright, Ma, if I can’t please him.
Old lady judges, watch people in pairs
Limited in sex, they dare
To push fake morals, insult and stare
While money doesn’t talk, it swears
Obscenity, who really cares
Propaganda, all is phony.
While them that defend what they cannot see
With a killer’s pride, security
It blows the minds most bitterly
For them that think death’s honesty
Won’t fall upon them naturally
Life sometimes
Must get lonely.
My eyes collide head-on with stuffed graveyards
False goals, I scoff
At pettiness which plays so rough
Walk upside-down inside handcuffs
Kick my legs to crash it off
Say okay, I have had enough
What else can you show me?
And if my thought-dreams could be seen
They’d probably put my head in a guillotine
But it’s alright, Ma, it’s life, and life only.