5 of My Most Emotional Bob Dylan Songs

Being a massive fan of Bob Dylan, many of his songs that make me feel a variety of emotions that run the gamut from loneliness, anger, defiance, joy, and sadness. In this post, I have chosen 5 of his songs that make me feel the most emotion when I listen to them. These songs are not necessarily my favourites, just the songs that make me feel the most.

Girl from the North Country

Rumour has it that this song was written about a high school girlfriend of Dylan's from Hibbing, Minnesota named Echo Helstrom. As with most of Dylan's work, the man isn't exactly easy to pin down on what certain songs are about.

This song hits me with the strong emotion of missing people in my life that are no longer present. If you listen to the lyrics, Dylan talks about someone travelling to the North Country and how, if this person sees the girl from the north country that he speaks of then "remember me to one who lives there".

Please see if her hair hangs long
If it rolls and flows all down her breast
Please see for me if her hair's hangin' long
For that’s the way I remember her best

I’m a-wondering if she remembers me at all
Many times I’ve often prayed
In the darkness of my night
In the brightness of my day

Visions of Johanna

One of my favourites from Dylan, this song was supposedly written during a blackout in New York City while Dylan was dating Joan Baez, but was falling in love with his future wife Sara. One of Dylan's most epic, haunting, and lonely songs.

Every time I listen to this song I feel the loneliness that Dylan is feeling, although it's not about anyone in particular. The song itself just exudes heartache and makes gives that feeling in your pit of your stomach even though you might not be certain why you're feeling the way that you are.

Oh, how can I explain?
It's so hard to get on
And these visions of Johanna they kept me up past the dawn

Not Dark Yet

Another of Dylan's most haunting songs. This one just gives me the feeling of those times when everything seems heavy and I can't get out from under what is weighing me down. I'm not a person that struggles with depression, but if I was, I get the feeling that this song would be the soundtrack.

I was born here, and I’ll die here
Against my will
I know it looks like I’m moving
But I’m standing still
Every nerve in my body
Is so vacant and numb
I can’t even remember what it was
I came here to get away from
Don’t even hear a murmur of a prayer

It’s not dark yet
But it’s getting there

Positively 4th Street

There's no other way to put it. This song makes me feel defiant. Any time I feel like giving a massive "fuck you" to the people in my past that haven't believed in me, have given up on me, and have talked behind my back, this is the song that I think about.

One of Dylan's most vitriolic songs about the people in the New York scene that did exactly the same thing to him, there might not be a better "go fuck yourself" song ever written.

You've got a lotta nerve to say you are my friend
When I was down you just stood there grinnin'
You've got a lotta nerve to say you got a helping hand to lend
You just want to be on the side that's winnin'
You say I let you down, ya know its not like that
If you're so hurt, why then don't you show it?
You say you've lost your faith, but that's not where it's at
You have no faith to lose, and ya know it

Series of Dreams

Pure joy. This is the song that started my love afair with Dylan, and whenever I hear it, I have those same feelings all over again. Hearing this one song has started a love affair with Dylan that gets stronger with every passing day.

In one, the surface was frozen
In another, I witnessed a crime
In one, I was running, and in another
All I seemed to be doing was climb
Wasn't looking for any special assistance
Not going to any great extremes
I'd already gone the distance
Just thinking of a series of dreams

---

All Images from Wikicommons.

I am Scott. I write poetry and lyrics and sometimes I write about life. Please upvote and follow. I always follow back. :)