Bob Dylan fans have called the Blood on the Tracks song, Buckets of Rain, his “saddest song”.
Fans of the legendary songwriter, who is currently touring the Rough and Rowdy Ways show across the United States, say the track has a “devastating” lyric within. A post to the r/BobDylan subreddit had fans share their thoughts on the song, which closes his 1975 studio album. Blood on the Tracks, which turned fifty earlier this year, is celebrated as one of Dylan’s best albums to date. A post to the forum reads: “Buckets of Rain is Bob Dylan‘s saddest song.
“I understand the level of loneliness in songs like If You See Her, Say Hello or The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carol, but for me, at least melodically, Buckets Of Rain is devastating. The low guitar and the echoing voice seem to expose all the emptiness that Dylan felt at the time. So much so that, in parts of the lyrics, this is very clear: ‘I’ve seen pretty people disappear like smoke / Friends will arrive, friends will disappear,’ ‘Everything about you is bringing me misery’, ‘Life is sad, life is a bust / All you can do is do what you must’, and ‘ ‘Buckets of rain, buckets of tears / got all them buckets comin’ out of my ears’.
“For me, this track is very deep and represents a total exhaustion, with Bob Dylan giving himself to his ex-wife several times, as if it were his only option.” Fans were in agreement with the song being one of the hardest hitting songs in Dylan’s discography, with some calling it a “bittersweet” piece of work.
One wrote: “That song is very bittersweet and hits as a closer especially but I don’t agree that it’s even particularly sad compared to the rest of the album.” Another added: “Coming to terms with existence is not sad at all. Not everything that is not ‘happy’ is sad. Listening/playing and singing this elegant little song is joyful. Many of the songs on the album, some tragic, are sadder than the final song.”
A third wrote: “That line about life being a bust always comes up in my head. It’s comically written, almost like a Dr. Seuss lyric, but the sentiment is both devastating and hopeful. Life is sad and a bust, but you do what you must do and you do it well. I feel like that’s a manifesto for Dylan’s life.”
Others have suggested Buckets of Rain is more a “reminder of the pain” than a track aiming to upset listeners. One user wrote: “It’s a reminder of the pain… Like the childish lullaby that after time and due to the passage of time becomes haunting and haunts you.
“Things can never change, and nothing ever comes back, Buckets Of Rain plays and it doesn’t sound threatening, bleak or dark… It’s light, playful and even innocent, but you know nothing really is like that (Anymore). One of the best album closers ever. Genius way to end the narrative of the album.”
