Fans of the veteran songwriter Bob Dylan are only just realising the “pure genius” of a Blood on the Tracks song.
The album, which celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in January of this year, has more than a few hidden gems amid hits like Tangled Up in Blue and Idiot Wind. One track has captured fans’ attention, as they share the true beauty of the song. The song in question, which has users of the r/BobDylan subreddit thrilled, features on the A-side of the album and is regarded as one of the very best Dylan tracks. One user shared what they had only just realised about the hit track. They wrote: “I just realised something about Shelter from the Storm.
“The first verse is referencing and paraphrasing lines from the introduction of the bible and the story of creation, and the last verse has the lyric, ‘If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born’ I just realised this. Pure genius.” Other fans have agreed with the labelling of this lyric as “pure genius,” with many thrilled by the quality of the song.
One user wrote: “I thought God and her was a reference to Jesus and Veronica, who wiped his face with the veil. Lots of Jesus imagery.” Another added: “100% this line makes me think of Christ at Golgotha. I can’t think of any other example of gambling for clothes in literature or the collective unconscious. It’s not an archetype, as far as I’m aware.
“This song gets weirder the more you dig into the lyrics. That verse in particular seems to be casting Dylan, or the narrator, into the role of martyr for humankind, but with a sardonic aside: ‘I bargained for salvation but they gave me a lethal dose.’ I’m not sure I really understand what he’s putting down here, but it’s not a simple ‘she saved me’ song.”
Shelter from the Storm and its hidden depths were shared further by fans who took the time to pick apart a few other lyrical gems. One user shared: “There’s some weirdness with the verbs in this verse. The meanings kinda vacillate between something transactional and something else.
“’Bargain for’ is different from ‘to bargain.’ To bargain is to haggle or negotiate. But to bargain for usually means to expect, anticipate, e.g. ‘I got more than I bargained for’ or ‘I didn’t bargain for rain today.’
“’Gave’ in ‘she gave me a lethal dose’ could be transactional, like a drug deal. Or in another sense, it could be like a doctor giving medication, or giving someone a cold.”
Another added: “I wasn’t sure Dylan wasn’t the one being crucified in this song. Certainly is Christian imagery, but sounds very personal.” Dylan would go on to write with clearer focus on his religious beliefs a few years later, with the likes of Slow Train Coming, Saved, and Shot of Love featuring some of his clearest references to divine influence.
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