The Bob Dylan Lyric About His Brush with Academia (2024)

If you want Bob Dylan‘s life story, the best place to look is within his songs. You’ll find the victories, defeats, loves gained, loves lost, and every important emotion that’s ever roiled inside him. That’s the important stuff. What you won’t find much of are the specifics, as Dylan usually cloaks those with the expertise of a world-class spy.

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Now and again in his catalog, he has let the curtain down just enough to where we can tie songs to specific instances in his life. For example, “Day of the Locusts” from his 1970 album New Morning found him recalling, with wry humor, an afternoon where he received a major accolade from one of America’s most prominent universities. At least from Dylan’s perspective, it didn’t go well.

Doctor Robert

In June 1970, Bob Dylan was reeling from the critical savaging of his just-released album Self Portrait. He had already begun recording a new batch of songs. Although he always claimed the timing was coincidental, many have since speculated his urgency with the album that would become New Morning (only about four months from conception to its release in October 1970) was an attempt to quickly wipe away the bad mojo of Self Portrait from the public consciousness.

He did take the time at the end of the month to head to a ceremony at Princeton University to receive an honorary doctorate. But it was a battle all the way. David Crosby, who accompanied Dylan and wife Sara, had to convince him at every step of the process. Dylan nearly fled when the university wanted him to wear a cap and gown, and by all accounts was visibly uncomfortable.

In his book Chronicles: Volume One, Dylan talked about his unease with the whole scenario:

“I couldn’t believe it. Tricked once more. … The sunlight was blocking my vision, but I could still see the faces gawking at me with such strange expressions. I was so mad I wanted to bite myself.”

As for the title, that came from an incident during the ceremony in which Dylan noticed a swarm of locusts making a high-pitched buzzing sound in the trees at the university. Considering that Dylan and Crosby had been smoking marijuana on the way to the ceremony, the sound of the bugs probably added to the general paranoia Dylan was already experiencing.

Exploring the Lyrics to “Day of the Locusts”

Dylan does an amazing job on “Day of the Locusts” of setting the surreal (at least from his point of view) scene. Oh, the benches were stained with tears and perspiration. His distrust of the university officials bestowing the honor on him comes to the fore in the second verse: I glanced into the chamber where the judges were talkin’ / Darkness was everywhere, it smelled like a tomb.

Comparing them to judges is doubly effective, both because the honorary robes made them look that way, and because Dylan somehow felt like he was being sentenced. Later, Dylan hints at his addled state. He mentions the man standin’ next to me (that would be Crosby) and how his head was explodin’. Whoa, I was prayin’ the pieces didn’t fall on me, he exclaims.

In the final verse, Dylan speaks of his relief at being able to hustle out of there: Took hold of my sweetheart and away we did drive / Straight for the hills, the black hills of Dakota / Sure was glad to get out of there alive. Granted, he’s being a big melodramatic for effect (that’s quite the drive from New Jersey to South Dakota), but he certainly conveys just how out of place he felt.

The funny thing about “Day of the Locusts” is, like much of New Morning, it’s accompanied by easygoing, upbeat music. In the chorus, when he recalls the locusts singing, it almost feels like gospel testifying. It’s that kind of juxtaposition that renders the song so fascinating.

Dylan, a college dropout himself, has expressed his distaste for academics elsewhere in his catalog in much harsher terms. From “Foot of Pride”: They take all this money from sin, build big universities to study in / Sing “Amazing Grace” all the way to the Swiss banks. Compared to that, “Day of the Locusts” is a bit of a lark. But it’s one that still conveys Dylan’s feelings of otherness amidst the halls of honor and privilege.

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The Bob Dylan Lyric About His Brush with Academia (2024)

FAQs

What are some lines about Bob Dylan? ›

Bob Dylan was born on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. He grew up in the city of Hibbing. As a teenager, he played in various bands and with time his interest in music deepened, with a particular passion for American folk music and blues. One of his idols was the folk singer Woody Guthrie.

What did Bob Dylan study at university? ›

After graduating from high school, Dylan studied art at the University of Minnesota and began performing at coffeehouses under the name Bob Dylan (his last name was inspired by poet Dylan Thomas).

What is so special about Bob Dylan? ›

Bob Dylan is an American musical icon of folk and rock music and the voice of his generation. He moved from folk to rock (folk/rock) infusing his lyrics with poetry and setting the standard for lyric writing.

Why is Bob Dylan one of the most important figures in rock? ›

Born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota, singer and songwriter Bob Dylan is one of the most influential and revered figures in Folk and Rock. Among the most celebrated songwriters of the 20th century, Dylan is often credited with introducing literary and intellectual ambition into popular music.

What was Bob Dylan's famous quote? ›

A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.

What is Bob Dylan's IQ? ›

Supposedly, on an IQ test he took in jr. high or high school, Dylan earned a 106 or a 107.

Who was the love of Bob Dylan's life? ›

Suze Rotolo
Known forAppearing on the cover of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
SpouseEnzo Bartoccioli ​ ( m. 1967)​
PartnerBob Dylan (1961–1964)
Children1
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Did Bob Dylan go to his daughter's wedding? ›

However her mother Carolyn Dennis - Dylan's ex-wife and former backup singer and a professional gospel/rock vocalist- did attend and performed Amazing Grace at the ceremony. A guest told MailOnline: 'No, he was not there. I didn't see him, maybe he had a hat and glasses on but I didn't see anyone that looked like him.

Why did Bob Dylan change his name? ›

In his book Chronicles, Dylan explained that he was inspired to change his name after he saw an article about jazz performer David Allyn and later some poems by Dylan Thomas. He considered the names Robert Allyn and Robert Dylan, before finally deciding on Bob Dylan.

Is Bob Dylan religious? ›

In the late 1970s, he became a born-again Christian and released three albums of contemporary gospel music before returning to his more familiar rock-based idiom in the early 1980s. Dylan's Time Out of Mind (1997) marked the beginning of a career renaissance.

What was Bob Dylan's main message? ›

Bob Dylan's message (what he says, sings, writes) isn't any one particular idea. That is to say: sometimes he's saying man's so sinister that he's even written it into his bible, The Bible; and sometimes Dylan's talking civil rights, or sometimes he's talking about the way some people (like him) are living.

Did Bob Dylan ever marry? ›

Bob Dylan wrote 1997's “Make You Feel My Love” after experiencing his own two marriages. The iconic singer, who is now being portrayed by Timothée Chalamet in his biopic A Complete Unknown, was first married to Sara Dylan from 1965 to 1977, and the two welcomed four children — Jesse, Anna, Sam and Jakob — together.

Who is Bob Dylan's favorite singer? ›

In his 2004 memoir Chronicles: Volume One, Bob Dylan wrote, "My favorite singer…was Karen Dalton. Karen had a voice like Billie Holiday and played guitar like Jimmy Reed… I sang with her a couple of times."

Who was more influential, Bob Dylan or the Beatles? ›

The leading songwriter of the era, at least in terms of merging music and poetry, was undoubtedly Bob Dylan. John Lennon channelled the inspiration he took from Dylan into 'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)', but after hearing it was the first time, Dylan was furious.

Is Bob Dylan one of the best guitarists of all time? ›

It is true that he is not a dazzling guitar hero. For most of his career he has been playing with a band, with one or two solo guitarists to do the technically challenging groundwork. But still: he is actually quite good. And more importantly in our context, Dylan is probably the best guitar tutor you can get.

What is a fact about Dylan? ›

Hailed as the Shakespeare of his generation, Dylan sold tens of millions of albums, wrote more than 500 songs recorded by more than 2,000 artists, performed all over the world, and set the standard for lyric writing. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016.

What did Bob Dylan call himself? ›

Bob Dylan
Dylan in 2010
BornRobert Allen Zimmerman May 24, 1941 Duluth, Minnesota, US
Other namesShabtai Zisel ben Avraham (Hebrew name) Elston Gunnn Blind Boy Grunt Bob Landy Robert Milkwood Thomas Tedham Porterhouse Lucky Wilbury Boo Wilbury Jack Frost Sergei Petrov Zimmy
OccupationsSinger-songwriter painter writer
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What was Bob Dylan first known for? ›

Bob Dylan, born in Minnesota in 1941, gained his fame in the early 1960s as he began to play in smaller clubs around the U.S. and befriend different folk musicians. During his high school years, he was inspired by artists like Elvis Presley and Little Richard and would often perform covers of their songs.

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