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Bob Dylan — Like a Rolling Stone
Album: Highway 61 Revisited
Avg rating:
8.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2431









Released: 1965
Length: 6:02
Plays (last 30 days): 1
Once upon a time you dressed so fine
Threw the bums a dime in your prime
Didn't you?
People call, say, "Beware, doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all
A-kiddin' you

You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging
Your next meal

How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

Ah, you've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get
Juiced in it
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out on the street
And now you're gonna have to get
Used to it

You say you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say, "Do you want to
Make a deal?"

How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
A complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

Ah, you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all did
Tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your
Kicks for you

You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal?

How does it feel?
How does it feel
To have you on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

Ah, princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're all drinkin', thinkin' that they
Got it made
Exchanging all precious gifts, but you'd better
Take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it, babe

You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you ain't got nothin', you got nothin' to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets
To conceal

How does it feel?
Ah, how does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
Comments (402)add comment
Happy Birthday today Mr. Zimmerman!!
(born 24 May 1941)
Pure Genius, Legend
”…play fuckin’ loud…”
his best song from his best album?
You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely, but you know you only used to get.... CHOOSTINIT
 
Thank god for the Internet... back in the day we didn't know what the hell some of these lyrics were.
Might consider rating this by those who have covered it:
Jimi Hendrix
Johnny Winter
Neil Young
Jeff Beck / Seal
Randy California / Spirit
The Heartbreakers
Sandra Bernhard
Judi Collins
Glenn Campbell
Robyn Hitchcock
The Turtles
John Mellencamp
Green Day
The Rascals
 LizK wrote:
 
     Yikes
!! Now he's 80.


And he was 24 when this was released?!
 On_The_Beach wrote:
His Bobness just turned 75 a few days ago!
Cheers.

     Yikes
!! Now he's 80.
 RabbitEars wrote:

Flyboy got a lot of reactions for saying he doesn't like this song anymore. I have to say the same. I once loved it, I recognize how groundbreaking it was, how unique the lyrics, etc. But the anger and power of it is not something I relate to anymore - it now sounds to me like a character assassination. Dylan was probably lashing out about some hurt he experienced. At this point in my life, I no longer see the value in shaming or excoriating someone, especially so publicly. Plus I've heard it so many thousands of times and it hasn't worn as well musically for me as all the other songs on that album.



"you probably think this song is about you" —Carly Simon, capturing the essence of the arguments created when a song is written about "you." Lots of people spent a lot of time trying to figure out who Like a Rolling Stone is about, but Bob was rarely that literal. When he was, we got stuff like Lay, Lady, Lay. And even that, he's waffled on who it's about, but AFAIK it's a short list. 

(wikipedia): Dylan himself has noted that, after his motorcycle accident in 1966, he realized that "when I used words like 'he' and 'it' and 'they,' and talking about other people, I was really talking about nobody but me."
I don't care what anyone says about Dylan, his singing or song craft.  This is simply one of the greatest songs ever written.  Period. 
Flyboy got a lot of reactions for saying he doesn't like this song anymore. I have to say the same. I once loved it, I recognize how groundbreaking it was, how unique the lyrics, etc. But the anger and power of it is not something I relate to anymore - it now sounds to me like a character assassination. Dylan was probably lashing out about some hurt he experienced. At this point in my life, I no longer see the value in shaming or excoriating someone, especially so publicly. Plus I've heard it so many thousands of times and it hasn't worn as well musically for me as all the other songs on that album.
Best Song Writer Ever? Top 3 for sure.
Love ( prefer? ) the cover songs from the Animals, Robin Holcomb, the Byrds, Neko Case, ....
 Lazarus wrote:
Would be better if it were called "Like a Joint Rolling Stoner", but everybody in my homeless camp loves this song...  we be square dancing...  love sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll...
 

There's a visual for you
1965, let that sink in...
 scottrasmd wrote:
Makes me reach for Pandora every time it's played. 
 

The internet radio choice, or the Box?
Did he ever top himself? Did anyone ever top this? 
Genius
 Tomasni wrote:

PSD gives does NOT give me

Bob Dylan
Like a Rolling Stone

ONLY SILENCE



 
Don't despair.  The Sounds of Silence is a comparably great song from the same era.  
{#Cowboy}
 flyboy wrote:
I used to like this song.

Now I do not.

 
You are forgiven. 
Now please write one that's comparable, or better. 
 flyboy wrote:
I used to like this song.

Now I do not.

 
anhedonia
Sing on Brother Bob, you got a Nobel Prize. And you are on the never ending tour.  

Some people get it and some don't....and you really don't care. Cooooool.  




                                                                                   Oh dear ~
.
.
                     




I used to like this song.

Now I do not.
Hey all,

Its Friday afternoon and time to celebrate wonderful Bobby, and driving down Highway 61 in the boot hill of Iowa and wave to the jokers along the road.  

Hey...that guy looks like Allen Ginsberg in overalls and he's howling!!!
Wow, I see I never rated this grand old classic from the 60's.....

1

There we go. 
Makes me reach for Pandora every time it's played. 
 zunismyst wrote:
 agree, but as a human being he is kind of ignorant and mainly obnoxious. Today his voice sounds like his mentality - like a dirty old man
 
Yeah, for sure because he thinks different than you 
 thais wrote:

CONGRATULATIONS MR. DYLAN

Now you are a Nobel prize winner.

  



  agree, but as a human being he is kind of ignorant and mainly obnoxious. Today his voice sounds like his mentality - like a dirty old man

CONGRATULATIONS MR. DYLAN

Now you are a Nobel prize winner.

  


One of the finest records ever pressed.  Yes, a BIG FAT 10 
Drive down highway 61 through Iowa and wave at the field of dreams, over there on the right! 
 westslope wrote:
Dylan belongs to the world.  Cannot think of a bigger compliment.
 
OK; I wasn't quite sure how to interpret your original comment.
His Bobness just turned 75 a few days ago!
Cheers.
 On_The_Beach wrote:

? ? ?

 
Dylan belongs to the world.  Cannot think of a bigger compliment.
{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}{#Clap}
Trust me, you really don't want to go to Hibbing, Minn. even if this thing survives in 2015!

>>>Hibbing's Dylan Days festival goes on hiatus


Star Tribune   Updated: December 30, 2014 - 8:58 AM



A long-running Iron Range celebration of native son Bob Dylan has been canceled after the forced closure of the restaurant that hosted the annual event.

The “Dylan Days” festival in Hibbing, Minn., drew about 100 people from around the world this year for a singer-songwriter contest, an art show and a bus tour of the town where Dylan grew up.

A delinquent tax bill forced the owner’s of Zimmy’s Bar and Restaurant to shut down in March, robbing the festival of its home base, said one of the event’s organizers.

“It’s just time for us to say, ‘Yep, we’re going to take this break,’ ” said Joe Keyes, a principal organizer behind the 24-year-old festival.

Zimmy’s owners Linda and Bob Hocking could not be reached Monday for comment; Linda Hocking was considered the driving force behind the event, said Keyes.

Dylan Days may yet survive if a new group of supporters can round up financing and an appropriate venue, said Keyes. For now, the group has transferred its remaining funds to the Hibbing Arts Council and steered supporters to the Duluth Dylan festival, typically held a day or two before the one in Hibbing.

“It remains the hope of the outgoing committee that new volunteers will step forward to continue Dylan Days programming in the city of Hibbing in honor of the town’s most famous son, and the reason for thousands of tourist stops in Hibbing every year,” read a statement posted Friday on the Dylan Days website.

The origins of the Hibbing festival go back to an impromptu 1991 birthday celebration for Dylan at Zimmy’s, according to the website. Dylan didn’t attend, and never has appeared at the festival held in his honor. Zimmy’s, named for Dylan’s family name of Zimmerman, became over the years an unofficial Dylan museum, which a writer in the Hibbing newspaper called “the Vatican of the church of Dylanology.”

The festival grew over the years to include the singer-songwriter contest (first place was some cash and a guitar), art and literary contests, and the bus tour.

“It’s been our joy to meet all of these visitors who come for Dylan Days,” said Keyes. He recalled an Israeli man who drove to the Iron Range one year from New York, where he had been attending a conference. “He said, ‘I cannot come this far and not be here in Hibbing.’ He didn’t realize how long the drive was,” said Keyes.

The tax problems earlier this year cost Zimmy’s its liquor license. It lasted a few more weeks before it closed. A social-media fundraiser over the summer fell well short of the $200,000 the Hockings said they needed to pay off their mortgage and reopen.

“Losing Zimmy’s, at least for our organization, was the mortal wound,” said Aaron Brown, who helped organize the festival. The host of the Great Northern Radio Show, Brown said the singer-songwriter contest will move to the Duluth festival for next year. He’s hopeful someone will eventually restart the Hibbing festival.

“I think there’s a lot of demand yet,” he said. “There’s a lot of people who want to come to Hibbing and experience the Dylan experience. He wasn’t just here for a couple of years. He really develops himself in this place. It’s a viable story.”




 westslope wrote:
And one thing America, Bob Dylan isn't yours, he is ours. 
 
? ? ?
Would be better if it were called "Like a Joint Rolling Stoner", but everybody in my homeless camp loves this song...  we be square dancing...  love sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll...
I find I like a lot of things as I get older.
Always loved Dylan but I think I appreciate him all the more as I get older.  

So good for the ears, so good for the head.   

And one thing America, Bob Dylan isn't yours, he is ours.  
{#Clap}   {#Clap}  {#Clap}
 TuneAgeWhereWoof wrote:
Yes yes love it and yet... and yet...  I'm here on RP because the I hope the DJ's have a deeper knowledge than propping up the sure-win tunes.  I am a big Dylan fan, and sadly I'm tired of hearing this song after so many years.  Bring on the Sad Eyed Lady of the Low Lands, eh.

 
{#Stop}  Oh please no not Sad Eyed Lady. For my ears, that's the worst of Dylan and this is the best, one of THE defining songs of the 60s.

Would love to read an intelligent argument about Dylan's place in American music. He's one of the more polarizing musicians I know of. As I've said before, you can't talk about post-WWII American popular music without mentioning Dylan. But there's probably room for just one Dylan in that era. 

The Goldsmiths know their music, so yes you're going to hear deeper tracks. Sorry this grates on you...

 
https://images.nymag.com/guides/fallpreview/2010/books/dylan100830_560.jpg
                10+....of course!!!    {#Crown}  {#Crown}   {#Crown}   {#Crown}   {#Crown} 

Bob Dylan Like a Rolling Stone
His Bobness doin what he does best.
Godlike! What else?
 juanos wrote:
how come there is no way to up the rating above 10? {#Daisy}

 
....  with you on this one, this is BD's finest album - groundbreaking 10 x 10

{#Yes}    {#Yes}    {#Yes}    {#Yes}   
Check out this very cool interactive using this song - video.bobdylan.com. Be careful, you can waste a lot of time watching all the different channels. I think The Price is Right is my favorite.
how come there is no way to up the rating above 10? {#Daisy}
I love the live version of this!  He sounds so confident and in total command.

 
Who's seen the official video yet? https://video.bobdylan.com/desktop.html
Maybe if it didn't sound like he was on acid and being disemboweled while singing I'd like this song.
 Patti wrote:

Summer 1965 - awakening to music, other then my parents'; this song ALWAYS reminds me of that summer.....



 
fabulous music such as this sometimes also needs to be taken in context  -  wow 1965 man, all the crewcuts and stiff necked guys calling the shots everywhere (even in space), things were going to get alot worse too... awesome Artist, Mr. Dylan
Yeah baby. Now THIS is thwe way tp kick off a friday morning in the last month of a darn good summer.


Play on Bob...see you on the road.  
What happened to the organ? This recording has it pushed way back into the background. It's usually so prominent in the other recordings I hear.
 BobbyCat wrote:
Everybody in my room loves this song.

There's no one but me, but hey, that's still everybody {#Lol}
 

You are welcome to join my churches!  We will give you free cheeseburgers and beer and eternal salivation!

Love this marvelous song...
 
Everybody in my room loves this song.

There's no one but me, but hey, that's still everybody {#Lol}
Be nice to drifters; it is Easter.

Everybody in my church loves this song...
 
 buddy wrote:
Given the usual crap being debated in the Forum at this very moment on this sad day, this couldn't be more relevant.
 
on some level it's all the same day, and Napoleon is in rags...
 romeotuma wrote:


FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2012 file photo, feminist punk group Pussy Riot members, from left, Yekaterina Samutsevich, Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova sit in a glass cage at a court room in Moscow, Russia. Jailed Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova said in an interview released by Germany's Der Spiegel magazine on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012 that she regrets nothing about the band's anti-government performance in a cathedral that got them convicted of hooliganism and sentenced to two years behind bars. Photo: Sergey Ponomarev / AP
 
Nobody in your room is dancing to this...  
I feel sorry for the folks that dislike Bobby.  They're missing the Cream ....

And I sincerely mean that, the Cream!

There is no one better at putting your thoughts and your feelings into words and music. 

Love his love songs, which make up about 98% of his catalog.


Everybody in the city where my hotel stands loves this song...
{#Angel}


 TuneAgeWhereWoof wrote:
Dylan has so many gems.  This is over played, and beneath RP.  Rats. 
 

And I'm on the underground/metro/tube with Bill & Rebecca enjoying it.
 buddy wrote:
Given the usual crap being debated in the Forum at this very moment on this sad day, this couldn't be more relevant.
 
hmmmmm interesting.
 kcar wrote:


Dylan has put out his share of groaners, but you're right—this song still drives me home every time. One of his very best songs from an amazing album.

If you hate this song, it's quite likely you're not going to like any Dylan...which I can respect. He's certainly not everyone's cuppa. 
 

DITTO... takes me right back and never tire of this track ... as you said kcar one of his best...every line a gem....

Summer 1965 - awakening to music, other then my parents'; this song ALWAYS reminds me of that summer.....


Given the usual crap being debated in the Forum at this very moment on this sad day, this couldn't be more relevant.
{#Notworthy}
p.s.
had to hit "mute" and that is sad... 
Dylan has so many gems.  This is over played, and beneath RP.  Rats. 
When I hear this song, I always cry out "How does it feel" {#Bananapiano}
 MiracleDrug wrote:
oddly enough I LIKE this one... {#Lol}
 
There's hope for you yet, MD!  ; )
oddly enough I LIKE this one... {#Lol}
https://www.facebook.com/OccupyWallSt
 TuneAgeWhereWoof wrote:
Yes yes love it and yet... and yet...  I'm here on RP because the I hope the DJ's have a deeper knowledge than propping up the sure-win tunes.  I am a big Dylan fan, and sadly I'm tired of hearing this song after so many years.  Bring on the Sad Eyed Lady of the Low Lands, eh.
 
Yes. My biggest criticism of RP is that "classics" like these are overplayed. I was tired of hearing this (admittedly great) song many years ago. If I heard it once on RP, I might be able to enjoy it. But I've heard it many many times here, and I do not enjoy it at all anymore.

Damn, Dylan is amazing when he's putting someone down!
 tinamarie wrote:
That song just never gets old! I love the beginning with the organ. I remember 1965 - when I think they played is for 24 hours straight!! At that time I didn't love it - i was 10!!!
Now it's one of my favorites.
Thanks, Bill
 
One definition of old is being stuck, listening the same things.
Yes yes love it and yet... and yet...  I'm here on RP because the I hope the DJ's have a deeper knowledge than propping up the sure-win tunes.  I am a big Dylan fan, and sadly I'm tired of hearing this song after so many years.  Bring on the Sad Eyed Lady of the Low Lands, eh.
 ri_shelton wrote:
This song, IMHO, is lovely for its simplicity, but more so because the lyrics seem timeless. An unforgettable achievement!
 

Dylan has put out his share of groaners, but you're right—this song still drives me home every time. One of his very best songs from an amazing album.

If you hate this song, it's quite likely you're not going to like any Dylan...which I can respect. He's certainly not everyone's cuppa. 


 h8rhater wrote:

Clueless.... if you never comment again it will be too soon.

 

For once we agree!{#Lol}
How does it feel? Well pretty good there Bobbie, thanks to you!{#Cheers}
yep
 slippery wrote:
I find it extremely surprising that RP never played a single song by the best lyricist since Dylan (and maybe I should be shot for saying so, but perhaps even better than the king of kings). Not only is Kristian a poet extraordinare but also probably the best solo-artist alive today.

Could it be true that the tallest man roaming earth have passed by both Bill and the whole RP-community unseen?

Check these videos if you dare,
you won't be able to breathe for the next 15 minutes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLRTleMY_mc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKtej1LAQqI 

 
Thanks for the tip; if you have the CD, upload something... In the meantime, here's the video behind your first link there...
 


This song, IMHO, is lovely for its simplicity, but more so because the lyrics seem timeless. An unforgettable achievement!
 ziakut wrote:
Overrated beyond belief. Even HE has better songs than this. If I never hear this song again...it'll be too soon. Waiting for the next tune...anything is better.
 
{#Lol} You're slip is showing...

devastating...
I find it extremely surprising that RP never played a single song by the best lyricist since Dylan (and maybe I should be shot for saying so, but perhaps even better than the king of kings). Not only is Kristian a poet extraordinare but also probably the best solo-artist alive today.

Could it be true that the tallest man roaming earth have passed by both Bill and the whole RP-community unseen?

Check these videos if you dare,
you won't be able to breathe for the next 15 minutes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLRTleMY_mc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKtej1LAQqI 

 h8rhater wrote:

Clueless.... if you never comment again it will be too soon.
 
Why is it that you feel you need to attack, just because I don't prefer this tune in the least? You've managed to make it a personal thing. I comment about tunes I like and one's that I don't. I usually give details or influences that I hear and wonder if others hear it too. Even tunes I can't stand...sometimes I manage to find a quality about it that I DO like. That is what this forum is for. Your comment to me exemplifies exactly what YOU said. I've already spent far too much time writing my thoughts about this. Peace out.

That song just never gets old! I love the beginning with the organ. I remember 1965 - when I think they played is for 24 hours straight!! At that time I didn't love it - i was 10!!!
Now it's one of my favorites.
Thanks, Bill
Very, very nice!
Great poetry, shame about the singing. Still, if you're a Dylan fan he certainly gave good value - this effort's been going on 5 minutes already and shows no sign of stopping. Time to slip off for another iTunes track and come back to see if it's all over.
My favorite Dylan song of all time, a solid 5.
 ziakut wrote:
Overrated beyond belief. Even HE has better songs than this. If I never hear this song again...it'll be too soon. Waiting for the next tune...anything is better.
 
Clueless.... if you never comment again it will be too soon.

 felakuti wrote:
Jesus!
 

Nope... Bob Dylan
 furaha wrote:
I agree with your sentiments, but the Stones got their name from Muddy Waters
 
Besides, the Rolling Stones were the Rolling Stones before this song was even recorded.

One of those songs where you wonder what your fellow listeners could possibly say about it.

Ummm...good song? (check) Uhhh...amazing lyrics? (check).

Nice work, Bobby. ("Bobby" is what you call him when you know him personally as well as I do).
One of the few songs which I made a point of memorizing the lyrics.
Music as art in the purest form.
Excellent beyond compare.
Never ever tire hearing this
too soon. Never would have been better!
Jesus!
 ziakut wrote:
Overrated beyond belief. Even HE has better songs than this. If I never hear this song again...it'll be too soon. Waiting for the next tune...anything is better.
  Completely agree! {#Puke}


Sign of an untouchable masterpiece; never get tired of it no matter how many times you hear it!{#Notworthy}


 jimbaca wrote:
After lo these many years, I still turn up the volume when this song starts to play.  I will never get tired of listening to this song.  Absolute classic!  For those of you who don't get it, you had to be there.
 
funny, I had just turned up the volume instinctively before came over and read your post. How true.

After lo these many years, I still turn up the volume when this song starts to play.  I will never get tired of listening to this song.  Absolute classic!  For those of you who don't get it, you had to be there.
Great song. I remember Bob Dylan in  1965.  He asked me back stage.
Amazing song by Dylan. These lyrics cut like knives.
Overrated beyond belief. Even HE has better songs than this. If I never hear this song again...it'll be too soon. Waiting for the next tune...anything is better.
Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
Wilco - Someone Else's Song
Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday Night
J.J. Cale - Midnight in Memphis

What a set! I can't wait to hear what's next...
Like his lyrics but can't stand his singing . . .

Tom Petty for me. 
We were all that young - once
Best wordsmithing ever in a song.


Timeless classic! {#Music}
I never, NEVER get tired of this song
 Bridieboo wrote:
Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
Wilco - Someone Else's Song
Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday Night
J.J. Cale - Midnight in Memphis

I'm hanging in there cos I know it'll get better in a minute.  Love RP but strongly dislike this set.
 wow!!!!!!!!!!!!


This "you" person he sings about in almost every song must be a tremendous idiot, compared to himself.
 redstorm wrote:
This is the song that for so many people started it all. The place where The Stones got the name for one of the seminal bands in Rock n' Roll, and the band that so many used as inspiration for the anger and pathos of Rock. The taking of the introspective sadness of the blues, and infused it with the righteous anger, and frustration of "Satisfaction"....and created a new genre.

 

I agree with your sentiments, but the Stones got their name from Muddy Waters