Category Archives: Bob Dylan Songs

Bob Dylan covers: Acoustic cover songs – music videos by the songwriters of the Laptop Sessions video blog. Daily music blog with new indie rock acoustic songs.

Bob Dylan FREE mp3! – “Dreamin’ of You” from his forthcoming Bootleg Series CD!

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By Chris Moore:

Hi all! Just had to write today because there’s some exciting new rock music out there on the web for all you Bob Dylan fans — and the best news is that it is FREE new music!

For those that don’t know, Columbia will be releasing the eighth volume in the Bootleg Series, titled Tell Tale Signs. This multi-disc collection will include previously unreleased tracks, alternate versions of previously released songs, and some great packaging options. For the complete low-down, check out Bob Dylan’s official website…

…where you can download a free mp3 of “Dreamin’ of You,” an outtake from the Time Out of Mind sessions!

What I find most interesting and entertaining about the song is that it has echoes of other songs from the album; a fan of Time Out of Mind will notice the lines from other tracks that are in “Dreamin’ of You” in various forms. It’s almost as if he scrapped this song and yet salvaged some key lines from the wreckage. But why wouldn’t the song have been included? From the moment the drums kick in, this is an amazing track and gives me high hopes for the Bootleg Series release on October 7 — if the other tracks are anywhere near this type of quality, then it will certainly be another amazing addition to the series. (It’s hard to believe it’s been almost two decades since the first Bootleg album was released!)

I really can see why the song wouldn’t have made it to the album; it has a different feel to it than much of the other material on his 1997 release. But it is a PRIME candidate for this collection of Dylan tracks — a must-listen, to be sure!

Thank you, Bob Dylan, and thank you, Columbia, for this advance release!

“The Times They Are A-Changin’” (Bob Dylan Acoustic Folk Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

Never in my life have I felt that this song was more relevant than it is tonight and–especially–tomorrow.  This is Bob Dylan’s classic protest song, “The Times They Are A-Changin.'”  I’ve always appreciated the song, but I don’t think I’ve ever related to it as much as I did tonight as I was recording this music video.  Personally, I have always been more interested in the other songs on Dylan’s album of the same name, such as “Only a Pawn in Their Game” and “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll.”  Yet, on the eve of the 2008 Presidential election, I could think of no song more fitting to record than this one.

And, God save me, I will be recording “With God On Their Side” for my Thursday video if McCain wins!  (Just search the lyrics to this song if you’ve missed the reference…).

I’ve tended to stay away from Dylan’s protest songs.  I have a great deal of respect for them, but as Dylan himself, I hate to see him labeled simply as “the voice of a generation.”  I am most interested in his more recent material — for instance, I’m still blown away by the new Bootleg Series release.

But tonight is a special occasion.  As I began practicing this song, I found that (although I haven’t heard or played this song for months and months) all the words came to me easily.  Line after line, verse after verse, this song rings so exceptionally true to me.  It doesn’t take a literary critic to connect lines like the following ones to contemporary society:

“Admit that the water around you has grown…”

“Don’t speak too soon, for the wheel’s still in spin…”

“Come senators, congressmen; please heed the call…”

“Don’t criticize what you can’t understand; your sons and your daughters are beyond your command.  Your old road is rapidly aging…”

“Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend a hand!”

There is indeed a reason why Dylan’s lyrics have been lauded for decades, and this song is one of the many that have stood the test of time.  I hope that you’ll listen to the words and consider their meaning, and then think about “the state of this great nation of ours” (to quote the great Ben Folds) — it’s interesting and not so much of a coincidence that Obama’s campaign calls not only for change, but for “Change we can believe in.”  I haven’t been this hopeful for real change for a good long time!

In fact, I was just flipping through a book I bought before the 2004 elections, as I decided who to vote for.  I did a lot of research, reading that book and deciding between Bush and Kerry.  Looking back, I can’t believe I even hesitated on that particular choice.

This year, I saved the ten bucks I would have spent on a new campaign book, as I didn’t need to do any further research beyond the Presidential debates and subsequent news reports and fact checks, not to mention the SNL skits.

Well, I’m just rambling now, as I’m tired and currently in bed, listening to acoustic Dylan and dreaming of… well, dreaming!  Sleep is good.  Change is also good.  As my super-cool sister reminded me today, how could Obama not win with a catch-phrase like “BA-ROCK the vote!”

Okay; that’s it for me for a few days, but please hurry back to read Jeff’s election night blog post and Jim’s post-election Original Wednesday (I’m anxious to see what appropriate song he’ll choose).  Then, I’ll be back on Thursday.

See you next session!

 

The Bob Dylan Starter Compilation – Playlists on Parade

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By Chris Moore:

I’ve been wanting to kick this off for a few months now, but the time has finally arrived…

One of my goals for 2010 is to review every Bob Dylan studio album before New Year’s Day 2011.  This will include both one-sentence reviews in the “Yes, No, or Maybe So” series and full-out segments of “The Weekend Review.”  Unless he surprises us again, Dylan’s total studio album count is at thirty-two (I don’t count Dylan or Christmas in the Heart as studio albums), so I figured that I’d better get moving on this goal.

The Bob Dylan “Starter Compilation” is a playlist that I assembled with my girlfriend Nicole a while back as I continued to introduce her to the massive catalog of my favorite singer/songwriter of all time.  For anyone who knows me, it will come as no surprise that she had heard quite an array of Dylan songs already, most of them via the CD player in my car.  As we sorted through my iTunes software, she pointed to songs she loved and I played her songs that she hadn’t heard yet.  After a great deal of listening, discussing, arranging, and rearranging, we came up with a seventeen track layout.  I just updated it to eighteen tracks to include a sampling from his 2009 album Together Through Life.

So, without further ado, here’s the playlist.  Thanks to iTunes and other such services, you could easily download these tracks and start listening today.  For anyone unfamiliar with but interested in Dylan’s music, I’ve included the album that each song was originally released on, as well as a ranking for each album.  The 5’s are albums you should listen to right away, ranging down to the 0’s which are only for the true Dylan fanatics.  And there are some great albums that aren’t represented here (Desire being perhaps the most notable), but I had to make some hard decisions to make this the best playlist for a first-time listener.  Don’t hesitate to comment, criticize, etc. below…

See you tomorrow for the Weekend Review!

TRACK LISTING

1)   “Someday Baby” From Modern Times (2006) 3

2)   “Maggie’s Farm” From Bringing It All Back Home (1965) 5

3)   “Like A Rolling Stone” From Highway 61 Revisited (1965) 4

4)   “Simple Twist of Fate” From Blood on the Tracks (1975) 4

5)   “Political World” From Oh Mercy (1989) 3

6)   “Blowin’ in the Wind” From The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963) 5

7)   “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” From The Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid Soundtrack (1973) 0

8)   “I Want You” From Blonde on Blonde (1966) 5

9)   “Lay Lady Lay” From Nashville Skyline (1969) 1

10) “Sweetheart Like You” From Infidels (1983) 2

11) “All Along the Watchtower” From John Wesley Harding (1968) 1

12) “Honest With Me” From Love & Theft (2001) 5

13) “The Times They Are A-Changin’” From The Times They A-Changin’ (1964) 2

14) “I Feel A Change Comin’ On” From Together Through Life (2009) 1

15) “Just Like A Woman” From Blonde on Blonde (1966) 5

16) “Tangled Up In Blue” From Blood on the Tracks (1975) 4

17) “Down in the Flood (New Version)” From The Masked and Anonymous Soundtrack (2003) 0

18) “Forever Young” From Planet Waves (1974) 2

(Album Ratings: 0-5 – “5” for the albums you should hear first, down to “0” which are for fans only!)

“Please, Mrs. Henry” by Bob Dylan – Chords, Tabs, & How to Play

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“Please, Mrs. Henry”
Bob Dylan

C#                                                               F#
Well, I’ve already had two beers, and I’m ready for the broom.
C#                                              F#
Please, Mrs. Henry, won’t you take me to my room?
C#                                                G#
I’m a good ol’ boy, but I’ve been sniffin’ too many eggs,
F#                                               C#
Talkin’ to too many people, drinkin’ too many kegs.

C#
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
F#
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
C#
I’m down on my knees, and I ain’t got a dime…

Well, I’m groanin’ in a hallway, pretty soon I’ll be mad.
Please, Mrs. Henry, won’t you take me to your dad?
I can drink like a fish; I can crawl like a snake.
I can bite like a turkey; I can slam like a drake.

Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
I’m down on my knees, and I ain’t got a dime…

Now, don’t crowd me, lady, or I’ll fill up your shoe.
I’m a sweet bourbon daddy, and tonight I am blue.
I’m a thousand years old, and I’m a gorgeous bomb.
I’m T-boned and punctured, but I’m known to be calm.

Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
I’m down on my knees, and I ain’t got a dime…

Now, I’m startin’ to drain; my stool’s gonna squeak.
If I walk too much farther, my crane’s gonna leak.
Look, Mrs. Henry, there’s only so much I can do.
Why don’t you look my way and pump me a few?

Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
I’m down on my knees, and I ain’t got a dime…

** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s). They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **