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John Hawns wrote:
here is the complete version, an interesting tragedy:
LORD RANDAL (Anonymous 15th-century Scottish ballad)
"O where ha' you been, Lord Randal, my son?
And where ha' you been, my handsome young man?"
"I ha' been at the greenwood; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I'm wearied wi' huntin', and fain wad lie down."
"And wha met ye there, Lord Randal, my son?
And wha met you there, my handsome young man?"
"O I met wi' my true-love, mother, mak my bed soon,
For I'm wearied wi' huntin', and fain wad lie down."
"And what did she give you, Lord Randal, my son?
And what did she give you, my handsome young man?"
"Eels fried in a pan; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I'm wearied wi' huntin', and fain wad lie down."
"And wha gat your leavin's, Lord Randal, my son?
And what gat your leavin's, my handsome young man?"
"My hawks and my hounds, mother, mak my bed soon,
For I'm wearied wi' huntin', and fain wad lie down."
"And what becam of them, Lord Randal, my son?
And what becam of them, my handsome young man?"
"They stretched their legs out and died; mother,
mak my bed soon, For I'm wearied wi' huntin', and fain wad lie down."
"O I fear you are poisoned, Lord Randal, my son!
I fear you are poisoned, my handsome young man?"
"O yes, I am poisoned; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down."
"What d' ye leave to your mother, Lord Randal, my son?
What d' ye leave to your mother, my handsome young man?"
"Four and twenty milk kye; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down."
"What d' ye leave to your sister, Lord Randal, my son?
What d' ye leave to your sister, my handsome young man?"
"My gold and my silver; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down."
"What d' ye leave to your brother, Lord Randal, my son?
What d' ye leave to your brother, my handsome young man?"
"My houses and my lands; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down."
"What d' ye leave to your true-love, Lord Randal, my son?
What d' ye leave to your true-love, my handsome young man?"
"I leave her hell and fire; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down."
unknown wrote:
I think the "Blue-eyed Son" refers to Bob, himself. And the "darlin young one" is the woman of his vision, called by a variety of names throughout Dylan's songs. The person asking the question (imo) is God. The two are the witnesses ... (not necessarily the witnesses of the Bible in Revelations). They are witnesses to the 20th century. I think this is one of Dylan's most prophetic songs. Many others have already commented on many of the descriptions and how they become more and more clear on as time goes on. I think the "Hard Rain" is the cleansing rain that precipitates the change from this world to the next. The wicked, the fearful, and the uninformed may look on it with negativity (Judgement Day, Armaggedeon.) I see it as the earth being reborn. This rain is also mentioned in Clapton's song "My Father" in "Purple Rain" by Prince, in numerous other Dylan songs, the songs of many modern songwriters, and the prophecies of many cultures.
MAB wrote:
The "blue-eyed son" reference has to be a nod to the old English Child Ballads. Especially the one where the mother asks her son where he's been, and it slowly emerges that son has been to see his girlfriend, who has poisoned him. (Is it called "Lord Randal?") You might know a corny scout camp version of this song called "Green and Yeller" in which the hero eats snakes by mistake -- the refrain is, "Mama come quick, 'cause I'm feeling kinda sick, and lay me down to die." You might want to locate the Child Ballads and just flip through them to get a sense of the old English tradition Dylan's trying to invoke. Yes, the "blue-eyed" bit is probably intended to show that our protagonist is a white boy, but also to underscore the fact that Dylan is making ironic use of an old English song form. Moreover, "blue-eyed" suggests innocence to a Eurocentric mind, and the song is about a young man determined to learn the things about injustice that his privileged upbringing didn't teach him. Compare Auden's "The Shield of Achilles," where conventional poetry about an innocent young hero is quoted ironically to frame a similar ugly reality. Re: the very detailed post stating the whole song is about American racism -- can't it be about *all* racism, and also economic oppression and also environmental destruction and also all the other ways power is abused? You want prophetic, actually I think the most amazing thing is that he wrote this before Vietnam brought us napalm and Agent Orange. Especially that specific image, "...a young woman whose body was burning..." The "I'm going back out..." verse is a wonderful condensed, heroic description of the sort of places where there is useful fighting to be done. Unfortunately, there have always been many places fitting the description -- The current list would include Chiapas, Indonesia, Iraq, Bosnia, Nigeria, Burma, the U.S. prison-industrial complex, inner-city America, etc. It's all the same fine old conflict. Why make distinctions?/MAB -- http://www.sirius.com/~joma mailto:joma@sirius.com
MAB wrote:
Joel VanderWerf, Martha Bridegam wrote:
The "blue-eyed son" reference has to be a nod to the old English Child Ballads. Especially the one where the mother asks her son where he's been, and it slowly emerges that son has been to see his girlfriend, who has poisoned him. (Is it called "Lord Randal?") Peter Stone Brown wrote in response: The above is correct. The song was written during the Cuban Missle Crisis when there was quite a bit of concern for several days that the world could quite possibly be blown up. At the time there was also concern about radioactive fallout from Nuclear testing would being in rain. The song is about all that and more. "I saw a white man who walked a black dog." "Guns and swords in the hands of young children." At the time, toy guns (maybe). Now, a whole different story. This song get scarier and more true with each year.
MAB wrote:
yazoo4tres@aol.com wrote:
Can anyone explain what this poem is supposed to be about? i am told that it is about armaggedon but i don't think that that is what the poem is really about- I can't tell what its about. Wolfds@aol.com wrote in response: I agree. I don't believe it is about a nuclear apocalypse, either. Yes, it makes sense to me, though others are sure to disagree. The black branch with blood dripping is black America. The song is about the destruction that will befall America because of its racial strife (and remember, this was written WAY before the urban riots took hold, before the formation of the Black Panthers, before what we know as the *1960s*.) Think I'm off? This song exemplifies why Dylan is indeed a prophet. Who saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children almost forty years ago? Dylan did. Need more evidence that this song is referencing racial relations, how about these lines: "I saw a white ladder all covered with water." White hypocrites; in essence, "all wet." "I saw a white man who walked a black dog." "I met one man who was wounded in love, met another man wounded in hatred." And, finally: "I'm a-goin' back out before the rain starts a-fallin'/I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest (inner cities)/Where the people are many and their hands are all empty/Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters/Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison/Where the executioner's face is always well hidden/Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten/Where black is the color and none is the number." No, Hard Rain is not about a nuclear armaggedon. It bears less relation to Masters of War than is commonly imputed. Of course, all this is IMO, Dylan's never said a word about what he was thinking as he wrote it (besides that each line could begin a new song).
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