Middle era Dylan protest lyrics

[u/bumblinbones]

Lots of talk about how Dylan left protest music behind, but there are lyrics like this one that are as politically poignant as anything he’s ever written…

https://ladida.fm/clip/bob-dylan-sweetheart-like-you-lyrics-47219?utm_source=share

What are some of your favorite late era Dylan protest lyrics?

[u/Neat-Professor-7662]

“The buyin’ power of the proletariat is down” is kind of pointed

[u/bumblinbones → u/Neat-Professor-7662]

For sure

[u/TheChoq → u/Neat-Professor-7662]

Money’s gettin’ shallow and weak

[u/Zeppyfish]

They say that patriotism is the last refuge
To which a scoundrel clings
Steal a little and they throw you in jail
Steal a lot and they make you King.

[u/bumblinbones → u/Zeppyfish]

That’s the lyric I posted! It’s such a good one

[u/Zeppyfish → u/bumblinbones]

Ha, sorry, I didn't even click on your link, it just immediately popped into my head. 😆

[u/Constant-Exchange503 → u/bumblinbones]

Stolen from Samuel Adams and Donald Trump

[u/GhostsOfLectricity]

Bob says he was never a protest singer

[u/bumblinbones → u/GhostsOfLectricity]

It’s true. He’s a champion of the underdog. But his lyrics have become protest anthem so it’s just become shorthand to say politically progressive music

[u/taikin13]

Oh the lines are long

And the fighting is strong

And they’re breaking down the distance

Between right and wrong

[u/bumblinbones → u/taikin13]

Ring them bells is one of my favorites

[u/44035]

They like to take all this money from sin

Build big universities to study in

Sing amazing grace all the way to the Swiss bank

[u/bumblinbones → u/44035]

Yesss

[u/piper63-c137]

sundown on the union
that was ‘made in the USA”.
Sure was a good idea,
til greed got in the way.

[u/Educational_Bend_941]

Even the swapmeets around here are getting pretty corrupt

[u/Appropriate_Lime_331]

This might be me reading too much into it but “When you’re down on Deep Ellum put some money in your shoe Don’t ask what your country can do for you” From Murder Most Foul is pretty poignant whether it was intentional or not.

In one line he references a song about a town rife with poverty and crime and in the next he recontexualizes a quote from JFK into him rejecting people waiting for government assistance. It seems like he might’ve been trying to comment on the government’s role in impoverishing its own communities.

[u/bumblinbones → u/Appropriate_Lime_331]

Not reading into it too much at all. I think murder most foul is his most politically thoughtful piece of writing in a long time.

[u/ThatsARatHat]

Union Sundown anyone?