T he Times They Are A- Changin Bob Dylan Essays - Music

T he Times They Are A- Changin 'Bob Dylan "Come gather round people, wherever you roam, and admit that the waters, around you have grown." As the title indicates, this song is about change and how it is so prevalent in our lives. There are numerous lines throughout the song that reiterate this opening line. Not only is this song talking about change, but it also talks about how we accept change and how we deal with it. Dylan is emphasizing that you have to adjust to change and try to understand the times that are constantly changing. Dylan hits on a lot of different levels as he is getting his point across. At first he starts off broad by talking to all people in general, as is indicated in the opening line of the song. The next stanza starts off "come writers and critics, who prophesize with your pen." Dylan gradually gets more and more specific with each stanza. In this stanza he is addressing "writers and critics, who prophesize with [their] pen." By using the word "prophesize" he is giving the impression that they have a huge influence on the public and that what they write is very important. He is telling them not to jump to conclusions since nobody knows what is going to happen in the future. In the next stanza, Dylan addresses senators and congressman. A thought that just occurred to me is that this song was written during the Vietnam War, a time when Americans had many different opinions and were questioning the government. When he says, "come senators and congressmen, please heed the call, don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall," Dylan is telling the senators and congressman to listen to the people and not to interfere with the changing thoughts and rights of every American. In the following stanza, Dylan addresses "mothers and fathers, throughout the land." He tells them not to "criticize what they don't understand." He is suggesting that the ki ...