A famous song by Bob Dylan is “Blowin’ in the Wind”. In this song about peace, war and freedom, Dylan questions why people don’t realize how pointless war is. The words of the song are not really difficult. But together they form sentences with complex meanings. The song was released in 1963.
Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.
- pointless - having no meaning, purpose, or effect
- chorus - a part of a song that is repeated between verses; also called refrain
- metaphor - a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to suggest that they are similar
- cannon - a heavy metal or stone ball that is shot from a cannon
- ban - to forbid people from using something
- pretend - to act as if something is true when it is not true
- How many questions does Dylan ask?
- What is the effect of all these similar questions one after the other?
- “How many seas must a white dove sail, before she sleeps in the sand?”
What does the dove in this metaphor symbolize? - The chorus tells us where to find the answer to all the questions:
“The answer is blowing in the wind.”
Discuss what this could mean. - Think of 2 or more questions that could fit in the song.
Write them in the same way:
“How many ....... must ........................ before ..................................?”
Extra speaking assignment
1 Listen here to Tom Conti, Miranda Hart, Samuel West and Nigel Havers reading Dylan’s lyrics.
2 They read lines from different songs. Find out from which songs.
Extra discussion assignment
1 Some people think lyrics cannot be seen as poetry. Do you agree with that?
2 Explain your point of view in writing or in a class discussion.