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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I always thought "the Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" was one of his most powerful songs. About a real person from southern Maryland:
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10zantzinger.html
He deserved the Nobel Prize.[/quote]

That is an important social protest song and sadly the way the US justice system disproportionately jails and executes black Americans remains a major issue.

However,  I don’t love the melody of this song or the literal story telling. I can see why he went literal for such a shocking story of fatal racism. A powerful song but not one of my favorite BD songs he in terms of music and poetic storytelling. [/quote]

It’s supposed to be more like a spoken word poem than a song, I think. Dylan also wrote that its disjointed melody was purposeful. The chorus is particularly powerful. “and you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fear …” [/quote]

Interesting about the melody was disjointed on purpose: That makes more sense.

Aren’t all poems made of words? This was more like narrating a story literally to me.

I have taken poetry and spirituality classes and where most people in my class landed for how we think that poems differ from other prose is the use of imagery and metaphors.

It is subjective of course, but to me: Poems need both
[u]Imagery[/u] to help the reader to imagine and feel like they are in the scenes; and [u]Metaphors[/u] that compare two things that are otherwise unrelated by linking them in new ways that illuminate the poems subject.

That said - I love the poetic nature of most BD songs. It is no coincidence that he renamed himself for the poet Dylan Thomas - Throughout his entire life, BD seems to have followed DT’s admonition “Do not go gentle into that good night" 
[/quote]

I love this Dylan song, especially the end (below) and the couplet about the nobles and the cops.  But it's still true now -- we can deal with a lot of injustice in society, but when the courts are creating injustice, that's the time to worry:

In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel
To show that all's equal and that the courts are on the level
And that the strings in the books ain't pulled and persuaded
And that even the nobles get properly handled
Once that the cops have chased after and caught 'em
And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom
Stared at the person who killed for no reason
Who just happened to be feelin' that way without warnin'
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished
And handed out strongly for penalty and repentance
William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence

Oh, but you who philosophize, disgrace and criticize all fears
Bury the rag deep in your face for now's the time for your tears[/quote]

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