The Times They A-Changing
Come gather ‘round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
And you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin’
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.
Calling this poem a masterpiece by Bob Dylan is not an error or mistake. He has actually spoken the mind of the era. According to the popular saying that the only thing that is constant to man is change.
And in this context, it is not only man that changes, everything that surrounds man and allows man to live as man also changes.
Ranging from ideological believe, to religion, to writing, to behaviour and everything that shapes humanity is prone to change. This change has therefore caused controversies and faction within people of the same ideology or society, which can lead to misunderstanding, prejudice and stereotype if a party fails to acknowledge and accept that change is inevitable or fails to follow suit.
“The Times They A-Changing” though a song is recognised and reckoned with so well in academic also as a poem, since some academics view music as a subdivision of poetry, this automatise the work as a poem and it shall be diligently looked into and analysed in this literary evaluation.
“The Times They A-Changing” opines and sends a message through its title that everything changes and the writer is able to succinctly and pragmatically picture almost all the spheres of life, where there is changes, how it manifests and therefore suggest that each section should view critically the changes, embrace it and make use of it to their advantage.
It is also a call to the dogmatic to allow the change in them. The writer posit that things can no longer be done in its old ways therefore conformity to change is expedient, though not in the negative aspect. He also call for a change of mind, orientation and believe in order to make the world better.
Stanzaic analysis of the poem
Stanza 1
Come gather ‘round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
And you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’
The first stanza is a clarion call to everyone, it is sending the message to the receiver who is everyone, no matter the age, race, educational standard, academical standard, gender or any society, category religion or social group that they belong to. This point out that, the targeted audience is universal, anybody that lives on earth.
It is a call for attention and critical thinking and then he throws the thematic concern to everyone that the time is changing “And admit that the waters” “Around you have grown”, and it is expedient of them to admit and accept the changes.
He continues to warn that, if they fail to admit the change they shall sink and shall be lost. “Or you’ll sink like a stone” in order to avert this, everyone should save his time, and save himself by conforming to the changes because it is beyond human power, it is natural and cannot be controlled by human, hence change is supernatural that cannot be checked by mortals “ If your time to you is worth savin’” “And you better start swimming’”.
Stanza 2
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’
After making the general call, the poet moves further by calling on different sectors, showing them how changes is approaching them vehemently and what should be done. He address the writers and critics, that there should be a change in binoculars in which they view life and address life issues, socio-politically, economically, psychologically, religiously, philosophically and everything that pertains to life.
Here, the poet sees writers as prophet or seers who sees the future, forecast or prophecy through their work, he then ask them to amend their binoculars in order to see the different dimensions in which things are going, how things are evolving and brewing up. “ Come writers and critics” “ prophesize with your pen” “And keep your eyes wide”. “And don’t speak too soon” “For the wheel’s still in spin”.
The writer therefore advice that writers should not rush into writing, they should be observant and sensitive to things around them. He posit that, writing should not be what is to be rushed but an enterprise that demands patient, endurance and sensitivity.
He opines that opportunity will come and whenever the opportunity comes it should be maximally used but not in haste because things changes, whenever the opportunity to write therefore comes, the paraphernalia used in maximising the opportunity should be critically checked in order not to sink all because the work has little or no value.
Critics on the other hand, should also be patient and careful of their criticism, consideration should be given to how they play around their criticism, the change in time, idea, emotion and believe should be succinctly acknowledged and should have pragmatic part in their analysis. Therefore, critics should not rush into criticism but should be patient and sensitive in order to catch the message of the writer.
The poet also assert that, there is no permanency in writing, the looser might eventually become the winner, while the winner will become the looser, all because of the level of conformity with change, because everything is changing. Therefore patient and sensitivity is needed in order to keep being on track. “For the loser now” “Will be later to win” “For the times they are a-changin’”.
Stanza 3
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin’
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’
Dylan journeys forward to address the political sphere and the present politicians, he beseech and warned them to embrace the change. The poet sends the message that their era is going and they should allow new set of people into power, the young ones, new set of people and people with new and refreshing ideas. He then warned that anyone who stands in the way of the change that is coming will be hurt.
He makes use of senators, and congressmen (Come senators, congressmen), so as to dictate that it is for all in power, wielding the sword over the members of the nation.
Dylan sends a swift warning that if they resist the evolution they will be hurt badly (“Don’t block up the hall” “For he that gets hurt” “Will be he who has stalled” ). Those in authority must heed to the call of their country, admit new people and new idea into the power and allow fresh air in the place of authority. Else they will be injured.
He goes forward that the change coming is beyond their control, it is not what they can abate, trying to deny and acknowledge the change will bounce back and the best decision they can make is just to accept the change because there is an era of change ( “The battle outside ragin’” “Will soon shake your windows” “And rattle your walls” “For the times they are a-changin’”).
Trying to shield the changes might be as a result of they not wanting the truth to be revealed, in order to cover their tracks and not allow their secret to be exposed, but shielding it is exposing them to greater danger than allowing the change to come through, because eventually the war from outside will break through them, and assume position, therefore the change should be admitted in a subtler measure than in the harsh (war) way.
Stanza 4
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’
The poet did not stop at the political sphere, he takes his preaching to the family setting, where he directs his message to the parents also. He admonishes them to heed to the change and not chastise their children because of the suspected change in them.
He stated that, era are changing and how things are done is also changing, hence, things cannot be done or viewed through the old spectacle .
He points out that, there is no limitation to the geographical trappings of the message, no matter the continent, it is still the same. (“ mothers and fathers” “Throughout the land”) this point out that change is constant in every community, and no part of the world is left out, even the continent that is believed to be vast in civilization changes, therefore every parent should be sensitive to the changes and they should not rush into judging or criticising their children, rather, they should be patient take their time to learn and understand the new ways before deciding, but they should prepare their mind and not be in the dogmatic state of mind, in order to allow and be in consonance with the change.
He furthers that, their children are beyond them, based on their vast understanding of things and the current change, therefore parents should be careful of criticism. He therefore warns that if they cannot adapt with change or help in shaping the change in a better form, they should not interfere, because the time is changing. (“ sons and your daughters” “Are beyond your command”...... “Please get out of the new one” “If you can’t lend your hand” “For the times they are a-changin’”).
Stanza 5
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.
The last stanza then gives the final warning, that the line has been drawn, the curse is casted, change is inevitable, no other way about it, those that thought they were fast before will now see that they are no longer but slow because the new generation with the change is faster. This is evident in how rapid things are changing and things that were valued before no longer have concrete value any longer, people are looking for better things that will outlive old things which were once the best.
He also show forth that, even what is the best now will turn into worthless thing based on time, because in the future another better will come forth that will beat the present best down. He also show that things are fading away due to technology and civilization.
He therefore maintains that, only one thing is constant, which is change, what is best now will eventually be outlived by another best, which means the awesomeness of now is the last of the future.
Therefore, generation now should adapt to the present change and when present things change again (idea, feelings, knowledge, advancement, civilization etcetera) this generation should also be ready for the change, because their offspring will also change.
The poem therefore has the theme of change which is dominant all through the poem.
©Joshua OLADEBO, 2022.
0 Comments