America on the brink? Listen to this...

With the disgusting passage (like thieves in the night) of that heinous, sadistic federal "budget package," this is a time of great sorrow, fear and division throughout the country.

Rather than dwell even more on that hijacking and obliteration of care, kindness and our leaders' solemn obligations to their constituents, I will instead mention that today marks the 84th anniversary of the birth of Bob Dylan (who, incredibly, is playing a huge outdoor gig tonight at the Cascades Amphitheater in Ridgefield, WA, along with Willie Nelson & Family, Billy Strings, Sierra Hull, and others), and point you towards perhaps the single greatest song and studio recording he ever created (and one that is CRIMINALLY overlooked).

Below is the full, unedited version of this 2003 track, whose lyrics briefly interpolate lines from the works of noted (if in some cases, quite esoteric) authors Herman Melville, W.B. Yeats, Henry Lynden Flash, Nathaniel Graham Shepherd, Henry Timrod, and songwriters Julia Ward Howe,  and Frank Perkins and Mitchell Parish.

It's one of the most beautiful, harrowing and poetic evocations of the horrors of the American Civil War ever conceived, and as such it is almost incomprehensibly timely at this delicate juncture in our nation's tortured history.

As Pulitzer Prize finalist, Princeton American History Professor and noted Dylan authority Sean Wilentz says of this composition:

"In twelve remarkable verses, Dylan essays a civil war history, a visionary history of humanity and a grimly insightful summation of the likely path ahead for us all. It’s a strange, sad species that would choose maintaining a grip on destructive reality, but it is our world; and in Dylan’s hands it is brought into stark focus, and seems all the more revealing of our true nature because of it, as in charting our dreams, our strife and our struggles, he shows that the best and worst of who we are, who we were and who we can be are all strands of a single thread. An elegy, a tribute and a lament, this song is beautifully hewn tale of tragedy that reaches far beyond its overt themes and into the hearts and minds of all who seek to walk a clearer path in a confusing world."

There simply is no other artist working today who could come close to this synthesis of thought, feeling and musical expression.

Whether you are a fan of his art or not, we are all lucky to live in the same timeline as Dylan.

I recommend listening to the tune below without interruption or distraction, and ideally via headphones, for maximum fidelity, as the production value of the stellar recording is matched only by the restraint and finesse of the musicians involved (who are rumored to be: Dylan [piano], Charlie Sexton [guitar, violin], Larry Campbell [guitar, violin], George Receli [drums], Benmont Tench [organ], and Tony Garnier [bass]) and Bob's mesmerizing vocal performance. 

Stay safe, everyone, and thanks for subscribing to WickedMessenger.com.