‘All Along the Watchtower’

“There must be some kind of way out of here, said the joker to the thief”. 

While the track is widely regarded as a Jimi Hendrix number, it was originally written by Bob Dylan. Dylan acknowledged that there were changes which could be made to the song, as when he heard Hendrix’s version, he decided to change the structure of the track to better match the guitarist’s; however, one thing he knew didn’t need changing were those lyrics.

There is something captivating about that line, setting up themes of escapism embedded within fiction. It’s a pocket where Dylan truly thrives, as he uses symbolism to create a story which contains some of the most common archetypes in history. There aren’t many songs you can recognise from 16 words alone, but that’s exactly what you get with this folk classic.

‘One More Cup of Coffee’

“Your breath is sweet, your eyes are like two jewels in the sky”.

A lyric is good if it’s the kind of thing you could write on a napkin and come across as romantic rather than creepy or cheesy. The imagery here is a healthy measure of sweet and thoughtful, but the actual narrative of the song is a lot sadder than that, as it tells the tale of a man who must bid farewell to his love to enter the “valley below”.

That opening line sets up this story perfectly, as we get a sense for the sadness that will come from this parting right away. The theory is that Dylan drew from real life to create this tune, as it was supposedly about saying goodbye to his then-wife Sara Lownds as they drifted apart.

‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’

“Mama, take this badge off of me, I can’t use it anymore”. 

How do you tug on the heartstrings of people listening by giving them a song which starts in a relatively obscure place? The first line is delivered from the point of view of a dying sheriff taking his last breath, something that most listeners can’t relate to, and yet it reaches out and grabs the soul from the word go.

The track is one of the most widely covered Bob Dylan numbers of all time, with artists like Guns N’ Roses and Bruce Springsteen both delivering their own interpretations. While the whole song is great, chances are the majority of people are most excited about performing the song because it means they get to sing those moving lyrics.

‘This Wheel’s On Fire’

“If your memory serves you well, we were going to meet again and wait”. 

The story behind this song is incredibly interesting, as it was written by Dylan and bassist for The Band, Rick Danko, shortly after the former’s near-fatal motorcycle accident. With what could have been a moment containing a newfound lease on life, Dylan put together these lyrics that are unsurprisingly open to interpretation.

The reason this line is so good is that it throws the listener straight into the story. It’s like you’re reading a novel that opens with a piece of speech, straight away, you want to know more about what is being said, who’s saying it and why. While it may not be the greatest opening line, from the point of view of a storyteller, it’s pretty hard to hide its brilliance.

‘Desolation Row’

“They’re selling postcards of the hanging”. 

It’s a pretty shocking opening line, and so it deserves its plaudits for immediately grabbing the listener’s attention. It feels like the kind of lyric that needs to be in a punk song rather than a folk number, which is a testament to its power. 

What makes the line even more shocking is the fact that it’s based on a true story. When Dylan’s dad was eight years old, three men in town were accused of raping a girl in Minnesota, and an angry mob broke into the prison where they were being held and lynched the alleged rapists and the following day, people were selling postcards of the scene.

‘Like a Rolling Stone’

“Once upon a time you dressed so fine, threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you?” 

‘Like a Rolling Stone’ may well be one of the best songs ever written, where every single line in this track is good enough to be considered one of the most important ever committed to music, and the first is no exception. From that initial set of lyrics to the last that Bob Dylan utters, this is a piece of pure musical poetry.

The song is about an outcast from society, facing the sad reality of having nowhere to go, but then also being somewhat hopeful in the opportunity that presents itself when you have nothing, as you can’t go lower than that. Highway 61 Revisited is justly considered by many to be the greatest record the musician ever put out, and this song is the best out of the lot of gems. 

‘Tangled Up In Blue’

“Early one morning the sun was shining, I was laying in bed, wondering if she’d changed at all”. 

When Lou Reed spoke about the difference between his writing and that of Dylan’s, he said that the latter was able to write using imagery and metaphor. “It was a different area, completely different area,” he said when discussing the folk icon, “You know, more surreal images and metaphors and similes and that kind of voice. More story-oriented scenes, little vignettes, tryna make little movies.”

This is certainly true, as many of the songs written by Dylan remain open to interpretation because of how much bizarre imagery he uses. However, with this song, we see him at arguably his most personal, as he battles with the changes happening in his life as a result of his divorce. That theme of change is captured wonderfully in the first line of the song, as a sense of hopeless pondering protrudes throughout.

‘The Times They Are A-Changin’

“Come gather round people wherever you roam, and admit that the waters around you have grown”. 

Speaking of change, that’s a theme which hangs over this Dylan classic as well. This became one of the go-to songs for the younger generation who found themselves frustrated at the world around them. A hippie anthem, if you will, the sense of this track being a call to action was emphasised in the opening line, as Bob Dylan tells groups of vagabond strangers to “come gather round”.

“I wanted to write a big song, some kind of theme song, with short, concise verses that piled up on each other in a hypnotic way,” he said when discussing the track, adding, “This is definitely a song with a purpose. I knew exactly what I wanted to say and who I wanted to say it to.”

‘It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)’

“Darkness at the break of noon, shadows even the silver spoon”. 

Even Bob Dylan acknowledged that this song is one of his best, and the first line is just the tip of the iceberg, but it prefaces what is undeniably one of the greatest songs ever written. “I don’t think I could sit down now and write ‘It’s Alright, Ma‘ again,” he admitted, “I wouldn’t even know where to begin, but I can still sing it”.

The opening line refers to a nuclear explosion and the sun disappearing as a result of it. In his book, Bob Dylan, Performing Artist, author Paul Williams highlights how well this song reflects the idea of an individual rejecting the modern world. “[An] alienated individual identifying the characteristics of the world around him,” he says, “And thus declaring his freedom from its ‘rules’”.

‘My Back Pages’

“Crimson flames tied through my ears, rolling high and mighty traps”. 

When people listened to Dylan’s early work, they thought that it was pretty evident that he was attempting to be a political artist; however, he rejected this idea. While he said his songs spoke about the ebb and flow of politics, he never claimed to be a political artist, and it was when he released his fourth record with songs such as ‘My Back Pages’ on it that that period of transition truly took place. 

As Dylan wrote about a misspent youth, he welcomed a new era of his sound into a different age. While it was met with some pushback, when people heard the music, it was pretty difficult to dislike, and opening lines such as that in ‘My Back Pages’ have the power to hook people instantly, remaining one of his greatest openings ever written.