Did Bob Dylan write ‘Chimes of Freedom’ about the JFK assassination?
An entire generation of Americans could probably tell you where they were the day that President Kennedy was shot. While many were seeing the country move in a promising direction with the young president at the helm, that tragic day in November 1963 sent shockwaves throughout the world, with many people struggling to pick themselves up after the loss of their leader. While Kennedy’s death would loom large in politics, it was only a matter of time before someone like Bob Dylan commented on it.
Then again, writing a song about politics always came naturally to Dylan. Throughout his initial run as a folk artist, Dylan was known for crafting tracks that stood as thorough dissections of how the bigwigs in Washington conduct business, either through their treatment of violence on ‘Masters of War’ or their views about the future of humankind on ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’.
While he may have made excellent material that spoke to legions of fans, Dylan was never willing to point the finger at anyone through his music. When looking at the lyric sheet of some of his best-known songs, Dylan is looking to observe most of the time, showing the darker side of reality and asking his audience if this is the kind of future they want to endure.
Even though the Kennedy assassination had taken place around the same time that Dylan was coming up, he never said that any of his songs were about the president’s death. When looking at ‘Chimes of Freedom’, though, it’s easy to see the parallels between Dylan’s state of mind and that of the mourning nation.
Inspired by the work of Arthur Rimbaud, much of Dylan’s phrases are shrouded in various metaphors, as he talks about the sound of wedding bells being replaced by thunder and lightning bolts. While Dylan may have been using the imagery of bells to talk about the duality of the sound, it’s easy to see the sound as being that of a gunshot.
As Dylan goes through every verse, the lyrics read like the public reacting to the death in real time. After the sudden shock of seeing their president fall, the characters in the song talk about still having that electric feeling in the air, no doubt from the initial shock of the violence in front of them.
While there have been questions about what the chimes of freedom may refer to, it may have to do with fans finding their call through music. Shortly after the assassination, The Beatles touching down on American soil would see many mournful children find a way out of their depression, not willing to be one of “every hung-up person in the whole wide universe.”
Although ‘Chimes of Freedom’ could be seen as a response to Kennedy’s tragic death, it wouldn’t be the last time Dylan decided to pull from the past. On his 2020 album Rough and Rowdy Ways, ‘Murder Most Foul’ gave him much more room when approaching Kennedy’s assassination, sprawling out over nearly 20 minutes and watching Dylan go through history to see how the world has changed since the president’s passing. Dylan was no stranger to writing about serious topics, but even when avoiding explicit political material, ‘Chimes of Freedom’ has the uneasy feeling of the times baked into its bones.
Never Miss A Tale
The Far Out Bob Dylan Newsletter
All the latest stories about Bob Dylan from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.