‘Ballad in Plain D’: The song Bob Dylan will never play live
Bob Dylan has hundreds of songs to choose from when curating a live setlist. There are the hits like ‘Tangled Up in Blue’ and ‘It Ain’t Me, Babe’, which almost always find their place in his set; there are the essential protest songs like ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’, and there are an increasing number of offerings from his bootleg series. To narrow it down to a set time of an hour and a half while still showing off his impressive career and satisfying audiences seems like an impossible feat.
But when it comes to the task of nailing down his set, there are certain songs that don’t even come into consideration for Dylan. Despite being hailed as one of the greatest lyricists of all time, even the folk legend has made some missteps when it comes to songwriting, missteps he does not wish to relive onstage. One example of this comes in the form of ‘Ballad In Plain D’, which featured on his fourth record, Another Side of Bob Dylan.
Fittingly, the track did show another side of Dylan, a side more willing to air his relationship issues and misgivings through song with a nasty streak. The song followed his romantic relationship with artist Suze Rotolo over simple, gentle strums from when he courted her to when their relationship ended. The song starts out tender, as Dylan describes his lover as having the innocence of a lamb, as gentle as a fawn, but the affair quickly turns sour.
Dylan takes digs at his lover’s sister, deeming her a “parasite” for whom he declares to have no respect and chronicling a particularly intense fight between them. “Her sister and I in a screaming battleground,” he sings, “And she in between, the victim of sound.” His language has lost the tenderness from earlier in the song, devolving into bitterness and violence.
Though the subject of his affections at the time, Rotolo held no resentment toward Dylan for penning ‘Ballad in Plain D’. The songwriter himself was ashamed of the song. He regretted writing it, which is understandable considering the content of the lyrics. It’s a vivid picture of his relationship with Rotolo and her family – and not a pretty one. It’s uncomfortable to listen to, even for the songwriter himself.
Dylan’s dislike for the song has been reflected in his setlists throughout the years, as he has never given the song a live outing. Alongside the likes of ‘Band of the Hand (It’s Hell Time Man!)’ and ‘Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands’, it remains one of 136 songs Dylan has never played live. It doesn’t seem like Dylan will be revisiting the song on-stage anytime soon.
It doesn’t seem like Dylan’s listeners are particularly pining for the live debut of ‘Ballad in Plain D’ either. Critics haven’t been particularly complimentary towards the song, with the track even appearing on Far Out’s list of the top 10 worst songs penned by Dylan. The track certainly isn’t a fan favourite, so there is really no reason for Dylan to include it in his live set when there are so many other works of art in his catalogue.
Though Dylan’s songwriting has always stood out for its honesty and observations about the world around him, ‘Ballad in Plain D’ marks the worst extreme of that kind of writing. For as long as Dylan regrets writing the track, it’s likely that he may never play it live.
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