The annotated "Blowin' in the Wind"

By Ryan Tibbens

One week ago, I attended professional development about a new Women's Studies class. The speaker began with an ice breaker in which attendees listed the books that changed their lives, that affected them most in early adulthood.  I understood what would follow: she would point out how many of the books listed, particularly the "classics," were written by white men and then heap praise upon a few of the female-authored texts offered up. It unfolded that way, including some lively discussion and quality suggestions. As the only male in the room, I thought long and hard about what purely feminist text I could list.  I had none.  I thought about any book authored by a female that I truly loved.  I had none.  Well, My Antonia crossed my mind, but it wasn't a life-changing read.  In the end, I told the truth and listed four works, all by men, and the first wasn't even a book: it was "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan.  I've since been working on some readings and lessons to better address feminism in my classes, but that's for another post.

I first listened to "Blowin' in the Wind" on my Discman, the CD lent to me by a good friend while on a field trip to Wallops Island Marine Science Consortium (now operating under a new name with significantly cushier facilities than the former military barracks we occupied) during my sophomore year of high school.  It changed my life.  That field trip was, culturally and socially, an evolutionary experience; much of my life since then, at least ideologically, has been more punctuated equilibrium.  I had never considered that music could sound bad and still be good.  I had never considered the power of rhetorical questions.  I had never listened to a song on repeat because I wanted to contemplate the lyrics, rather than the music. I had never considered justice in abstract and metaphysical terms.  If it wasn't for that encounter with "Blowin' in the Wind," I might have never found and loved Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, the great American transcendentalists, or a thousand others.  Though it isn't by a female writer or about feminism, if it wasn't for the song's influence, I likely wouldn't be attending workshops on Women's Studies. 

So, I submit for your review an 'internet-based, updated, annotated' version of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind."  Significant allusions and social concerns are linked to clarifying information. Use this combination of lyrics and linked supplemental materials for personal enjoyment or personal enlightenment, public school or public discourse.    READ (all the links).  Think.  Write (a comment below).  Speak (your mind far and wide... and share a link to this annotation with friends). 



 (Disclaimer: Some links reference specific examples/events that occurred after the writing of this song or that depend on research that was beyond Dylan's access when writing this song.  There is no way to prove the author's exact intent with each line. While all links logically and purposefully connect to Dylan's broader concerns and feelings, do not misinterpret the hyperlinks as indications of Dylan's exact intentions; rather, they serve as cultural connections, historical context, extensions, and general knowledge that can inform modern discussions of Dylan's rhetoric and discussions of civil rights.) ​​

Blowin’ In The Wind 

WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?  
Yes, ’n’ ho many seas must a white | dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, ’n’ how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it’s washed to the sea?
Yes, ’n’ how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, ’n’ how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, ’n’ how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind

Copyright © 1962 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1990 by Special Rider Music