Bob Dylan – Political World
Bob Dylan live, Political World , Glasgow 1991
Bob Dylan Political World February 4, 1990 Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK
The musical opening of the recording on Old Mercy is a triumph on its own. A remarkable opening to the album. A gentle fade in as each instrument comes in of its own accord – rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, Dylan’s voice, drums. By the time of the end of the first “verse” the power is extraordinarily strong.
It may be thought of as an invention, a device, and yet it is hard to see how else such a song could start. A song which is nothing but a series of two line “verses” (I put the phrase in inverted commas- can two lines really be a verse?
LYRICS
We live in a political world
Love don’t have any place
We’re living in times where men commit crimes
And crime don’t have a faceWe live in a political world
Icicles hanging down
Wedding bells ring and angels sing
Clouds cover up the groundWe live in a political world
Wisdom is thrown into jail
It rots in a cell, is misguided as hell
Leaving no one to pick up a trailWe live in a political world
Where mercy walks the plank
Life is in mirrors, death disappears
Up the steps into the nearest bankWe live in a political world
Where courage is a thing of the past
Houses are haunted, children are unwanted
The next day could be your lastWe live in a political world
The one we can see and can feel
But there’s no one to check, it’s all a stacked deck
We all know for sure that it’s realWe live in a political world
In the cities of lonesome fear
Little by little you turn in the middle
But you’re never sure why you’re hereWe live in a political world
Under the microscope
You can travel anywhere and hang yourself there
You always got more than enough ropeWe live in a political world
Turning and a-thrashing about
As soon as you’re awake, you’re trained to take
What looks like the easy way outWe live in a political world
Where peace is not welcome at all
It’s turned away from the door to wander some more
Or put up against the wallWe live in a political world
Everything is hers or his
Climb into the frame and shout God’s name
But you’re never sure what it is
