Results
#1. Which natural sound opens the song?
The first line begins with “Crickets are chirpin’…”, setting the eerie atmosphere.
#2. What item of clothing is described as hanging dry?
Dylan writes “There’s a soft cotton dress on the line hangin’ dry.”
#3. Which type of trees are mentioned in the opening verse?
The lyric says “Window wide open African trees bent over backwards…”
#4. Where was the man seen hanging around?
“Somebody seen him hangin’ around as the old dance hall on the outskirts of town.”
#5. The “old dance hall on the outskirts of town” functions symbolically as:
Being on the “outskirts” suggests marginality, secrecy, and moral ambiguity.
#6. The man’s “face like a mask” implies:
A “mask” suggests emotional concealment and inscrutability rather than a physical object.
#7. What was on the man in the long black coat?
“There was dust on the man in the long black coat.”
#8. What does the preacher say about conscience?
“He said every man’s conscience is vile and depraved.”
#9. The preacher’s sermon emphasizes that conscience is:
The preacher explicitly calls conscience “vile and depraved.”
#10. The statement “There are no mistakes in life” is presented as:
The following lines undermine this idea, suggesting uncertainty rather than certainty.
#11. What metaphor describes difficulty in accepting the sermon?
“It ain’t easy to swallow, it sticks in the throat.”
#12. What natural phenomenon has been present since June?
“There’s smoke on the water it’s been there since June.”
