Gold on the Tracks
Background: For those of you who know me and/or have read my blogs regularly, you know I’m a huge Dylan fanatic. One of the songs I talked about in my first blog was “Tangled Up in Blue,” which is the opening song from his 1975 album, Blood on the Tracks. Since then, I’ve talked about other songs on that album, which for my money, is the greatest to ever be released. So, to celebrate its turning 50 (on January 20th, 2025, the day this blog was released), I thought I’d discuss the other tracks on this album. I’ll also include links to my previous blogs about the other tracks, so you can experience it in the order you’d listen.
“Tangled Up in Blue” (Song 3 in this blog)
I discuss Tangled Up in Blue in the blog link below. It is song three of the blog.
https://memphissongwriters.org/msa-blog/e1yfckwj10g2d2sfcltrrq1el1wivb-c7lcj
2. “Simple Twist of Fate”
Lyrically: The song begins with a couple sitting in the park, and discusses the fall of their relationship. We can only assume things were going well, when out of nowhere, “She looked at him and he felt a spark tingle to his bones,” his signal that things were over, and he “Wished that he’d gone straight,” but realizes he can “Blame it on a simple twist of fate.” There are then more scenes with the two of them separated, including him in a hotel room, feeling a pain “to which he just could not relate” and her “(putting) a coin in the cup of a blind man at the gate,” all the while forgetting about the titular simple twist of fate (them falling in love and being made for each other).
“Tangled Up in Blue” was the first Dylan song I remember piquing my interest, and I still think it’s the greatest story ever told. But the older I get, the more I unfortunately relate to “Simple Twist of Fate”. The narrative choice is also fascinating in this song. It’s mostly written in third person (“They sat together in the park”) until he says in the last verse, “I still believe she was my twin, but I lost the ring, she was born in the spring and I was born too late”). In addition to this being an exceptionally great line, it shifts from him being an observer to him being the guy in the first verse. Dylan shifts to third person in the Real Live version of “Tangled Up in Blue” and it totally changes the song. It’s one of the many amazing things about “Simple Twist” that it’s in third person, to take the shift off the “I” and “She” from the first track and distract us from thinking it’s personal (which Dylan has denied for years!).
Melodically: “Simple Twist of Fate” is played in E major, like the rest of the record, and uses the chords E, F#m, G#m, A, B, C#m, and D#dim, followed by the cliché line of E, Em7, and E7, before closing on A and Am. This is a I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, VII pattern, which is like a combination an idiot would put on his luggage, followed by variations on the I chord and the IV/iv chord. Instrumentally, the song contains acoustic guitar and harmonica, as well as bass guitar. This album was seen as a return to form for Dylan, melodically, and the sparse arrangements within this song (and many others) allow for the haunting lyrics to shine.
Structurally: The song contains all verses, of which there are six. In many ways, its structure echoes that of “Boots of Spanish Leather.” Even though “Boots” is a conversation between two people, except the last three verses, both songs track the lives of the ex-couple, and what they’re up to post-breakup. However, the power in it is that it never talks about why the relationship was so good in the first place, we just know with each post-relationship detail given that the narrator’s ex seems to have forgotten about all the good things that have happened, and we get more details about how easily she is moving on the further the story progresses. It’s masterfully done.
You can listen to “Simple Twist of Fate” with your parrot that talks by clicking on the embedded video below.
3. “You’re a Big Girl Now”
Lyrically: When I talk about concept albums and the importance of listening to songs in order, “You’re a Big Girl Now” following up “Simple Twist of Fate” is an excellent example. Throughout the latter song, the narrator keeps saying that his ex is forgetting about all the good things. In the former song, he’s saying, to quote my grandpa, “You made the bed, now eat it!” Each verse after the first shows them growing further apart, but sees the narrator longing for his ex, comparing himself to a bird that hopes his love interest can hear him singing through his tears, but knowing she’s moved on so he has to as well.
Melodically: The song uses Bm7 and Am7, followed by G, C, Am7, Bm7, Am7, D7/F#, G, and D/F#. The song is written in G major, and uses a iii7, ii7, I, IV, ii7, iii7, ii7, V7, I pattern. Instrumentally, the song contains acoustic guitar, harmonica, drums, and piano.
Structurally: The song uses all verses, of which there are five. When I think of Dylan choruses, they come about when he’s being bombastic, such as “Idiot Wind” and “Like a Rolling Stone,” and although he groveled quite a bit in the chorus of “Sara” (which we talked about in our rhyme scheme blog), there’s so much depression within his delivery, there’s no need for a chorus — the verses do just fine.
Our conversation about this song was short and sweet. “You’re a Big Girl Now” is embedded below.
4. “Idiot Wind”
Background: I could have sworn I talked about this song in an earlier blog, as it’s one of my favorite Dylan songs. This is one of five songs (along with “Tangled Up in Blue,” “You’re a Big Girl Now,” “Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts,” and “If You See Her, Say Hello”) that Dylan re-recorded back in the great state of Minnesota at the suggestion of his brother, in order to make it a little less dark and more commercial friendly. The reason why this is important is because I want you to keep this in mind as I break down the lyric section, because that’s Bob holding back!
Lyrically: “Idiot Wind” discusses the media frenzy friends of the narrator’s ex have been “planting in the press,” including the fact that “They say I shot a man named Gray, took his wife to Italy, she inherited a million bucks and when she died, it came to me, I can’t help it if I’m lucky.” The reason I break down that entire line is because it was sampled/interpolated in Hootie and the Blowfish’s “I Only Wanna Be with You,” and Dylan is named as a co-writer as a result. The rest of the song deals with the public falling out and how she’s ruined everything for him, including the books she read. It’s an incredibly eloquent takedown, and I read a story in a biography where he got to perform it in front of Sara Dylan. He’s always been cagey about whether it’s autobiographical, but if that’s who it’s about, that’s an absolute dream come true.
Melodically: In the verses, “Idiot Wind” uses Cm, D, and G (including D/C, and G/F# the second time around), followed by Em, Bm, Am, and G, played twice, before ending on Bm and C6. Written in the key of G major, this is a IV, V, I, vi, iii, ii, I, iii, IV pattern. The chorus then uses G, C, G, C, C/D, followed by G, C, G, C, D, D7, G, C/G, G, C/G, which is a I, IV, V progression of simple major chords, which perfectly backs up the contempt he has for the subject of this song. Instrumentally, the song uses acoustic guitar and harmonica, piano, organ, bass, and drums.
Structurally: This is one of my favorite song structures out there. It follows a verse, verse, chorus, verse, verse, chorus, verse, verse chorus format, which may not sound all that innovative, but the verses basically serve as stanzas, where the last line of one rhymes with the last line of the second, and provides a ton of tension leading into the chorus. And, like any good song, it just keeps getting progressively darker, as the narrator gets progressively angrier. However, there’s a little twist at the end where he takes some responsibility, saying “We’re idiots”, rather than “You’re an idiot.”
“Idiot Wind” is embedded below.
5. “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”
Lyrically: In case you didn’t catch on, most of the songs on Blood on the Tracks are rather sad. “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” breaks up that trend by offering a ray of hope. Among my favorite lines in the song are “This time around it’s more correct” and “You’re gonna make me give myself a good talking to.” I think “Idiot Wind” is one of the most beautifully poetic dis-tracks I’ve ever heard, and although that song pulls no punches and I love it, I love “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” just as much. It’s a breath of fresh air in a record that is otherwise a tremendous soundtrack for a perpetually single guy like the one writing this blog.
Melodically: The song is written in the key of E major, using the straight up E, Emaj7, E/C#, F, E, Em7, and B This is a I, II, i, V pattern that gets used throughout the verses. The chorus then uses a B, E, B, E pattern (the V and the I). Instrumentally, the song contains acoustic guitar, harmonica, and bass guitar.
Structurally: The song utilizes a verse, verse, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse structure. Since this is an example song, rather than a story song, it would be easy to just do what Brad Paisley did in “Welcome to the Future,” using two verses, a middle 8 (more on middle 8s in a later blog), and a final verse. But there’s so much good to talk about that the two choruses work very well, as does the decision to have so many verses in a row before the chorus comes in. However, the choruses are much sweeter and less bombastic than the one in “Idiot Wind,” for example.
“You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” is embedded below. You can listen on your way to Honolulu, San Francisco, or Ashtabula.
6. “Meet Me in the Morning”
I discuss Meet Me in the Morning in the blog link below. It is song three of the blog.
Song 3: https://memphissongwriters.org/msa-blog/d6zorztow6lae05nr81mgtymzau318
7. “Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts”
I discuss Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts in the blog link below. It is song three of the blog.
Song1: https://memphissongwriters.org/msa-blog/story-songs-example-songs-and-hybrid-songs
8. “If You See Her, Say Hello”
Lyrically: “If You See Her, Say Hello” details the narrator’s desire to know how his former flame is currently doing, by talking with mutual friends (no doubt included in “All the people we used to know” mentioned in “Tangled Up in Blue”). In the first verse, the most fascinating line to me is “She may think I’ve forgotten her, don’t tell her it isn’t so.” The double negative is fascinating. He’s wanting to know how she is, he’s saying to say hello on his behalf, but if she thinks he’s forgotten her, he kind of wants her to think he has. However, my absolute favorite line, and one I regularly use to describe traumatic events, is “I haven’t gotten used to it, I’ve just learned to turn it off. Either I’m too sensitive or else I’m getting soft.” Before I watched the TV show How I Met Your Mother all the way through, I knew how it ended. But that didn’t stop me from getting all kinds of emotional when they used this song to allude to the fate of the mother in one of the 9th season episodes. It’s incredible.
Melodically: The song is written in D major. The intro uses C, F, G, F, C, G, F, G, F, G, F, and C, which is a VII, III, IV, III, VII, IV, III, IV, III, IV, III, VII pattern. The verses use C, F, G, C, F, C, Bb, G (a VII, III, IV, VII, III, VII, VI, IV pattern), followed by Am, F, C, and F, and Am, C/G, F, and C (a v, III, VII, III, v, VII, III pattern). Instrumentally, the song uses acoustic guitar, 12 string guitar, mandolin, organ, and drums.
Structurally: The song contains all verses, of which there are five. Much like many of the other songs on this record, it appears the narrator is running out of energy, so the lack of a chorus reflects that mood. There’s desperation, paired with the realization that he might have messed up, and the thoughts are cohesive enough in a verse so a chorus to tie it all together is not necessary.
You can listen to “If You See Her, Say Hello” below.
9. “Shelter From the Storm”
Lyrically: There are a handful of songs I think of whenever it’s raining, such as Justin Townes Earle’s “Memphis in the Rain” and “Dreams” (knowing that it will be the only time thunder happens), but one of my favorites is another one of the positive songs on Blood on the Tracks, that being “Shelter From the Storm.” I would consider this to be a story song, even though it’s filled with examples of times this love interest has given him shelter from the storm. It’s such a simple concept, but what makes it stand out are the details he puts in between the hooks: in the first verse, he calls himself “A creature void of form,” in the second, he uses her as a contrast to “A world of steel-eyed death with people fighting to keep warm,” compares himself to a hunted crocodile “Ravaged in the corn,” claims to have been wearing a “crown of thorns” at another meeting, and my personal favorite, when he mentions how he “bargained for salvation and she gave me a lethal dose.” Another one of my favorite lines is when he runs into someone who says, “Do I understand your question, man? Is it hopeless and forlorn?” It’s such a funny sounding line, but fits so well.
Melodically: This is going to shock you, but this tune is also written in the key of E major. It alternates between E, B, A, and E, a I, V, IV, I pattern. Instrumentally, the song uses acoustic guitar and harmonica, as well as bass guitar.
Structurally: The song uses all verses, of which there are ten. Ten verses may sound like a lot, but Dylan’s “Tempest” contains 36 verses, so we got off easy here, while still getting a tremendous story. As we discussed earlier, this is a story song, and there’s nothing a chorus could add because the verses are so detailed, and the same goes for a bridge.
You can listen to “Shelter From the Storm” below.
10. “Buckets of Rain”
Lyrically: As a songwriter, in case you couldn’t tell, Blood on the Tracks is the definitive album for me. This applies to the lyrics and simple arrangements, but also in terms of track order to tell a story. With that said, I thought for years that the album closed with “Shelter From the Storm”, putting some closure on an otherwise depressing saga. But that’s just not how Bob operates. “Buckets of Rain” comes to grips with the fact that the narrator’s love interest is gone, and even though he knows she could still make him happy, also concludes, “Everything about you is bringin’ me misery,” yet still says at the end of the song, “I do it all for you, honey, baby, can’t you tell.” Similar to my giddy excitement when I saw Montague Street in New York a handful of years ago (which is mentioned in “Tangled Up in Blue”). I was equally excited when I saw a Red Rider wagon mural in Little Rock recently, so I could make a “Little red wagon, little red bike” reference from “Buckets of Rain.”
Melodically: “Buckets of Rain” is played with a capo on the 4th fret and alternates between the E, A, B chords. This is a I, IV, V progression. Instrumentally, the song uses acoustic guitar, as well as bass guitar. I’ve mentioned throughout this blog that Blood on the Tracks is dominated by sparse arrangements, allowing for the haunting lyrics to shine through even more. “Buckets of Rain” brings the album to the close with another such arrangement. In my research for this blog (and by that I mean the millionth time I searched it up on Wikipedia), I noticed something new to me: In early recordings of the album, Bob wanted to record the entire album with a full band arrangement, but abandoned the idea when Mike Bloomfield couldn’t keep up with the instrumentals. Though there are many different versions of Dylan’s songs, both by him and by other artists, it’s hard for me to imagine “Buckets” especially with a fuller sound. After he finishes singing the last lyric, the song ends with an instrumental arrangement that wouldn’t be nearly as powerful if backed by anything else. It’s a haunting way to close the already haunting album.
Structurally: The song uses all verses, of which there are five. It’s a sad-sounding song, but truly only isolated lines throughout the song are sad, while the rest sound hopeful. So having an odd number of verses leads us to a false sense of comfortability, thinking his hope might pay off, since this is the last track on the album, but ultimately he concludes that “Life is sad, life is a bust.” Like all things Dylan, I can only speculate, but I do know everything he does as a writer is intentional, so just simply concluding that there are five verses simply because that’s all he needed to tell the story is a rather irresponsible guess.
“Buckets of Rain” is embedded below. I know my blogs tend to send some of my readers down a rabbit hole, analyzing songs the way I do. While I love that I’ve had this effect on people, the whole point of this blog is to allow you to enjoy the whole album at once. So I’ve also included a link to the entire Blood on the Tracks album. That way, if you want to listen to the whole thing, the break it down, you can. Thank you so much for following me on this blog journey, but specifically this one. I don’t normally dedicate this much time to a single album, but this album changed my life as a music lover, and eventually as a singer-songwriter and musician. There are many albums you could study in their entirety to become a better songwriter, but to me, this is quintessential to your development as one, so happy listening and writing, as always!
P.S. Because evidently writing blogs wasn’t enough of an outlet to get out my love of music references, I started doing recipe series, which are puns of songs from my favorite albums. I started with Blood on the Tracks. Feel free to comment below for the recipes!
Tangled Up in Chicken Cordon Bleu
Simple Twist of Grape
You’re a Fig Girl Now
Squidiot Wind
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Mango
Meat Me in the Morning
Chili, Rosemary, and the Blackberry of Tarts
If You See Her, Say Bordeaux
Shelter From the Corn
Buckets of Au Gratin
