All along the Watchtower
by Bob Dylan
There must be some kind of way outta here
Said the joker to the thief
There’s too much confusion
I can’t get no relief
Business men, they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None will level on the line
Nobody offered his word
Hey, heyNo reason to get excited
The thief, he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But, uh, but you and I,
we’ve been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us stop talkin’ falsely now
The hour’s getting late, hey
HeyAll along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too
Well, uh, outside in the cold distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
And the wind began to howl, hey
All along the watchtower
All along the watchtower
Meanings of All Along the Watchtower
The song All Along the Watchtower lyrics by Bob Dylan presents the story of a joker and a thief, their conversation about the complexity of life, and their attitude toward the watchtower of princes. The poem presents the main ideas of fate, corruption, and the complexities of life.
Meanings of Stanza -1
There must be some kind of way outta here
Said the joker to the thief
There’s too much confusion
I can’t get no relief
Business men, they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None will level on the line
Nobody offered his word
Hey, hey
The poet presents two characters; a joker and a thief. The joker asks the thief about the way out of the confusion of life to win some relief. He states that successful businessmen drink his wine while the plowmen dig his earth. Yet, they do not come equal to him to offer their words of condolence to take him out of this mess or relieve him from difficulties. The final words show the exasperation of the joker as the thief is readying to respond to him. The stanza offers the partial thief of confusion and complexities of life.
Meanings of Stanza -2
No reason to get excited
The thief, he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But, uh, but you and I,
we’ve been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us stop talkin’ falsely now
The hour’s getting late, hey
Hey
The joker goes on to tell the thief that there is no reason to get excited. He lovingly tells him that many people think that life is just a joke. Yet, they have gone through harrowing difficulties in life. And he alerts the thief that this is not their fate. Therefore, they should not console themselves with this false notion that going through a rough patch is their fate. Then he calls him to tell him that it is the late hour of the night and they have to leave. This truth of the joker about their life and fate shows the second partial theme of the main idea of the poem, which is the complexity of life and its confusion.
Meanings of Stanza -3
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too
Well, uh, outside in the cold distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
And the wind began to howl, hey
All along the watchtower
All along the watchtower
Then the speaker intervenes after them and states that the princes watch out along with the watchtower. They see that the women come out and go, and servants serve their princes. They are barefoot in the streets. They see that the wildcat growl at them when two riders approach. The wind also blows with a howling sound. Then both of them become alert. This shows how the world goes with life, some enjoying it and some passing through the tough period. This is going on all along the watchtower. The repetition of this phrase shows the never-ending cycle of life that is a continuation of life. This stanza completes the main theme of corruption, the complexities of life, and fate.
Summary of All along the Watchtower
- Popularity of “All Along the Watchtower”: Written by Bob Dylan, a celebrated contemporary singer and songwriter “All Along the Watchtower” is a highly symbolic song. It was released in 1967 in his album, John Wesley Harding. The song artistically displays the conflict between two societal opposites. It shows how two people belonging to the same society point out the flaws corroding their society’s fabric. Although the song is written and sung to amuse the audience, the depth in each line makes it relatable to the existing world, wherein lies its popularity.
- “All along the Watchtower” As a Representative of Social Evils: This song is about attitudes toward the ills of society. The poem begins when the writer dismissively throws us into the middle of a conversation where the thief and the joker share thoughts about people’s unjust approaches. The joker wants to escape the negative people and has strong reasons behind this logic. He gets confused when he sees corruption in society. He wonders how easily businesspeople are drinking his wine, and plowmen are taking his ground. It seems that others are benefiting from his labor, neglecting the worth of his efforts. The thief kindly replies to the joker that most people take life as a joke. The most considerable confusion is about values; people do not know what is valuable and what is not. So, while others are confused about the values, these two remain truthful. However, the final verse changes the environment of the poem. The conversation in the final stanza takes us to another scene, where the princes are waiting on the watchtower. The writer ends the poem while hinting at the impending danger.
- Major Themes in “All along the Watchtower”: Danger, unknown fate, and corruption are the major themes of the song. “All along the Watchtower” is a highly symbolic poetic piece; the writer has purposefully chosen archetypal characters, the thief and the joker, that have existed in one form or another for thousands of years. Through these characters, he talks about his ideas about corruption and injustice and other moral and social ills prevalent in the world. Thieves and jokers are considered low in almost every society. Ironically, the writer shows that these two know the true meaning of life. They know life is not a bed of roses; one has to go through various tests to catch the true meaning of life. Through this poem, the singer shows how powerful people misuse the talent and abilities of creative people and love to enjoy the fruits of their efforts.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in All along the Watchtower
literary devices are employed in simple texts to make them meaningful and understandable for the readers. Bob Dylan also used many literary devices in the poem, whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ in “Business men, they drink my wine” and the sound of /o/ in “Nobody offered his word.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession such as the sound of /t/ in “we’ve been through that.”
- Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. Bob Dylan has repeated the word “all” in the first last of the poem to emphasize the point such as;
“All along the watchtower
All along the watchtower.”
- Allusion: Allusion is a belief and an indirect reference of a person, place, thing, or idea of a historical, cultural, political, or literary significance. The final lines of the poem allude to the impending danger, such as;
“Two riders were approaching
And the wind began to howl, hey.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “But, uh, but you and I, we’ve been through that” and the sound of /n/ in “And the wind began to howl, hey.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
“There must be some kind of way outta here
Said the joker to the thief
There’s too much confusion
I can’t get no relief.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Bob Dylan used imagery in this poem, such as; “Two riders were approaching” and “Business men, they drink my wine.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem uses symbols such as fear, danger, escape and corruption.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in All along the Watchtower
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here the first stanza is a quatrain.
- Repetition: There is a repetition of the verse “All along the watchtower” which has created a musical quality in the poem.
- Refrain: The lines that are repeated at some distance in the poems are called a refrain. The verse, “All along the watchtower” is repeated with the same words. Therefore, it has become a refrain.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem, with each comprising a different number of verses.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful when talking about the seriousness life brings to almost every person.
“There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But, uh, but you and I, we’ve been through that
And this is not our fate.”