About The Song
Mr. Tambourine Man” is a song penned by Bob Dylan, featured as the opening track on the acoustic side of his March 1965 album, “Bringing It All Back Home.” The song’s popularity led to numerous live recordings by Dylan and its inclusion in multiple compilation albums. Over the years, it has been translated into various languages and has found usage or references in television shows, films, and books.
The song has been covered by a multitude of artists, including the Byrds, Judy Collins, Melanie, Odetta, and Stevie Wonder, among others. The Byrds’ rendition, released in April 1965 as their debut single on Columbia Records, achieved significant success, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the UK Singles Chart. Additionally, it became the title track of their first album, “Mr. Tambourine Man.” The Byrds’ version played a pivotal role in popularizing folk rock and jangle pop, influencing contemporary bands to emulate its fusion of jangly guitars and thoughtful lyrics.
Bob Dylan, inspired by the Byrds’ reinterpretation, adopted electric instrumentation for his future recordings. Both Dylan’s original and the Byrds’ version have been featured on lists ranking the greatest songs of all time, including Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 best songs ever. Both renditions have received Grammy Hall of Fame Awards.
Dylan’s composition consists of four verses, with the Byrds choosing to include only the second in their recording. The song is characterized by its bright, expansive melody and is renowned for its surrealistic imagery, drawing inspiration from artists like French poet Arthur Rimbaud and Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. The lyrics depict a plea to the titular character to play a song, with the narrator expressing a willingness to follow. Interpretations of the lyrics vary, encompassing references to drugs such as LSD, a call to the singer’s muse, reflections on the audience’s demands, and even religious interpretations.
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Lyrics
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ youThough I know that evening’s empire has returned into sand
Vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand
But still not sleeping
My weariness amazes me, I’m branded on my feet
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street’s too dead for dreamingHey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ youTake me on a trip upon your magic swirlin’ ship
My senses have been stripped
My hands can’t feel to grip
My toes too numb to step
Wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin’
I’m ready to go anywhere
I’m ready for to fade
Into my own parade
Cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under itHey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ youThough you might hear laughin’, spinnin’ swingin’ madly across the sun
It’s not aimed at anyone
It’s just escapin’ on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin’
And if you hear vague traces of skippin’ reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time
It’s just a ragged clown behind
I wouldn’t pay it any mind
It’s just a shadow you’re seein’ that he’s chasingHey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ youAnd take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind
Down the foggy ruins of time
Far past the frozen leaves
The haunted, frightened trees
Out to the windy beach
Far from the twisted reach
Of crazy sorrow
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea
Circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate
Driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today
Until tomorrowHey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you