Eoin Butler: writer, journalist and Mayoman of the Year
Tripping Along The Ledge
Blog
A HARD RAIN’S A-GONNA FALL (1962)
On the evening of September 11th, 2001, as the initial shock of what had happened that day began to abate, my thoughts turned to what would happen next. Events were still very much in flux, but it was already clear that whatever would transpire after the dust settled in New York, it wasn’t going be pretty.
I remember going for a drink in a pub that evening with some friends. It was Slattery’s on Capel Street. In the corner, Sky News was showing night vision pictures of the skyline over Kabul. The Northern Alliance were shelling Taliban positions. No one was quite sure what was going on exactly, but I remember people – punters, barstaff, everyone – staring at the television screen in grim silence. And this ominous refrain began playing over and over in my head… “And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard… It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall…”
Dylan wrote A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall when he 21 years old – about same age I was when the September 11th attacks occurred. It was 1962 and the Cuban Missile Crisis was at its height. The world was on the brink of nuclear war. He later said that every line in the song was intended to be the first line of a song he wanted to compose one day. “But when I wrote it,” he explained “I thought I wouldn’t have enough time alive to write all those songs, so I put all I could into this one.”
September 11th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Was in a bank as it all happened. The place slowly came to a standstill as we all congregated round a small tv on the wall in utter disbelief.
And I always think of Midnight Cowboy when I see that album cover – http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2pshnyu&s=3
Must be the Jacket.
September 12th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
ah eoin,you were going along grand there.spot of pavment,little bitta lambchop,jonathan richman,hank-sure you cant go wrong.whats this dylan fixation about?i wouldnt borrow a 5er off the fucker.let me be the 1st to say it:the emperor has no clothes!what happened there a few yrs ago?-he turned 65 or something and every godawful kunta kinte motherfucker around were falling over themselves trying to say he was the lamb of god.i mean sweet loving fucking suzieju!endless showings of dont look back in anger-the greatest dockdoc of all time apparently-when in all honesty the man comes across as a petulant 12yr old just after making his confirmation. back in his grandparents house. after making a shit loada dosh. but not allowed go to the confimation disco:
parents/grandparents(here,read authority figures):did you enjoy the day lil bobby?
bobby: awdays lo’ evryday-you gotta gett up,you dieeeeeeeeeeee.
af:oh well fair enough…ah well did you enjoy the church? the service was lovely.
b:cervise?wats a sirvice mister?i dinnit see noo cerfix.i ony caw aloda por peple polokin deir mineeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
af:ah it was nice anyway?how much money did you make bobby? you look so cute in your suit dont ya my loveen bawn?
b: yea,nixe but wats nix? monney? yea i see money but were de money go mam?i got no timmmmmmee
af:oh hes a smart one betty-will you have abitta jelly and ice cream zims zim before you go?
[hesitates]
af: ive wafers…
b:mam i belife you doo
af: o bettys hes a smart 1 alright…wat will he do next?…
September 13th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
@ Pluck – pissed off now? just wait till someone puts Brownsville Girl up on YouTube!