Bob Dylan – Positively 4th Street (1965)
from the album “Highway 61 Revisited”.
It took me years and years to fully appreciate Bob Dylan. To me, it was a bit of an acquired taste. But what is usually the case with artists like Dylan, is that when you do get to like him, you never stop. And you become a full-fledged hardcore fan. One of the things that made Dylan such an icon is that we recognize ourselves and situations from our own lives in his songs and in his words. This is one of my favourite songs by him.
The protagonist is bitter, resentful and angry. He feels let down and betrayed by someone he once viewed as a friend. The person he once knew wasn’t going to stand by his side, like he thought, the person was simply basking in his spotlight beside the protagonist, he thought he had something to gain by befriending the main character (the singer of the song), and when he realized he wouldn’t do so, or he wouldn’t do so anymore, he turned away.
“You got a lotta nerve
To say you are my friend
When I was down
You just stood there grinning
You got a lotta nerve
To say you got a helping hand to lend
You just want to be on
The side that’s winning”
The protagonist of the song isn’t winning anymore, and the friend no longer has an interest in him, but still keeps a smile on his face whenever they meet, because, well, you never know when the protagonist’s luck is going to turn and you might want to or need to mooch off of them again. We all know people like that. These kind of people, the antagonist of the song, aren’t stupid. They also aren’t stupid enough to just leave things be, they always have an excuse for it, and the excuse, and the fault, is never their own.
“You say I let you down
You know it’s not like that
If you’re so hurt
Why then don’t you show it
You say you lost your faith
But that’s not where it’s at
You had no faith to lose
And you know it”
But like Dylan’s protagonist, we know it’s just words, we know it’s just an excuse.
“You see me on the street
You always act surprised
You say, “How are you?” “Good luck”
But you don’t mean it
When you know as well as me
You’d rather see me paralyzed
Why don’t you just come out once
And scream it”
With your position and your place
Don’t you understand
It’s not my problem”
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qjOZ3MoRB4[/youtube]
Sorry dude but this song wawasn on Highway 61.
It was released just a single shortly after Highway 61 came out. Its not just Dylan either. I think a few of the Stone’ s more famous songs don’t have a studio album to call home.
You are correct! “The song was released between Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde, as the follow-up to Dylan’s hit single “Like a Rolling Stone”, but was not included on either album.”