Poetry is for Girls

All these lists are making me queasy. It's the numbers that do it, I think. Dylan is a poet (no matter how much he wants to deny or confirm it, depending on the interview.) So I figured if I was gonna do a list on top songs that view a woman as a goddess, he'd be God. I'm gonna turn to Him and put it in His hands. Five songs seemed too short of a list so there are a couple extra little treats for you.

"Girl of the North Country" -- This is off the masterful Freewheelin' LP. It's talks of a girl Dylan left behind and now he wants to makes sure she's doing well. He hasn't hit his peak yet but the song and the sentiment are beautiful . Check out the version on Nashville Skyline for a duet with The Man in Black himself, Johnny Cash.

"Ballad in Plain D" -- This is quite possibly the most personal song Dylan ever wrote as it deal with his split from "the could-be dream-lover of [his] lifetime," Suze Rotolo, who is pictured on the Freewheelin' album cover. It's over 10 minutes long but it never really drags to me; some people hate it though and see it as filler. It has recently become one of my favorite Bobby songs. The emotion and tenderness in his voice while he recounts the tragic tale cut into the soul and shuffle about the heart.

"Love Minus Zero/No Limit" -- This is when Dylan was hitting his peak with surreal songs especially about love and the women folk. Just check the lyrics to this song to see what I mean. It's contains some of my favorite lyrics by man.

My love she speaks like silence,
Without ideals or violence,
She doesn't have to say she's faithful,
Yet she's true, like ice, like fire.
People carry roses,
Make promises by the hours,
My love she laughs like the flowers,
Valentines can't buy her.

(Is that how you're supposed to quote stuff over four lines? Cause isn't that a special case or something? English class sucked.) But this verse is one of the most beautiful and contains some of the most stunning images of all time.

"Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" -- Written for his then-wife, and later referenced in another song, this is straight feeling. Cause I have no idea what any of this shit means. He's an alien. But I understand what he's trying to get across: that he's devoted to this woman. Just go buy Blonde on Blonde and see for yourself. God damn do I have to do everything?

"Sara" -- This is written after their marriage is failing and it's chronicling all the good times they've had while watching their children on the beach. "So easy to look at, so hard to define" is exactly how I feel. Dylan knows me man. Oh yeah this is the song he mentions writing "Sad-Eyed..." for her so you can't deny it now Bob. It's a beautiful song that ends a beautiful album, Desire.

"She Belongs to Me" -- This is the ultimate in love songs to me. It says how I feel; it's beautifully written; the melody is great; it's timeless; it's definitive; it's more than worthy of the person it was written for (I'm not sure who's it was written for but wouldn't you love for a song like this to be written for you?) So go pick up Bringing It All Back Home and you'll get this and "Love Minus Zero" and a slew of other great songs.

I'm didn't do a very good job here but fuck it. Do I ever? It's not about me though nor my descriptions; it's about the songs and love never sounded so good.