Talk:Desolation Row

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Is Wikipedia really the place to be writing song analyses?

I rather feel not... This one goes on far too long and is pretty tendentious in places. Eg the last paragraph saying (with no caveat) it's all about the Cold War and MAD - eh? who says??? About the only bit that adds usefully to the narrative is the info. about the Duluth lynching. Linuxlad 07:57, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

Do "American Pie" next (Don MacLean), okay? --Ed Poor

Still to do: Intepretations for the verses that begin with "Dr. Filth, he keeps his world", "Across the street, they've nailed the curtains", "Praise be to Nero's Neptune"

"Desolation Row is someplace close to Mexico 'an they got a lot of Coke machines there".- Bob Dylan 1965. Lion King 22:29, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

This is the worst description ever. Whoever wrote it, clearly doesn't understand the song at all.

I would agree with the above statement, if Dylan understood the song! Lion King 00:01, 13 November 2005 (UTC)

It doesn't matter whether or not Dylan himself fully understands the song or not, the fact is what is written has no basis to it. "Desolation Row" is clearly a good place and half the people who are quoted in this article to show it is a negative place, are people NOT living on Desolation Row. "This is Dylan's pessimistic vision of the future; where everyone, even Bette Davis, Cinderella, Casanova, and Albert Einstein, is tragic and pained, living in a scrap of a town." Firstly, Bette Davis is not described as living on Desolation Row, she is used as a comparison to show how glamorous Cinderella is now that she has moved to Desolation Row. Secondly, Casanova is someone who is thrown out of Desolation Row in the song, and, this is because he doesn't fit the requirements for living there, as, he is not an outcast, but, instead is seen as being a tool of the media in the song. Albert Einstein is also not living in Desolation Row, he and Robin Hood are used as one of the greatest metaphor's in a song to describe Dylan himself, and, in the song he is just passing through Desolation Row, but, no longer feels he is able to live there anymore.

Why don't you just listen to the song, shut your eyes, and watch the pictures in your mind? Lion King 01:44, 17 November 2005 (UTC)

You should be banned from listening to Bob Dylan songs.

"Years from now, all these fucking assholes are gonna be writing about all this shit I write. I don't know where the fuck it comes from, I don't know what it's about, an' they're gonna write what it's about!" Bob Dylan 1965. Lion King 15:47, 17 November 2005 (UTC)

that's actually joan baez paraphrasing what she remembers dylan saying, not an actual dylan quote--Progjunky 12:43, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

If you think Bob Dylan doesn't mean what he says when he sings about in his songs, then he certainly doesn't mean what he says in interviews. Plus, that has nothing to do with anything, clearly someone has written about what this song is about and it's clearly wrong, maybe in your next post you could try and say something about what is written on here and how it is the complete opposite of what is in the song.

Now your'e taking issue with Dylan! He dosesn't mean what he says? You understand his songs? Next you'll start to think you are Dylan. You wont even allow the man to mean what he says? He has been driven stark raving bonkers by people like you, and the people who put articles like this together. Face it, you don't know what it means, you think you do, and that's fine. Just don't lay it on me eh? And don't become the "Biggest Fan" that pulls the trigger on him OK? Lion King 12:46, 18 November 2005 (UTC) P.S. This article serves no useful purpose, it's conjecture and does not belong in an encyclopedia. It needs moving to one of the numerous, inaccurate "looney fan sites." Lion King 13:29, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

Actually, I was pointing out that if you do not care about what Dylan sings about in his songs and don't believe they have any great meaning then that's up to you, but, my point is that what he says in interviews is even more likely to be made up or not 100% true. My original point was simply that the definition of the song in this article, whether true or not, is totally contradictory to what the lyrics actually say, not just in my own interpretation but quite simply inaccurate reporting on what is said in the song.

Of course I believe Dylan's songs have great meaning - great meaning to him. He once said, that if he told us what certain songs meant, we would feel excluded, because they are so intensely personal. I also believe, that he really does not know why most of them have arrived on his doorstep. "Desolation Row" means many different things, people and places to me, as I'm sure it does to you - it's hardly "I Want To Hold Your Hand". This is what makes him rock's only bona fide genius. We have always been in step on the real issue though, I think this article is a pretentious, side splitting load of garbage! Can I listen to Dylan again now? Lion King 20:32, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

Yes, this song, like most of Dylan's work is open to massive amounts of interpretation, but, you have to admit that a comment like "Dylan seems to believe that if the people of Desolation Row continue to grow, the world will become entirely the same, full of sad, lonely losers. This is Dylan's pessimistic vision of the future; where everyone, even Bette Davis, Cinderella, Casanova, and Albert Einstein, is tragic and pained, living in a scrap of a town" is just wrong, wrong, wrong for so many reasons, as anyone who even glances at the lyrics can see. So, my complaint is not that what I believe the song is about is not represented here, but, rather that what is in the article is totally wrong and no-one could possibly believe that this is correct, so yes there is something we agree on.

:Yeah, good stuff! Log in start writing! Lion King 00:12, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

I think it is silly to say no one could possibly believe something is correct. I am sure many moderately intelligent people believe things that others disagree with wholeheartedly. Obviously at least one moderately intelligent (I assume) person believes in the statements in this article, and I am sure many others do also. Otherwise, this person now sees the error of his or her ways. I happen to disagree with many points made in the article. Regardless of all this, I think this article should be replaced with an entirely new one immediately, one that does not rely upon personal interpretation, but has a basis in external sources. I stress that this should be discharged immediately.

The Three Penny Review section could probably be removed in its entirety. Moreover, the paragraph beginning with "The song describes..." should probably be shortened. I'd take a stab at the changes, but frankly, it's late.

This page is embarrassing to look at. It's just a bunch of conjecture and personal research. Almost all of the analysis should be deleted or majorly reworked.

How is Little John referenced in the song? I've checked the lyrics through a couple of times, and there are absolutely no references to Little John. Is he confused with Friar Tuck, who could be Robin Hood's jealous monk-friend, or what?

[edit] Lyric copyright infringement

I have removed the lyrics added to this page. Without permission from the copyright holder they are an infringement of the rights. Please do not add reproductions of lyrical material that are still in copyright.

Thanks,

Pepperstool 12:31, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] lyrics.

I am removing the lyrics sample at the end of the page. If somebody wants to see the lyrics, they can find them elsewhere (for instance, by clicking the external link at the bottom of the page); wikipedia is not the place for them. Furthermore, there is no specific reason for adding this particular verse over any other. Glassbreaker5791 (talk) 23:33, 2 April 2008 (UTC)