I liked your review, Martin [Martin Grossman], especially the part
that goes:
"In the last verse of 'Not Dark Yet,' Dylan paraphrases lines from the
Pirke Avot, which lends credence to the rumors that he has been studying
Talmud in recent years. He sings,'I was born here and I'll die here
against my will.'
"In the Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), 4:29, the language is
strikingly similar:
"'And not let your evil inclination assure you that the grave will be a
place of refuge for you -- for against your will you were created,
against your will you were born, against your will you live, against
your will you die, and against your will you are destined to give an
account before the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One Blessed be He.'"
That was a stunning insight, and one that i had missed entirely.
I am beginning to think that "decoding" TOOM will be a doctoral thesis
job for someone, as rich a task as "decoding" James Joyce's "Finnegan;s
Wake."
Subject of the Post: Sense of Humanity?
Date Added: 02/14/1998
I finally figured out, definitively, what he's saying in 'Not Dark Yet!'
I heard it during the video on Real Video off of bobdylan.com, where
the sound has been remastered so that it truely sounds like Bob when
he's at his mumbling best. What he's saying isn't 'sense of humanity'
going down the drain, it's 'sensitive manatee', an obvious ecological
reference to the plight of these very sensitive and gentle creatures,
manatees, who are seriously threatened by all the boats and pollution in
the Florida canals and the everglades. After all, the album was recorded
in Florida, home of the manatee, and Bob must have had it on his mind,
maybe
read about a story in the paper or saw something on TV. Or maybe he even
had one down there as a pet, which account him saying 'MY sensitive
manatee,' making the line all the more poignant and sorrowful.
I rest my case.
Bill (it all makes sense when you look closely and really think about
it) Routhier
Editor's Note: When Time Out of Mind came out, there was a great
deal of discussion about what Dylan was saying in this line (humanity,
temerity, etc...). The post above is meant to be a joke in reference
to these seemingly endless discussions.
Subject of the Post: Possible Talmud Reference
Date Added: 07/19/2000
in reference to a discussion of the line from the song:
"I was born here and I'll die here against my will"
Shiphour wrote:
I wouldn't want to let the above get by without pointing you in the direction
of a post from Marty Grossman back in October 1997. It included the following
information, which you might find of interest:
"In the last verse of 'Not Dark Yet,' Dylan paraphrases lines from the
Pirke Avot, which lends credence to the rumors that he has been studying
Talmud in recent years. He sings,'I was born here and I'll die here
against my will.'
Credit for identifying this source really goes to Ronnie Schreiber, a sometime
participant in rmd discussions. Ronnie and I (and maybe Larry Yudelson) are
collaborating on a new book on Dylan from a Jewish perspective.
"In the Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), 4:29, the language is
strikingly similar:
"'And not let your evil inclination assure you that the grave will be a
place of refuge for you -- for against your will you were created,
against your will you were born, against your will you live, against
your will you die, and against your will you are destined to give an
account before the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One Blessed be He.'"
