Photo: Buckner/GettyOne of Bob Dylan's greatest lines on his new album, Together Through Life, is from "I Feel a Change Comin' On." Over a gentle groove, he sings, "I'm listening to Billy Joe Shaver, and I'm reading James Joyce/Some people they tell me I've got the blood of the land in my voice."
Well, the S.S. called Shaver, the 69-year-old country-outlaw legend, at home in Waco, Texas, to see what he thought. "It was really nice of him," says Shaver. "It's nice to be mentioned in the same sentence with James Joyce too."
Dylan has long been a Shaver fan. For the soundtrack to the 1987 flick Hearts of Fire, Dylan recorded Shaver's "Old Five and Dimers Like Me." (It didn't make the film, but you can find it on bootlegs.) And the respect is mutual. Shaver got into Bob back when he was busking on street corners. "After I first heard him, I got upset because I couldn't figure out what else there was left to say," Shaver recalls. "I decided not to listen to him again or I'd go home with my hat in my hand. So I threw all my Dylan tapes in the Brazos River."
The Dylan fan site ISIS reports that all lyrics on Together Through Life were written by Dylan and Robert Hunter (who, along with Jerry Garcia, co-wrote a majority of the Grateful Dead lyrics), with the exception being "This Dream of You," which was written completely by Dylan.
What do you think about the Dylan/Hunter connection?
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- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
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craigston mullen June 20, 2009 | June 20, 2009 1:07 PM
Maybe it is the moment, or the timing of this release. I got the record on Tuesday June 16, 2009. "BLOOMSDAY," sheerly by coincidence. I have listened to this new release approximately 36 times in the last 96 hours, and I feel that it stands up to the very best "stuff" that Dylan has ever put out. Superb, and I love it. mullen xxx
JaneRadriges | June 13, 2009 11:40 AM
Original post by Dmitri Gromov
torb | April 29, 2009 12:41 PM
lyrics are delivered off hand, seems like a jam session,but a good one at that. favorite is Feel A Change Comin On. definetly 'blood of the Lamb',as hard as that is for infidels to handle.
sadmaggy | April 17, 2009 1:30 AM
My comment -What is going on?
Al Maginnes | April 16, 2009 6:09 PM
Hunter and Dylan are the two songwriters in hte world least in need of help with lyrics, so I hope they had a good time doing this. I'm anxious to hear the results.
Tom | April 16, 2009 3:06 PM
Who cares about Dylan/Hunter? The real question is where is the shrine for Billy Joe Shaver - his lyrics are genius.
Charlie Lamson | April 16, 2009 8:37 AM
Couldn't be happier. Hunter is so unbelievably overlooked. Its great to see the connection is still there.
Calum | April 16, 2009 8:28 AM
Listen carefully. He's got the blood of the lamb in his voice.
Marty | April 15, 2009 11:11 PM
Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead have toured together, so there is a connection, but this disappoints me somewhat. When I get a Dylan album, I'd prefer the lyrics be all Dylan. But I'm still going to buy it, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.