Blowin' In The Wind - Bob Dylan

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you can call him a man?

Yes, and how many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand?

Yes, and how many times must cannonballs fly

Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind

The answer is blowin' in the wind

Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist

Before it is washed to the sea?

Yes, and how many years can some people exist

Before they're allowed to be free?

Yes, and how many times must a man turn his head

And pretend that he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind

The answer is blowin' in the wind

How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, and how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, and how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind

The answer is blowin' in the wind

***

Meaning of Blowin In The Wind

In just nine verses, set to three chords, Blowin In The Wind is one of the most iconic songs of all time. Despite being simple and short, its lyrics are very deep and disconcerting, capable of making us reflect for days and even years on its meaning:

In the song, the singer starts the discussion, right in the first stanza, with reflective questions, such as:

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you can call him a man? (Until they can call you a man?)

Yes, and how many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand? (Until she can sleep in the sand?)

Yes, and how many times must cannonballs fly

Before they're forever banned? (Until they are forever banned?)

All these questions make us think about the trajectory of human beings on Earth, with their baseless struggles and their unstoppable desire to dominate the world.

A deplorable reality that was lived in the 1960s, when the music was composed, but which unfortunately is still present today.

They are armed conflicts, wars and bombings that take the lives of innocent people. Activities such as industry and extraction, which degrade nature and pollute forests, water and air. Not to mention selfish and individualistic attitudes that reveal the worst and most perverse side of humanity.

The problem is when they are carried out and no one comes forward to end it. Man only watches what is happening in the world, and can even contribute to its realization.

Therefore, for Bob Dylan, when we witness the injustices that are committed and do nothing, we are complicit in these inhumane acts. Not acting and not questioning are also ways to reinforce these acts.

This is why many critics and thinkers say that by singing that the answer is blowing in the wind, the artist brings us a seemingly simple but very ambiguous solution to these questions.

The answer can be extremely simple and natural and, at the same time, very difficult to reach and touch, like the wind itself.

Music history and curiosities

Did you know that one of the most famous protest songs in the world was composed in just 10 minutes? According to Bob Dylan, the lyrics for Blowin In The Wind came out like this, pretty quickly, in April 1962. He was in a New York nightclub and decided to write it.

The melody was also easy to create because it was inspired by an old African-American spiritual song, No More Auction Block. So, the singer just adapted the chords that already existed for his new composition. Years later, in 1985, Dylan recorded a version of the original for the Biograph compilation.