Built around Dylan's piano, it sits on the second side of John Wesley Harding; Joe Cocker recorded it in 1969.
The words
A man asks the landlord who holds power over him not to judge him too harshly or reduce him to what he owes.
The singer addresses a landlord, though the figure seems to stand for anyone with a hold over him. He asks for patience and fair treatment, admits his own weaknesses, and suggests that both of them are struggling in their own ways. The tone is calm, dignified and slightly weary, more a request for mutual respect than a protest. Dylan's piano and a plain rhythm section give it a hymn-like steadiness.
Lyrics on bobdylan.com ↗Listen and watch
The words
A man asks the landlord who holds power over him not to judge him too harshly or reduce him to what he owes.
The singer addresses a landlord, though the figure seems to stand for anyone with a hold over him. He asks for patience and fair treatment, admits his own weaknesses, and suggests that both of them are struggling in their own ways. The tone is calm, dignified and slightly weary, more a request for mutual respect than a protest. Dylan's piano and a plain rhythm section give it a hymn-like steadiness.
Lyrics on bobdylan.com ↗Connections
On the map
In threads
The same year · 1967
- All Along the WatchtowerJohn Wesley Harding
- I’ll Be Your Baby TonightJohn Wesley Harding
- I Pity the Poor ImmigrantJohn Wesley Harding
- John Wesley HardingJohn Wesley Harding
- I Dreamed I Saw St. AugustineJohn Wesley Harding
- The Wicked MessengerJohn Wesley Harding
- The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas PriestJohn Wesley Harding
- I Am a Lonesome HoboJohn Wesley Harding
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