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Bob Dylan
About When the Ship Comes In
"When the Ship Comes In" is a folk music song by Bob Dylan, released on his third album, The Times They Are a-Changin', in 1964. Joan Baez states in the documentary film No Direction Home that the song was inspired by a hotel clerk who refused to allow Dylan a room due to his "unwashed" appearance (he was not famous outside of the folk movement at this time). The song then grew into a sprawling epic allegory about vanquishing the oppressive "powers that be". Another inspiration was the Bertolt Brecht/Kurt Weill song, "Pirate Jenny". According to biographer Clinton Heylin, "When The Ship Comes In" was written in August 1963 "in a fit of pique, in a hotel room, after his unkempt appearance had led an impertinent hotel clerk to refuse him admission until his companion, Joan Baez, had vouched for his good character". Heylin speculates that "Jenny's Song" from Brecht and Weill's Threepenny Opera was also an inspiration: "As Pirate Jenny dreams of the destruction of all her enemies by a mysterious ship, so Dylan envisages the neophobes being swept aside in 'the hour when the ship comes in'." Dylan's former girlfriend Suze Rotolo recalls that her "interest in Brecht was certainly an influence on him. I was working for the Circle in the Square Theater and he came to listen all the time. He was very affected by the song that Lotte Lenya's known for, 'Pirate Jenny'."Shortly after Dylan wrote the song, he and Baez performed it together at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, as heard on Dylan's Live 1962-1966: Rare Performances From The Copyright Collections album (2018). Dylan later performed the song at Carnegie Hall on October 26, 1963; this performance was included on The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack (2005).more »
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Oh, the time will come upWhen the winds will stopAnd the breeze will cease to be breathin'Like the stillness in the windBefore the hurricane beginsThe hour that the ship comes inAnd the seas will splitAnd the ship will hitAnd the sands on the shoreline will be shakingThen the tide will soundAnd the wind will poundAnd the morning will be breakingOh, the fishes will laughAs they swim out of the pathAnd the seagulls they'll be smilingAnd the rocks on the sandWill proudly standThe hour that the ship comes inAnd the words that are usedFor to get the ship confusedWill not be understood as they're spokenFor the chains of the seaWill have busted in the nightAnd will be buried at the bottom of the oceanA song will liftAs the mainsail shiftsAnd the boat drifts on to the shorelineAnd the sun will respectEvery face on the deckThe hour that the ship comes inThen the sands will rollOut a carpet of goldFor your weary toes to be a-touchin'And the ship's wise menWill remind you once againThat the whole wide world is watchin'Oh, the foes will riseWith the sleep still in their eyesAnd they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'But they'll pinch themselves and squealAnd know that it's for realThe hour when the ship comes inThen they'll raise their handsSayin' we'll meet all your demandsBut we'll shout from the bow your days are numberedAnd like Pharaoh's tribeThey'll be drownded in the tideAnd like Goliath, they'll be conquered
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Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan ( /ˈdɪlən/; born Robert Allen Zimmerman; May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and artist. He has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly reluctant figurehead of social unrest. A number of Dylan's early songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'", became anthems for the US civil rights and anti-war movements. Leaving his initial base in the culture of folk music behind, Dylan's six-minute single "Like a Rolling Stone" has been described as radically altering the parameters of popular music in … more »
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Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
13 facts about this song
Song Inspiration"When the Ship Comes In" was inspired by an incident where Bob Dylan was denied a room in a hotel. |
Album DebutThe song first appeared on Dylan's third studio album, "The Times They Are a-Changin'" which was released in 1964. |
Lyric PoetryDylan's lyrics in the song are regarded as a poetic tale which features numerous sea and ship imagery. |
Similarity to Irish Folk SongIt’s been noted that Dylan's composition has strong similarities with a traditional Irish folk song called 'The Clancy Brothers'. |
Live FortitudeThe live version of the song was featured in the concert film "The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963–1965." |
Civil Rights EraThe poetic justice in "When the Ship Comes In" is believed to have been heavily inspired by the Civil Rights Movement in America, as Dylan was active in the movement. |
Chorus MysteryThe chorus of the song is left open-ended when sung, with multiple interpretations for what it could mean. |
In Popular CultureThe song was used in the 2006 movie, 'Inland Empire,' directed by David Lynch. |
Cover VersionsVarious artists have covered "When the Ship Comes In" including Peter, Paul and Mary who also performed the song at the 1963 March on Washington. |
Literary ReferenceThe song makes a reference to the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, particularly in its use of sea imagery. |
Use in ProtestsThe song, due to its powerful and poetic justice portrayal, is often used in protests and demonstrations. |
AccoladeRolling Stone magazine ranked Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin'" album, where "When the Ship Comes In" debuted, at number 123 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, highlighting its timeless relevance. |
Song ConstructionUnlike many of Dylan's other songs, "When the Ship Comes In" follows a traditional verse-chorus structure. |
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