Music 101: Bob Dylan's 'The Times They Are A-Changin''

Yes, it's time to get back to school and hit the books, but it's just as important to be educated about classic albums as classic literature. So welcome to Spinner's Music 101 study guide to the albums you need to know about.




- 'The Bob Dylan Scrapbook, 1956-1966'
- 'Lyrics, 1962-2001' by Bob Dylan
- 'The Columbia Guide to America in the 1960s' by David Farber and Beth Bailey
- 'A Freewheelin Time -- A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties' by Suze Rotolo
- 'Bob Dylan, No Direction Home,' a documentary by Martin Scorsese


- Raising awareness about racism and social injustices is one of the main themes Dylan incorporates into the album's lyrics.
- The need for change is also one of the main themes, whether it be through political or personal involving a relationship.
- Dylan is constantly trying to tell the older generation that the youth of the day have very different perspectives from them, and things will change whether they like it or not.
- In several songs, Dylan uses real people who have been persecuted against because of their ethnicity such as Medgar Evers and Hattie Caroll as symbols to demonstrate what society was like at that time.
Listen to Bob Dylan's 'The Times They Are A-Changin''

- 'The Times They Are a-Changin'' draws reference from several happenings of the time, such as the civil rights movement and how the youth of the day were growing up with different ideals.
- The track 'Only a Pawn in Their Game' is about the death of Medgar Evers, the Mississippi leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), who was assassinated by the KKK.
- 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carol' depicts the story of a hotel barmaid in Maryland who was killed by wealthy tobacco farmer William Zantzinger.
- 'When the Ship Comes In' was written a year before the album came out in a hotel room after Dylan was refused entry because of his untidy appearance.
- 'The Ballad of Hollis Brown,' told in the second person, is about a South Dakota farmer called Hollis Brown who kills his wife, children and eventually himself after suffering too many hardships and living in poverty. It's a reflection of how minorities struggled with poverty and couldn't find employment.
- The protagonist realizing they are not meant to be with someone forms the basis of 'One Too Many Mornings.' They know the relationship has ended and they'll be restless until it is finally over and they can move on.
- Written from the perspective of a woman, Dylan says the song 'North Country Blues' is about "an iron ore town." It documents what happens within a mining community and may be a reference to his hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota.


- Bob Dylan's third album was released in 1964 and is his first collection of all original material.
- Album contains story songs influenced by the racism and poverty in the US during the early '60s. Most of the subject material Dylan found in newspapers.
- The album was recorded over six sessions from August to October, 1963.
- The title track is considered one of Dylan's greatest songs and resonates with youth culture today.
- Album was produced entirely by Tom Wilson, who worked with Dylan on four tracks from his previous album.

Watch Bob Dylan Perform 'North Country Blues'

- Discuss the change in the type of songs Dylan started writing during this album in regards to political and social events.
- How does 'The Times They Are a-Changin'' relate to the generation gap today?