EDLIS - Dylan and Christianity - Shelter From The Storm
Ken Pennington
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Good car to drive, after a war
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Your EDLIS agent comes back from vacation and tries to catch up on topics
related to his agency.
A while back, Eyolf said this in reference to "Shelter From The Storm":
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I'm a musicologist, not a Dylanologist, but I have always associated it
with some kind of Mary/Christ imagery. I don't have the text at hand, but
it occurs to me that several of the stanzas can be interpreted that way.
Eyolf
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This song contains some very specific references to Jesus Christ. The allusions
to Mary can be found with a bit of imagination. On careful review of the song,
there are several references which could be related to Jesus.
My interpretation of the song is that the protagonist compares his love and
loss to the life of Christ from the beginnings of time, before creation,
through his human incarnation to the present time. I certainly don't think this
is the primary meaning of the song, but another level of imagery that Dylan
has added. As with many of his works, there are many levels of meaning. Some
of the lyrics are difficult to reconcile with the Christ associations.
I am unclear whether Dylan is trying to seriously identify with this imagery
or pointing gentle fun at someone who takes their personal problems too
seriously. The song was written before his conversion to Christianity.
Now for specifics. Thanks to Nate for the lyrics.
Shelter From The Storm
/ Bob Dylan
[Blood on the Tracks - 1974]
'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
another lifetime -a reference to Christ's human life. In Christian theology,
Christ is considered part of the Trinity - God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
The Trinity is considered coequal, coeternal, and indivisible. Christ has
always existed; he became fully human to redeem mankind. (The issues of the
Trinity and Christ's divine/human nature were extremely divisive in the early
church and are still debated by scholars).
blood - a reference to Christ's death on the cross
void of form - Genesis 1:2 refers to the state of the universe before
Creation as being without form and void.
And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
if I pass this way again - Christ will come back ; the "if" is problematic
for using the Christ analogy
Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved.
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail,
Poisoned in the bushes, blown out on the trail,
Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Suddenly I turned around and she was standing there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair.
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
crown of thorns - Before the crucifixion, the Roman soldiers put a crown
of thorns and a purple robe and mocked him as King of the Jews. (Mark 16:9)
Is this woman Mary Magdalene? She was a follower of Christ, possibly a
former prostitute. Her home town, Magdala, was famous for its immorality.
She was present at the crucifixion and one of the first to discover the open
tomb after the resurrection. We are given no indication that Jesus had any
romantic relationship with her. Jesus did go through the human existence and
struggled greatly with the painful fate which awaited him. Some non-Bibical
sources have speculated he may have struggled with his feelings for Mary.
Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost
I took too much for granted, I got my signals crossed.
Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
deputy - can mean an agent or substitute; Jesus is seen as God's agent on
Earth. He was crucified - nailed to a cross on a hill - very tenuous references
to the "nails" and "mount".
blows a futile horn - contrast to Gabriel blowing the horn to signal the
Second Coming of Christ. (The one-eyed undertaker and futile horn blowing
should go in the Dylan double-entendre file with his swordswallowers and
trumpet beating).
I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love.
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
mournin' dove - Isaiah 59:11 "We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like
doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far
from us."
In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation an' they gave me a lethal dose.
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
The most specific Christ references in the song, other than the crown of
thorns. Jesus was crucified on Galgotha, a hill outside Jerusalem. The Roman
soldiers cast lots for his garments after his crucifixion (Mark 15:24). He
came to present the good news of salvation and was scorned and killed.
Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine.
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
A reference to Christ's current status in Heaven and future return, with
a possible reference of regret at not having pursued his feelings towards
Mary during his life on earth.
As usual, your comments are welcome. I will compile them for future posts on
this song.
Ken Pennington
EDLIS Dylan and Christianity Agent
ez00...@chip.ucdavis.edu
>
>This song contains some very specific references to Jesus Christ. The allusions
>to Mary can be found with a bit of imagination. On careful review of the song,
>there are several references which could be related to Jesus.
>My interpretation of the song is that the protagonist compares his love and
>loss to the life of Christ from the beginnings of time, before creation,
>through his human incarnation to the present time. I certainly don't think this
>is the primary meaning of the song, but another level of imagery that Dylan
>has added. As with many of his works, there are many levels of meaning. Some
>of the lyrics are difficult to reconcile with the Christ associations.
>I am unclear whether Dylan is trying to seriously identify with this imagery
>or pointing gentle fun at someone who takes their personal problems too
>seriously. The song was written before his conversion to Christianity.
>Now for specifics. Thanks to Nate for the lyrics.
Although there certainly seem to be a couple references to Christ in
this song, it seems to me to go a bit too far to say that this is really
a comparison of the protagonist's love and loss to the life of Christ from
the beginning of time, before creation, etc. Although that sounds like an
interesting poem or song SftS doesn't (IMHO) seem to be quite that coherant
in it's use of Christ's life. Rather I think the song just uses a few Christ
images to drive a couple points home. Actually most of the Jesus images
here seem a bit clumsy, and a bit embarrassing, but wouldn't be so bad if
your "pointing gentle fun at someone who takes their personal problems too
seriously" theory is correct. I kind of like the thought of that. Makes the
song a bit more lyrically palatable to me. (I have always enjoyed hearing the
song, but always thought it was a bit weak lyrically.) However, here are
some of the reasons I don't think the song is meant to be a coherant comparison
with Christ's life (and you point out several already):
>
> 'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
>When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
>I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
>"Come in," she said,
>"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
>
> another lifetime -a reference to Christ's human life. In Christian theology,
>Christ is considered part of the Trinity - God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
>The Trinity is considered coequal, coeternal, and indivisible. Christ has
>always existed; he became fully human to redeem mankind. (The issues of the
>Trinity and Christ's divine/human nature were extremely divisive in the early
>church and are still debated by scholars).
> blood - a reference to Christ's death on the cross
> void of form - Genesis 1:2 refers to the state of the universe before
>Creation as being without form and void.
This all seems very suspect to me. The first two lines seem to modify
the third. Although Christ did die in a rather bloody manner and the
Bible does mention a Void, I have my doubts that there is much about
this verse that is illuminated with a comparison of Christ's life. If
"another lifetime" refers to Christ's human life then why was "blackness
... a virtue"? It seems to me that this is much more likely to be a
reference to the narrator's life before meeting the woman - ie. I was
living a wild life full of pain and misery before she came along. I realize
that you are simply saying that it refers to *both*, but I must wonder
what the Jesus meaning adds, especially when it seems to conflict with
the "blackness" remark. Yes, Christ's human life had some "blackness" in
it - his death, but was that truly a virtue? I would think the resurrection
part would be the virtue. The narrarator seems to come out of that time
a "creature void of form". Probably not a way to describe any part of
Jesus' life. The "void of form" phrase modifies the state of the narrator.
Of course in the Bible the universe is without void and form, but I don't
really see a coherant connection. If the narrarator is comparing himself
to Christ's human life why would he be "void of form"? God was never "without
form and void", and so, I presume, neither was Christ.
>
>And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
>I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
>In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm.
>"Come in," she said,
>"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
>
> if I pass this way again - Christ will come back ; the "if" is problematic
>for using the Christ analogy
I agree. This seems to be a very different kind of "coming back."
>
>sUDDEnly I turned around and she was standing there
>With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair.
>She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns.
>"Come in," she said,
>"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
>
> crown of thorns - Before the crucifixion, the Roman soldiers put a crown
>of thorns and a purple robe and mocked him as King of the Jews. (Mark 16:9)
> Is this woman Mary Magdalene? She was a follower of Christ, possibly a
>former prostitute. Her home town, Magdala, was famous for its immorality.
>She was present at the crucifixion and one of the first to discover the open
>tomb after the resurrection. We are given no indication that Jesus had any
>romantic relationship with her. Jesus did go through the human existence and
>struggled greatly with the painful fate which awaited him. Some non-Bibical
>sources have speculated he may have struggled with his feelings for Mary.
Certainly "crown of thorns" is a Jesus reference. I always took this
line to mean that he had a "Jesus Complex" (felt himself too important)
before he met her and she brought him "down to earth" so to say so he
could see himself as a person and not a cultural icon. A use of Christ
imagery, but not, I would think, rising to the level of any allegory here.
I don't really see any major Mary Magdalene image here, especially since
she seems to be "superior" in some ways to the narrarator in the sense that
she is relieving him of misconceptions or at least helping and comforting
him in some way. Magdalene was helped by Jesus, not the other way around.
>
>Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost
>I took too much for granted, I got my signals crossed.
>Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn.
>"Come in," she said,
>"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
>
>Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
>But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
>And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn.
>"Come in," she said,
>"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
>
> deputy - can mean an agent or substitute; Jesus is seen as God's agent on
>Earth. He was crucified - nailed to a cross on a hill - very tenuous references
>to the "nails" and "mount".
> blows a futile horn - contrast to Gabriel blowing the horn to signal the
>Second Coming of Christ. (The one-eyed undertaker and futile horn blowing
>should go in the Dylan double-entendre file with his swordswallowers and
>trumpet beating).
Well, I would agree with you here that this is in the "very tenuous"
region. Again, I don't tend to buy analogies like this unless they go
beyond just use of the words (like "nail" or "mount"). The differences
are just so fundamental... "But nothing really matters much" seems to
indicate that the deputy and the preacher are doing unimportant things -
hardly a way to refer to Christ's crucifixtion. I always took this verse
just to be a statement trying to show how hopeless things seem on the
outside (away from her "shelter").
>
>I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
>And old men with broken teeth stranded without love.
>Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?
>"Come in," she said,
>"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
>
> mournin' dove - Isaiah 59:11 "We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like
>doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far
>from us."
>
>In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
>I bargained for salvation an' they gave me a lethal dose.
>I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn.
>"Come in," she said,
>"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
>
> The most specific Christ references in the song, other than the crown of
>thorns. Jesus was crucified on Galgotha, a hill outside Jerusalem. The Roman
>soldiers cast lots for his garments after his crucifixion (Mark 15:24). He
>came to present the good news of salvation and was scorned and killed.
Yes, I think this is a Jesus reference too. I always thought of it as
being a restatement of the "crown of thorns" stanza, but this time with
the emphasis being on the people around him who helped build him into
a "Christ-Savior" figure to the masses. More specifically I think this
song is quite auto-biographical and I think of this stanza as refering to
folk like Joan Baez (who I do admire considerably) and other politically
minded people who wanted to turn him into a "spokesperson" for a generation.
It wasn't too long before this song that Baez was singing the (even she
admits) horribly embarrassing song "To Bobby". Could this be the "scorn"?
>
>Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
>Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine.
>If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born.
>"Come in," she said,
>"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
>
> A reference to Christ's current status in Heaven and future return, with
>a possible reference of regret at not having pursued his feelings towards
>Mary during his life on earth.
Again, I have my doubts about identifying the Ideal Woman figure in this
song with Mary M. I also think that Christ remained a virgin for a reason
and I have a hard time believing he would regret not having a relationship
with Mary. It seems clear that the narrarator's "foreign country" is a
place away from this Ideal Woman and that his main concern in "crossing
the line" is to come back to her. This is so fundamentally different from
a second coming that I'm not sure I see what the "double meaning" would add
to the narrative. A double meaning isn't valuble (IMHO) just for the sake
of being a double meaning, but the two meanings should enhance each other
and allow one to see them in a new or different way. These two meanings just
seem so far apart to me that I'm not sure they really enhance one another
much.
>
>As usual, your comments are welcome. I will compile them for future posts on
>this song.
>
>Ken Pennington
>EDLIS Dylan and Christianity Agent
I'm not trying to be obnoxious. Just my opinion.
Wade
Chris J. Ullsperger
Regarding Shelter from the Storm: what a great song. I always think of
the _Hard Rain_ version, which is one of the greatest pieces of music
I've ever heard, period.
The analysis is interesting, but I'm not sure that some other
interpretations couldn't be milked with more reward than this Mary and
Jesus one. For example (and possibly I've thought about 'Sweetheart Like
You' too much) what if one assumes that the "she" in each verse is
Christ? Then the narrator becomes...an apostle (Peter? Judas?)? God
forbid, Dylan himself?
Possibly the "she" is God and the narrator is Christ...
Assuming that the Mary Magdalene idea is for real, could Dylan have
influenced Scorcese's "Last Temptation" during filming of the Last Waltz?
:)
>Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
As far as the deputy and the preacher imagery, i can read that as being a
sort of "upside down world" situation, i.e., the debuty should be on the
mount while the preacher with his "faith" can walk on nails.
Reaching further, Christ (the preacher?) rode into Jeruselem on a
donkey...
Geez, that's getting out there...
>But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
This refers to the new testament message that it's the death and
resurrection of jesus that's important. Jesus' fate was to die, there was
no other way.
>And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn.
Further detailing the inevitably of Christ's death as a man and rebirth
as the savior. In the Garden, Christ realizes his situation. The apostles
freak on it, but Jesus tells them there's not anything they can do about
it.
chris
jules n. binoculas
>FROM: Ken Pennington <HFI...@uabdpo.dpo.uab.edu>
>Shelter From The Storm
>/ Bob Dylan
>[Blood on the Tracks - 1974]
> ...one of toil and blood
>I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
...
> blood - a reference to Christ's death on the cross
> void of form - Genesis 1:2 refers to the state of the universe before
>Creation as being without form and void.
>
creature = the devil
creature void of form = evil
yeats' poem: what rude <?> beast slouches toward bethlehem
bethlehem = little town where christ was hatched; 2> steel corporation
near anhilation <see next line>
>In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm.
>"Come in," she said,
>"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
>
who's she? the madonna holding the dead jesus?
> Is this woman Mary Magdalene? She was a follower of Christ, possibly a
>former prostitute. Her home town, Magdala, was famous for its immorality.
who's the woman who holds the dead jesus in
roman pietas? mary, his mother? are there
two mary's in HIS life?
>Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
>But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
>And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn.
this is my favorite verse -- very noirish; moira: greek
concept of slow death -- john ford western
> blows a futile horn - contrast to Gabriel blowing the horn to signal the
>Second Coming of Christ. (The one-eyed undertaker and futile horn blowing
>should go in the Dylan double-entendre file with his swordswallowers and
>trumpet beating).
>
triple entendre!!!
>I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
>And old men with broken teeth stranded without love.
>Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?
> mournin' dove - Isaiah 59:11 "We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like
>doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far
>from us."
>
all complementary images
>I bargained for salvation an' they gave me a lethal dose.
one of dylan's wittiest lines ever?
harry brisco
p00...@psilink.com writes:
>> ...one of toil and blood
>>I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
>...
>
>> blood - a reference to Christ's death on the cross
or maybe it's really a reference to winston churchill, the Royal Air
Force, and World War II. If I may be so bold:
John Lennon's initial middle name was Winston after the prime minister.
He was born during world war II in which the Royal Air Force won a great
victory against the luftwaffe in the battle of britain (during which
churchill gave his immortal speech). So then the song is really about
John Lennon (all of which is bolstered by the fact that a movie All This
and World War II was made using beatles songs). But it!s not really about
John Lennon because in his song Lenny Bruce Dylan was really singing
about John Lennon (an anagram of Lenny Bruce) although he may really have
been singing about Lenny Bruce who was played by Dustin Hoffman in the
movie and we all know that Hoffman's initial fame came in a move which
featured a soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel who in their first album
subsequent to the release of the Graduate performed a parody of Dylan in
A Simle Desultory Phillipic. As a result, Hoffman went on to play Carl
Bernstein in the movie of All the President's Men while art garfunkel
went on to play nately in Catch-22. All of which just goes to who you
that John Lennon was Deep Throat (a creature void of form) and Paul Simon
killed JFK because Jack ruby was jewish too.
jules i keep telling you to watch the donut and not the hol but there's
nothing really nothing to turn off.
Harry Brisco the Crystal Man
A little touch of Harry in the night
Watch the donut not the hole
