Vincent van Gogh
Brandon Zwagerman
Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and grey
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colours on the snowy linen land.
Now I understand
What you tried to say, to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free:
They would not listen; they did not know how -
Perhaps they'll listen now.
Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
Colours changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.
Now I understand
What you tried to say, to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free:
They would not listen; they did not know how--
Perhaps they'll listen now.
For they could not love you
But still, your love was true
And when no hope was left inside
On that starry, starry night
You took your life as lovers often do--
But I could've told you, Vincent:
This world was never meant
For one as beautiful as you.
Starry, Starry night
Portraits hung in empty halls
Frameless heads on nameless walls
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget
Like the strangers that you've met
The ragged men in ragged clothes
The silver thorn, a bloody rose
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.
Now I think I know
What you tried to say, to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free:
They would not listen; they're not listening still--
Perhaps they never will.
DigginIsis
on Vincent van Gogh for my final Art History grade, and wanted to incorporate
Dylan somehow. (as always) :-) I love the song, and have one version of it
from the RTR era. And while I'm here, does anyone know any stories behind this
song? Is Bob a great fan of Vincent's? Any information is welcomed....
Thanks :-)
robertandrews
http://hem.passagen.se/obrecht/backpages/chords/index.htm
There was an old woman who lived in Arles who knew Van Gogh--said he was
quite irritable all the time (what a surprise). Over the last few years she
was profiled by the N.Y. Times; I believe she recently passed away. Very
famous essay on Van Gogh by the French writer Antonin Artaud, called (if I
remember correctly) "l'homme qui s'est suicidé par la societé "--the man
who was suicided by society. One book that chronicles Van Gogh's life is
"In the Footsteps of Van Gogh"--lots of good pictures. Also I would
recommend reading some of Van Gogh's letters. Don't know if Dylan likes Van
Gogh, as I've mentioned elsewhere, Dylan's contempt for the media doesn't
produce very insightful interviews. In my view, the most important thing is
what Van Gogh means to you. Good luck with your paper, you're welcome to
post it here or email me privately.
Arthur Louie
http://hem.passagen.se/obrecht/backpages/chords/
Good luck,
Arthur
Darrin Davis
Essential stuff on old Vanney.
And here's a nod of recognition to ya, as I likewise stretch the restrictive
boundaries of academic acceptability by somehow tying Bobby into every one
of my university papers...
:)
Best Wishes,
Dare
tom
here you go:
I'd like to tell you a story
of a man that you might know.
His parents called him Vincent,
his last name was Van Gogh.
He started drinking and painting
and living a life of sin.
He fell in with evil companion,
a man named Paul Gaugin.
He went to the city of Auvers,
for sewing the garden of delights.
They painted all during the afternoon
and they played their music all night.
Now the people of that small city
thought he was a queer,
so to prove his love for that man,
he chopped off his outside ear.
So they put him in the institution
but they could not heal him there.
He picked up his paints and his ego
and he went up to take some air.
He picked up his paints and his ego
and he went out to paint some crows.
He was down in a cornfield,
shot right between two rows.
Now where is Vincent van Gogh?
--
stuff from my bookmarks on vinny:
http://metalab.unc.edu/wm/paint/auth/gogh/
--
also, on "the genuine bootleg series," bob does a song called "the
painting by van gogh." here are the lyrics and the link where i found
them.
"The Painting By Van Gogh"
When I'd ask why the painting was deadly
Nobody could [would?] pick up my sign
'Cept for the cook, she was always friendly
But she'd only ask, "What's on your mind?"
She'd say that especially when it was raining
I'd say, "Oh I don't know"
But then she'd press and I'd say, "You see that painting?
[It's like] it's been done by Van Gogh."
The cook she said call her Maria
She'd always point for the same boy to come forth
Saying, "He trades cattle, it's his own idea
And he also makes trips to the north.
Have you ever seen his naked calf bleed?"
I'd say, "Oh no, why does it show?"
And she'd whisper in my ear that he's a half breed
And I'd say, "Fine, but can he paint like Van Gogh?"
I can't remember his name he never gave it
But I always figured he could go home
Till when he'd gave me his card and said, "Save it"
*I could see by his eyes he was alone.
[? I could understand ?] how his four leaf clover
Drawn on his calling card showed
That it was given back to him a-many times over
And it most definitely was not done by Van Gogh.
**[Either she or] made just to please me
Though I sensed she could not understand
And she made a thing out of it by saying, "Go easy
He's a straight, but he's a very crooked-straight man."
And I'd say, "Does the girl in the [? cabin ?] doubt it?
And by the way is it Marilyn Monroe?"
But she'd just [speak] softly and say, "Why you wanna know about
it?"
And I'd say, "I was just wondering if she ever sat for Van Gogh."
It was either her or the straight man who introduced me
[presumably incomplete]
* Great line
** Sounds like Bob was about to start singing the next verse but
corrected himself mid-line.
http://www.expectingrain.com/dok/who/v/vangogh.html
--
and courtesy of doing a search at the hwy61-L archives, here are a lot
of things to read through about the guy who sat down in a field one day
against a tree and scared all the birds away:
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S2=hwy61-l&D=0&q=&s=van+gogh&f=&a=&b=
--
oh, and it's ok, people. don't ever feel the need to thank me for any
of the nice things i do for you all. it's ok. really. you're all very
busy and wouldn't want to show your appreciation to someone like me by
saying thank you. i really don't mind. really i don't.
:-(
your faithful servant,
stuck at the pound,
tom
p.s.
yo bob. man, huh? some people. talk about ingrates.
http://www.bobdylan.com/audio/albumtracks/RealAudio/tomthumb_highway.ram
http://www.globalgallery.net/images/sw-1770.jpg
http://www.bobdylan.com/audio/albumtracks/RealAudio/tomthumb_live1966.ram
http://www.globalgallery.net/images/bm-a275.jpg
http://www.globalgallery.net/images/bm-t333.jpg
http://www.bobdylan.com/audio/albumtracks/RealAudio/tomthumb_30th.ram
http://www.globalgallery.net/images/bm-g563.jpg
willie9037
Times Square photo? Looks kind of Steichen-y, but I guess it's
somebody I never heard of.
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
M. LeBlanc
>Does anyone know where I can find the lyrics to this song? I'm
>doing a paper
>on Vincent van Gogh for my final Art History grade, and wanted to
i>ncorporate
>Dylan somehow. (as always) :-) I love the song, and have one
>version of it
>from the RTR era. And while I'm here, does anyone know any
>stories behind this
>song? Is Bob a great fan of Vincent's? Any information is
>welcomed....
>Thanks :-)
You definitely should seek out some posts about
Johanna Gezina van Gogh from sometime ago.
Search the HWY61-L archives for the keywords Johanna Gezina
van Gogh with the author/poster containing rcj
You can search the HWY61-L archives at:
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=hwy61-l
Maureen
tom
Uh, thanks man. Love sweet Vincent. What's the deal on that Times Square
photo? Looks kind of Steichen-y, but I guess it's somebody I never heard
of.
Lawrence Thornton
Times Square at Night
http://www.globalgallery.net/images/bm-t333.jpg
and yes, i wasn't talking about you, william. just certain others
around here.
speaking of bob and art and such, we know he is very good at self
portraits, of course:
http://www.bobdylan.com/albumpic/selfportrait.jpg
i was looking for a site that had the sketches from the cd-rom on it so
i could post it with this, but time ran out. anyone know it? which
reminds me. there is a picture of bob. there may be two different
pictures i'm thinking of. bob with no shoes, no sox, going barefoot,
with a cig in hand, in an artist's studio. anyone have it? like i
said, there may be two shows. one more of a posed portrait and one
not. or maybe that's my imagination. please post if you have 'em or
track 'em down.
bob the artist. any of ya like the doodles in the writings and drawings
book? (another similarity between hank and bob, by the way -- their
style with the sketch pad and brush). and then the ones on the cd-rom.
i should blow the dust offa that thing and give it a whirl.
any other information out there about bob the painter, drawer, sculptor,
etc?
"look you asshole-tho i might be nothing but a butter sculptor, I refuse
to go
on working with the idea of your praising as my reward like what are
your
credentials anyway? except for talking about all us butter sculptors,
what else
do you do? do you know what it feels like to make some butter sculpture?
do you
know what it feels like to actually ooze that butter around & create
something
of fantastic worth? you said that my last year's work "The King's Odor"
was
great & then you say i haven't done anything as great since-just who the
hell
are you talking to anyway? you must have something to do in your real
life- i
understand that you praised the piece you saw yesterday entitled "The
Monkey
Taster" about which you said meant "a nice work of butter carved into
the shape
of a young man who likes only african women" you are an idiot-it doesn't
mean
that at all ... i hereby want nothing to do with your hangups-i really
dont care
what you think of my work as i now know you dont understand it anyway
... i must
go now-i have this new hunk of margarine waiting in the bathtub-yes i
said
MARGARINE & next week i just might decide to use cream cheese-& i really
dont
care what you think of my experimenting-you take yourself too
seriously-you're
going to get an ulcer & go into the hospital-they'll put you in a ward
where you
cant have any visitors-you'll go right off your nut-i really dont care
anymore i
am so bored with your rules & regulations that i might not even talk to
you
again-just remember tho, when you evaluate a piece of butter, you are
talking
about yourself, so you'd just better sign your name ... see you, if
you're
lucky, at mrs. keeler's cake festival
yours
Snowplow Floater
p.s. you're my friend & i'm trying to help you"
- excerpt from the "ape on sunday" section of tarantula by bob dylan
http://www.bobdylan.com/audio/albumtracks/RealAudio/highlands_timemind.ram
I'm in Boston town, in some restaurant
I got no idea what I want
Well, maybe I do but I'm just really not sure
Waitress comes over
Nobody in the place but me and her
It must be a holiday, there's nobody around
She studies me closely as I sit down
She got a pretty face and long white shiny
legs
She says, "What'll it be?"
I say, "I don't know, you got any soft boiled
eggs?"
She looks at me, Says "I'd bring you some
but we're out of 'm, you picked the wrong time
to come"
Then she says, "I know you're an artist, draw
a picture of
me!"
I say, "I would if I could, but,
I don't do sketches from memory."
"Well", she says, "I'm right here in front of
you, or
haven't you looked?"
I say," all right, I know, but I don't have my
drawing
book!"
She gives me a napkin, she says, "you can do
it on that"
I say, "yes I could but,
I don't know where my pencil is at!"
She pulls one out from behind her ear
She says "all right now, go ahead, draw me,
I'm standing
right here"
I make a few lines, and I show it for her to
see
Well she takes a napkin and throws it back
And says "that don't look a thing like me!"
I said, "Oh, kind miss, it most certainly
does"
She says, "you must be jokin.'" I say, "I wish
I was!"
Then she says, "you don't read women authors,
do you?"
Least that's what I think I hear her say,
"Well", I say, "how would you know and what
would it matter
anyway?"
"Well", she says, "you just don't seem like
you do!"
I said, "you're way wrong."
She says, "which ones have you read then?" I
say, "I read
Erica Jong!"
She goes away for a minute and I slide up out
of my chair
I step outside back to the busy street, but
nobody's going
anywhere.
Adam S
being Johanna Van Gogh Bonger, Vincent's sister in law who worked tirelessly,
and successfully, after his death to make him famous).
Also, on the Denver Hotel Tape from 1966, Dylan plays a song often called
"Positively Van Gogh."
I'd say that he's certainly a fan.
Will Dockery
>
> Does anyone know where I can find the lyrics to this song? I'm doing a paper
> on Vincent van Gogh for my final Art History grade, and wanted to incorporate
> Dylan somehow. (as always) :-) I love the song, and have one version of it
> from the RTR era. And while I'm here, does anyone know any stories behind this
> song? Is Bob a great fan of Vincent's? Any information is welcomed....
> Thanks :-)
http://www.expectingrain.com/dok/who/j/johanna.html
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 13:26:01 GMT
From: ed...@edlis.org (Ed Ricardo)
Subject: Re: Dylan meeting Lenny Bruce?
The only Johanna I see is in the song Bob Dylan wrote for
Johanna Gezina van Gogh (Bonger), sister-in-law of
Vincent van Gogh who moved Dylan greatly by her single-
handed transformation of the reputation of an obscure
suicide into that of a major artist...
[For those readers brand new to Dylan and unfamiliar with
the song, the visions of Johanna are the paintings of
Johanna's brother-in-law, the literal visions which her
brother-in-law had, the visions which kept Mr Dylan up past
the dawn, and -- perhaps most importantly -- her vision of
what his art could be to a wider public.]
(Johanna would have
told Vincent to go to Woodstock, indeed to go to both
Woodstocks, and she would have told him also to ask Bob
Dylan to recommend a good firm of accountants... :-)) ]
"She's delicate and seems like the mirror..." in Co. 88581
is "She's steady seems like Vermeer, but she just makes it
all too clear, that Johanna's not here, the ghost of
'lectricity Howells in the bones of her face..." That's what
I hear anyway. :-)
--
Then he picked up his paints and his easel
And he went out to paint some crows
They found him face down in a corn field
Shot right between two rows
Now, where did Vincent Van Gogh...?
-Bob Dylan