Bob Dylan on Israel

[jacobin1949]

http://bobdylan.com/songs/bully.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7OyzdbkP0E&feature=related

Well, the neighborhood bully, he's just one man,
His enemies say he's on their land.
They got him outnumbered about a million to one,
He got no place to escape to, no place to run.
He's the neighborhood bully.

The neighborhood bully just lives to survive,
He's criticized and condemned for being alive.
He's not supposed to fight back, he's supposed to have thick skin,
He's supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in.
He's the neighborhood bully.

The neighborhood bully been driven out of every land,
He's wandered the earth an exiled man.
Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn,
He's always on trial for just being born.
He's the neighborhood bully.

Well, he knocked out a lynch mob, he was criticized,
Old women condemned him, said he should apologize.
Then he destroyed a bomb factory, nobody was glad.
The bombs were meant for him.
He was supposed to feel bad.
He's the neighborhood bully.

Well, the chances are against it and the odds are slim
That he'll live by the rules that the world makes for him,
'Cause there's a noose at his neck and a gun at his back
And a license to kill him is given out to every maniac.
He's the neighborhood bully.

He got no allies to really speak of.
What he gets he must pay for, he don't get it out of love.
He buys obsolete weapons and he won't be denied
But no one sends flesh and blood to fight by his side.
He's the neighborhood bully.

Well, he's surrounded by pacifists who all want peace,
They pray for it nightly that the bloodshed must cease.
Now, they wouldn't hurt a fly.
To hurt one they would weep.
They lay and they wait for this bully to fall asleep.
He's the neighborhood bully.

Every empire that's enslaved him is gone,
Egypt and Rome, even the great Babylon.
He's made a garden of paradise in the desert sand,
In bed with nobody, under no one's command.
He's the neighborhood bully.

Now his holiest books have been trampled upon,
No contract he signed was worth what it was written on.
He took the crumbs of the world and he turned it into wealth,
Took sickness and disease and he turned it into health.
He's the neighborhood bully.

What's anybody indebted to him for?
Nothin', they say.
He just likes to cause war.
Pride and prejudice and superstition indeed,
They wait for this bully like a dog waits to feed.
He's the neighborhood bully.

What has he done to wear so many scars?
Does he change the course of rivers?
Does he pollute the moon and stars?
Neighborhood bully, standing on the hill,
Running out the clock, time standing still,
Neighborhood bully.


Copyright © 1983 Special Rider Music

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

That just made me love him a whole lot less
:(
thanks

[Pirate Utopian]

1983?, he went to shit after 1979 anyway.
1960's Bob Dylan FTW.

[Dr Mindbender]

...i'm still trying to work out if this pro- or anti-israel. :blink:

[Dimentio]

It is strongly zionist :D

[Pirate Utopian]

Yeah it is basically saying Israel can be a dick at times but is actually a good country who just needs understanding.
Zionist crap.

[Pawn Power]

isnt' he like a born-again christian now?

[w0lf]

Originally posted by Pawn [email protected] 30, 2007 08:46 pm
isnt' he like a born-again christian now?
Yeah starting in the late 70s. I think he got booed off the stage when saying something about it. Dylan snapped and said he had to save them.

[Dr Mindbender]

Originally posted by The_Decemberist+November 30, 2007 08:50 pm--> (The_Decemberist @ November 30, 2007 08:50 pm)
Pawn [email protected] 30, 2007 08:46 pm
isnt' he like a born-again christian now?
Yeah starting in the late 70s. I think he got booed off the stage when saying something about it. Dylan snapped and said he had to save them. [/b]
if you're referring to the 'Judas' gig in manchester he actually got booed by the folk music fraternity and was heckled 'judas' for using electric guitars instead of acoustic.

[Pawn Power]

Here is s recent article on Dylan from Counter Punch; The Re-Packaging of Bob Dylan (http://http://www.counterpunch.org/)

[Eleftherios]

Originally posted by Dr. [email protected] 30, 2007 02:14 pm
That just made me love him a whole lot less
:(
thanks
unfortunately, me too :(

[Reuben]

guys where have you been living all this time - dylan has for a long time been a long way from the progressive he appeared to be in the early 60s.

[Reuben]

damn i hadnt listened to dylan for fucking ages. This threads reminded me how much i love him. His music that is.

[celtopunk]

What's the point of that video? I already knew some of the best comics were jewish.

[Led Zeppelin]

Dylan's politics are total shit, but (some of) his music is pretty good.

[jado]

Dylan should keep his fuckin' mouth shut! Zionist bullshit! I hate him even more now!
why is this idiotic thread posted anyway??!!

[Dimentio]

To my understanding, Dylan was never explicitly against the Vietnam war either.

[Pirate Utopian]

I think if he wasnt opposed to the war he wouldnt have made songs like Masters Of War during that time.

[bezdomni]

The Weathermen got their name from his song Subterranean Homesick Blues.

[La Comédie Noire]

He was a hypocryte, like most of the love generation of the United States.

I like his music though.

[Dr Mindbender]

Originally posted by [email protected] 01, 2007 10:48 pm
To my understanding, Dylan was never explicitly against the Vietnam war either.
i think he was afraid of attracting the media attention that John Lennon got regarding his politics which is why he stuck to love songs and immediate social commentary, with the exception of ''the times they are a changin'.''

[Ander]

What's wrong with this song? Nothing about it is explicitly pro-Israel at all. In fact, it appears to be quite neutral to me. It could be well argued that Israel is, in fact, the "neighborhood bully." Yes, a lot of it has to do with imperialism, capitalism, racism, etc, but a lot also has to do with being surrounded by hostile territories. Just because Dylan doesn't launch into angry rhetoric over Israel's crimes doesn't mean he is a Zionist! It's a song, not a history lesson. Also, Bob Dylan makes no mention of Arabs or Muslims in a negative way; he is just singing about Israel's situation from a neutral position.

A number of members on this board need to relax and not get so caught up on such stupid little things.

If someone wants to challenge me I will go line by line and prove my point if necessary.

[Redmau5]

I like his music, but he does adverts for things like iPod and Cadillac now. Politically, he's been off for ages.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Originally posted by [email protected] 30, 2007 11:20 pm
guys where have you been living all this time - dylan has for a long time been a long way from the progressive he appeared to be in the early 60s.
But I didn't think that would stoop to the point of exalting zionism in a song.

[Dimentio]

Originally posted by [email protected] 03, 2007 04:25 pm
What's wrong with this song? Nothing about it is explicitly pro-Israel at all. In fact, it appears to be quite neutral to me. It could be well argued that Israel is, in fact, the "neighborhood bully." Yes, a lot of it has to do with imperialism, capitalism, racism, etc, but a lot also has to do with being surrounded by hostile territories. Just because Dylan doesn't launch into angry rhetoric over Israel's crimes doesn't mean he is a Zionist! It's a song, not a history lesson. Also, Bob Dylan makes no mention of Arabs or Muslims in a negative way; he is just singing about Israel's situation from a neutral position.

A number of members on this board need to relax and not get so caught up on such stupid little things.

If someone wants to challenge me I will go line by line and prove my point if necessary.
The song was full of insinuations about Israel's supposedly endangered state. Not that I care...

I haven't even heard Dylan before.

[Revolution Until Victory]

What's wrong with this song?

your kidding, right?

It is a song supporting Imperialism, Zionism, Racism, Colonialism, Capitalism, Terrorism, shall I go on?


Nothing about it is explicitly pro-Israel at all

hahaahaha. Don't be such an idiot. You have obviously not read or heard the song.



Well, the neighborhood bully, he's just one man,

"the neighborhood bully" could be taken as sarcastic. "he's just one man" means that poor little Israel is alone. now what do you call that?? nothing less of an imperialist-apologist, to say the least


His enemies say he's on their land.

so it's "his enemies" that SAY he is on thier land, not a fact.


They got him outnumbered about a million to one,
He got no place to escape to, no place to run.

There we go again. Poor, little innocnet Israel outnumbered and no place to escape to.


The neighborhood bully just lives to survive,
He's criticized and condemned for being alive.

So according to this pieace of crap, the Zionist settler-colony is being opposed for merely being alive.


He's not supposed to fight back, he's supposed to have thick skin,
He's supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in.

So the poor Zionist colonizers should fight on and continue ther colonization. Very nuetral positoin indeed.


The neighborhood bully been driven out of every land,
He's wandered the earth an exiled man.

this got nothing to do with present day Zioinst settler-colony. Yet more apologies for Zionism and imperialsim.


Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn,
He's always on trial for just being born.
He's the neighborhood bully.

YAWN, let's cry for the oppressed, innoncet Zionists.


Well, he knocked out a lynch mob, he was criticized,
Old women condemned him, said he should apologize.
Then he destroyed a bomb factory, nobody was glad.
The bombs were meant for him.
He was supposed to feel bad.

here, that piece of shit, defends the right of the Zionist settler-colony to kill and destroy.


Well, the chances are against it and the odds are slim
That he'll live by the rules that the world makes for him,
'Cause there's a noose at his neck and a gun at his back
And a license to kill him is given out to every maniac.

lol, the Zionist imperialists can do whatever they want.


He got no allies to really speak of.

:rolleyes:


What he gets he must pay for, he don't get it out of love.
He buys obsolete weapons and he won't be denied

of cousre, this is politics and international relations. Nothing is done out of love, but of pure interst. The Zionists are the tools of the imperialists in the region.


But no one sends flesh and blood to fight by his side.

such a stupid and childish lie.


Well, he's surrounded by pacifists who all want peace,
They pray for it nightly that the bloodshed must cease.
Now, they wouldn't hurt a fly.
To hurt one they would weep.
They lay and they wait for this bully to fall asleep.

again, the song is opposed to all condemnations against the Zionist colony.


Every empire that's enslaved him is gone,
Egypt and Rome, even the great Babylon.

typical Zioinst argument; this got nothing to do with current-day Zionist colonialism


He's made a garden of paradise in the desert sand,
In bed with nobody, under no one's command.

hahaha, can you get any more praise for Israel and Zionism more than that utter crap?


Now his holiest books have been trampled upon,
No contract he signed was worth what it was written on.

not sure what he reffers to here.


He took the crumbs of the world and he turned it into wealth,
Took sickness and disease and he turned it into health.

utterly disgusting. He took the ruins of the natives stole it.


What has he done to wear so many scars?
Does he change the course of rivers?
Does he pollute the moon and stars?

basiclly saying what has the imperilasit, Zionist colonizer done?? NOTHING!!!


Just because Dylan doesn't launch into angry rhetoric over Israel's crimes doesn't mean he is a Zionist!

1- it is not about being angry at imperialism (which anyone with any self-repsect should), but about PRAISING and APOLOGISING for imperilaism.

2- obvioulsy, he suppots Israel. Supporting Israel means he is a Zionist. Anyone that give the Zionist settler-colony the right to colonize (aka, "the right to exist") and support it is a Zionist scum

3- The Zionist settler-colony, "Israel", in itself, is a crime. Colonization, in itself, without mentioning its terrorism, is a crime.


It's a song, not a history lesson

:unsure: so??


he is just singing about Israel's situation from a neutral position.

I can't believe I'm reading this on a revolutionary leftist forum.

[manic expression]

I always thought Phil Ochs was better than him anyway.

[Pirate Utopian]

In 1979 he became a Born Again christian and this song is from 1983.

He said he liked Fidel Castro in a song, maybe not fully serious but maybe he told the farmer it because he ment it seeing as the Cuban Revolution was very romantised in the 60's.
The song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_y47RPKQGo