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The students were presented with a 1965 video of Bob Dylan’s iconic song, “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” and asked to consider its message.

 ETHAN…transports himself to the 1960s to truly appreciate  what “Mr. Bob” is saying.

A Song for Me

Imma be real, I could not understand a single thing Mr Bob. Dylan was saying. It just sounded like he was yapping about stuff that was not important to me. That is what I thought until I decided to open my mind, and really understand what Mr. Bob was talking about. 

To really understand what he is trying to say you have to think about the 1960s era and everything that was going on back then. To me, it seems like Mr. Dylan is trying to warn us about following blind rules, and leaders. Lines like,” Don’t follow leaders, watch the parkin meters” encourage independent thought and caution against government and societal control. Mr. Dylan also referenced specific events that happened such as the use of high pressure fire hoses on peaceful protesters during the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Alabama (“Better stay away from those / That carry ’round a fire hose”)

To me the lyrics also touch on the feeling that conventional life is a trap. The line, “Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift,” conveys the idea that following societal norms and getting an education doesn’t necessarily lead to a fulfilling life, a sentiment that resonated with the youth of the time, and some today.

Overall, “Homesick Blues” is an iconic, lyrical assault that serves as a verbal time capsule of the American 1960s counterculture, using surreal imagery and beat poetry to critique authority, expose corruption, and capture the era’s sense of anti-establishment anxiety and social unrest.

Ethan Jobita Jemadar

January 23, 2026