Dylan and The Dead

On a previous blog post I mentioned the Grateful Dead. This past week in class we spent a day talking about the works of Bob Dylan. Interestingly enough, Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead collaborated in 1987 to make an album titled "Dylan and The Dead." "Dylan and The Dead" was recorded in 1987, during a successful stadium tour of the same title. For this series of concerts, the Grateful Dead would perform two sets of material, followed by a set by Bob Dylan, backed by the Grateful Dead. The collaborative group recorded seven songs for the album. They are: Slow Train, I Want You, Gotta Serve Somebody, Queen Jane Approximately, Joey, All Along the Watchtower, and Knockin on Heaven's Door. My favorite song of the collaboration effort, Knockin on Heaven's Door is a song written by Bob Dylan about a dying deputy. The song's lyrics below show poetic usage of repetition in the chorus, and the music that accompanies the song adds an eerie effect that dramatically slows down the song and makes it more solemn.

Mama, take this badge off of me
I can't use it anymore.
It's gettin' dark, too dark for me to see
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.

Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door

Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore.
That long black cloud is comin' down
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.

Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door

Here is a video of Dylan and The Dead performing the song Slow Train.