A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
Bob Dylan
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Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son? Oh, where have you been, my darling young one? I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son? Oh, what did you see, my darling young one? I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin' I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin' I saw a white ladder all covered with water I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son? And what did you hear, my darling young one? I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin' Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin' Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall Oh, who did you meet, my blue-eyed son? Who did you meet, my darling young one? I met a young child beside a dead pony I met a white man who walked a black dog I met a young woman whose body was burning I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow I met one man who was wounded in love I met another man who was wounded with hatred And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall Oh, what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son? Oh, what'll you do now, my darling young one? I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin' I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest Where the people are many and their hands are all empty Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison Where the executioner's face is always well-hidden Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten Where black is the color, where none is the number And I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin' But I'll know my song well before I start singin' And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall
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Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
11 facts about this song
Song Production"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was recorded in December 1962 and released as a single in 1963.
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Album InclusionThe song was included in Dylan's second studio album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan".
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InfluenceThe song's title and refrain is based on the old saying, "it's a hard rain that's going to fall," which means a particularly tumultuous event is approaching.
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Song MeaningDylan has explained that every line in the song was the start of a potentially separate song, and it describes what he saw as the hard rain of troubles falling down upon the society of his day.
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Lyrics InspirationThe lyrics were greatly influenced by the Cuban Missile Crisis, emphasising a sense of impending doom.
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AwardsThe song was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress in 2002.
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Noteworthy PerformanceA memorable rendition of the song was performed by Dylan at the 1962 Newport Folk Festival shortly after writing it.
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LengthAt about six and a half minutes, "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" is one of Dylan's longest songs.
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Language UsageThe song has been interpreted as a prophecy of the nuclear annihilation of the planet, largely due to its refrain which refers to a "hard rain" which many took as a metaphor for fallout.
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CoversMany artists over the years have covered "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," including Joan Baez, The Staple Singers, and Bryan Ferry.
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In Popular CultureThe song is also referenced in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall, and the lyrics are quoted in the Stephen King novel, Insomnia.
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Citation
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"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric-lf/350712/Bob+Dylan/A+Hard+Rain%27s+A-Gonna+Fall>.
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