Blowin in the Wind

Song Meaning of Blowin' In The Wind by Bob Dylan, and what it is about

The first significant song that Dylan wrote was "Blowin' in the Wind."

It is additionally the most well-known protest song ever composed. The music of the song is taken from the folk ballad from the era of slavery called "No More Auction Block for Me," and the content of the song is influenced by both biblical rhetoric and Woody Guthrie's earthy vernacular.

However, Dylan framed the crises around him in a series of ferocious, poetic questions that addressed what he felt to be man's greatest inhumanity to man: indifference. This marked a clear break with the current-events conventions of topical folk songs. He stated in the liner notes for Freewheelin', "Some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong."

In June 1962, the song was published in Sing Out!, accompanied by Dylan's comments:

"There ain't too much I can say about this song except that the answer is blowing in the wind. It ain't in no book or movie or TV show or discussion group. Man, it's in the wind – and it's blowing in the wind. Too many of these hip people are telling me where the answer is but oh I won't believe that. I still say it's in the wind and just like a restless piece of paper it's got to come down some ... But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down so not too many people get to see and know ... and then it flies away. I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it's wrong. I'm only 21 years old and I know that there's been too many wars ... You people over 21, you're older and smarter."

It had a lot of radio plays despite not initially charting as a single, and eventually peaked at #3 in France on the airplay chart.

Lyrics of the song Blowin' In The Wind by Bob Dylan

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man?

How many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand?

Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly

Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind

The answer is blowin' in the wind

Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist

Before it's washed to the sea?

Yes, and how many years can some people exist

Before they're allowed to be free?

Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head

And pretend that he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind

The answer is blowin' in the wind

Yes, and how many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, and how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind

The answer is blowin' in the wind