Song Lyrics As Literature?
Song lyrics as literature? We agree:
They share style and power, literally.
Congratulations Nobel Academy,
Awarding Literature Prize to Dylan’s poetry!
© F.W. Heaton February 2018
Some reading our recent blog posts may not know that there is a significant group of people, some of whom are quite vocal, who hold the position that song lyrics should not be considered literature. Although we respect each person’s right to hold and express opinions different from ours, we feel those arguing that song lyrics are not poetry or literature are missing the point. It seems to us the argument 1) is unnecessary at best and 2) at worst diverts people from a deeper involvement in poetry of any kind. For us, the poetry you found in the songs you explored in The Great American Songbook or the poetry you found in the lyrics of songwriters such as Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, John Denver, Kris Kristopherson, Paul Simon and countless others are the best arguments for dropping this discussion and moving on.
Chosen to help us state our case, we’ve included Dylan’s 1962 classic “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Think this poem through. Let it sink in.
(Verse 1)
How many roads must a man walk down
Before they can call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
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
(Verse 2)
Yes, how many years can a mountain exist
Before it is 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 he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind
(Verse 3)
Yes, 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 till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind
For those of us who feel song lyrics are an important body of poetic work, it was gratifying to see the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016 awarded to Bob Dylan. Our hope is his poem above makes the point if none have previously that poems have the power to express the gentlest of emotions or the most momentous of social issues. This poem moved mountains in 1962 and remains as relevant today as the day Dylan wrote it. A few moments ago, I picked up my guitar, started singing the song, and felt the same rush of emotions I felt on first singing it when I was twenty-four. Thanks, dear readers, for sticking with us on this journey.