(spoken) This is all about where the devil is. Some people say there's no devil.
Well, sometimes you can't see him so good,
When he hides his head 'neath a snow white hood,
And rides to kill with his face well hid,
And then goes home to his wife and kids.
Wonder if his kids know who he is?
Well, he wants you to hate and he wants you to fear,
Wants you to fear something that's not even there.
He'll give you your hate, and he'll give you his lies,
He'll give you the weapons to run out and die.
And you give him your soul.
(spoken) That's just two verses to it.
Well, sometimes you can't see him so good,
When he hides his head 'neath a snow white hood,
And rides to kill with his face well hid,
And then goes home to his wife and kids.
Wonder if his kids know who he is?
Well, he wants you to hate and he wants you to fear,
Wants you to fear something that's not even there.
He'll give you your hate, and he'll give you his lies,
He'll give you the weapons to run out and die.
And you give him your soul.
(spoken) That's just two verses to it.
Contributed by Alessandro - 2010/3/25 - 19:52
"Although the song is of questionable quality and was never performed again, it set forth a conviction about the crucial importance of the Devil in this world to which Dylan has adhered all his life.
The song opens by alluding to the demonic nature of the Ku Klux Klan:
Well, sometimes you can't see him so good
When he hides his head 'neath a snow white hood...
The second verse gives fuller dimension to the nature of the Devil:
Well, he wants you to hate and he wants you to fear,
Wants you to fear something that's not even there,
He'll give you your hate and he'll give you his lies,
He'll give you the weapons to run out and die.
And you give him your soul
Here, in these early lines, Dylan delineates the chief characteristics of the Devil which he will go on to describe in vivid detail in his compositions down the y ears. The Devil is the masters of deceit and illusion who "gets you to fear something that's no even there." He is the power of death who would delude you into trading your soul for false securities."
(Bert Cartwright - The Telegraph #49, summer 1994)
The song opens by alluding to the demonic nature of the Ku Klux Klan:
Well, sometimes you can't see him so good
When he hides his head 'neath a snow white hood...
The second verse gives fuller dimension to the nature of the Devil:
Well, he wants you to hate and he wants you to fear,
Wants you to fear something that's not even there,
He'll give you your hate and he'll give you his lies,
He'll give you the weapons to run out and die.
And you give him your soul
Here, in these early lines, Dylan delineates the chief characteristics of the Devil which he will go on to describe in vivid detail in his compositions down the y ears. The Devil is the masters of deceit and illusion who "gets you to fear something that's no even there." He is the power of death who would delude you into trading your soul for false securities."
(Bert Cartwright - The Telegraph #49, summer 1994)
Alessandro - 2010/3/25 - 19:53
Language: Italian
Traduzione italiana di Michele Murino da Maggie's Farm
PARLANDO DEL DIAVOLO
Questa riguarda il diavolo. Alcuni dicono che il diavolo non esiste.
Beh, a volte non riesci a vederlo molto bene
quando nasconde la sua testa sotto un cappuccio bianco come la neve
e cavalca per uccidere con la sua faccia ben nascosta
e poi torna a casa da sua moglie e dai suoi bambini
Mi chiedo se i suoi bambini sanno chi sia in realtà?
Beh, lui vuole che tu provi odio e vuole che tu abbia paura
vuole che tu abbia paura di qualcosa che nemmeno esiste
Ti darà il tuo odio e ti darà le sue menzogne
Ti darà le armi perchè tu possa finire col morire
E tu gli darai la tua anima.
Questa riguarda il diavolo. Alcuni dicono che il diavolo non esiste.
Beh, a volte non riesci a vederlo molto bene
quando nasconde la sua testa sotto un cappuccio bianco come la neve
e cavalca per uccidere con la sua faccia ben nascosta
e poi torna a casa da sua moglie e dai suoi bambini
Mi chiedo se i suoi bambini sanno chi sia in realtà?
Beh, lui vuole che tu provi odio e vuole che tu abbia paura
vuole che tu abbia paura di qualcosa che nemmeno esiste
Ti darà il tuo odio e ti darà le sue menzogne
Ti darà le armi perchè tu possa finire col morire
E tu gli darai la tua anima.
Contributed by Alessandro - 2010/3/25 - 19:54
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Note for non-Italian users: Sorry, though the interface of this website is translated into English, most commentaries and biographies are in Italian and/or in other languages like French, German, Spanish, Russian etc.
Album "Broadside Ballads, Vol. 1", Folkways Records, 1963
Incisa da Dylan, sotto lo pseudonimo di "Blind Boy Grunt", insieme ai "Greenbriar Boys"' ossia Ralph Rinzler e John Herald.
Testo trovato qui e confrontato con il libretto che accompagna l'album.
Lillian Smith, "Killers of the Dream" (1949)
Una canzone ed un commento che valgono anche per oggi, qui.