Lilac Colored Glasses

First up is Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe”. I’m sure most of you know the song, if not from Dylan himself than from any of the numerous covers done by Cash and Carter, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Nancy Sinatra, the Turtles, as well as several other popular singers and bands. In summary, it is basically a song in which the singer is telling the listener that he can’t be the person who she wants him to be; he is unable or unwilling to put into the relationship all that she expects out of it, and therefore he’s advising her to leave. It’s almost, but not quite, a ballad of unrequited love, and in a way, that makes it even more tragic. The singer never says he doesn’t love the person he is singing to, he never says he doesn’t care for her, he is simply telling her that he is not the person she wants, despite the fact that she thinks that she does. I’ve been in the position of that woman, the listener, only I never had to be told that the man I had wasn’t the man I needed. I knew it pretty early on, and while I had a hard time coming to terms with it, this song always struck such a chord within me while we were together; I could relate to it so completely from the opposite perspective.

Which brings me to the companion song to “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “Diamonds and Rust” by Joan Baez (and no, it’s not the official companion song, but I think you can agree that they interweave fairly well). In case you aren’t schooled in the Bob Dylan generation of musicians (the early 1960′s scene) I’ll make it simple for you, Baez and Dylan had a relationship together for a couple years in the ’60′s and it fizzled, leaving some bad blood for several years before they buried the hatchet in the mid ’70′s. One of the songs Baez wrote about Dylan around that time was “Diamonds and Rust.” Now, “It Ain’t Me Babe” was not written about any particular relationship of Dylan’s to my knowledge, but if you listen to it and then to Baez’s recollection of her time with Dylan, I find that they compliment each other perfectly and it was this song that helped me to resolve the anxious feelings I had after my relationship with the aforementioned guy ended. It helped me to understand that yes, I cared for this guy very much and yes, we had some great times together, but when it really came down to it, we were happier elsewhere, with other people, and that that was okay. Not every break up has to be painful and angry. Sometimes things can just end in a friendly way, leaving all parties a bit wiser and better off than they were before.

So, here you go, the audiovisual section of this Music Monday…

Bob Dylan with “It Ain’t Me Babe”
Go ‘way from my window,
Leave at your own chosen speed.
I’m not the one you want, babe,
I’m not the one you need.
You say you’re lookin’ for someone
Never weak but always strong,
To protect you an’ defend you
Whether you are right or wrong,
Someone to open each and every door,
But it ain’t me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain’t me, babe,
It ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

Go lightly from the ledge, babe,
Go lightly on the ground.
I’m not the one you want, babe,
I will only let you down.
You say you’re lookin’ for someone
Who will promise never to part,
Someone to close his eyes for you,
Someone to close his heart,
Someone who will die for you an’ more,
But it ain’t me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain’t me, babe,
It ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

Go melt back into the night, babe,
Everything inside is made of stone.
There’s nothing in here moving
An’ anyway I’m not alone.
You say you’re looking for someone
Who’ll pick you up each time you fall,
To gather flowers constantly
An’ to come each time you call,
A lover for your life an’ nothing more,
But it ain’t me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain’t me, babe,
It ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

And “Diamonds and Rust” by Joan Baez
Well I’ll be damned
Here comes your ghost again
But that’s not unusual
It’s just that the moon is full
And you happened to call
And here I sit
Hand on the telephone
Hearing a voice I’d known
A couple of light years ago
Heading straight for a fall

As I remember your eyes
Were bluer than robin’s eggs
My poetry was lousy you said
Where are you calling from?
A booth in the midwest
Ten years ago
I bought you some cufflinks
You brought me something
We both know what memories can bring
They bring diamonds and rust

Well you burst on the scene
Already a legend
The unwashed phenomenon
The original vagabond
You strayed into my arms
And there you stayed
Temporarily lost at sea
The Madonna was yours for free
Yes the girl on the half-shell
Would keep you unharmed

Now I see you standing
With brown leaves falling around
And snow in your hair
Now you’re smiling out the window
Of that crummy hotel
Over Washington Square
Our breath comes out white clouds
Mingles and hangs in the air
Speaking strictly for me
We both could have died then and there

Now you’re telling me
You’re not nostalgic
Then give me another word for it
You who are so good with words
And at keeping things vague
Because I need some of that vagueness now
It’s all come back too clearly
Yes I loved you dearly
And if you’re offering me diamonds and rust
I’ve already paid

Related posts:

1. Music Monday – Cloud Cult
2. Music Monday – How I Used to Be
3. Music Monday – Music From The Lowlands Part Deux
4. Music Monday – Music From The Lowlands
5. Music Monday – Chag Sameach
6. Music Monday – Great Big Sea
7. Music Monday – All I Really Want
8. Music Monday, or A Lot of Talk About Wine