Tears of Rage Lyrics
And now you'd throw us all aside and put us on our way
Oh, what dear daughter 'neath the sun would treat a father so
To wait upon him hand and foot, yet always answer no?
Tears of rage, tears of grief
Why am I always the one who must be the thief?
Come to me now, you know we're so alone
And life is brief
It was all pointed out the way to go and scratched your name in sand
Though you just thought that it was nothing more than a place for you to stand
Now I want you to know that while you were watched, discovered that there was no one true
That I myself really thought
It was just a childish thing to do
Tears of rage, tears of grief
Why am I always the one who must be the thief?
Come to me now, you know we're so alone
And life is brief
It was all very, very painless when you ran out to receive
All that false instruction which we never could believe
And now the heart is filled with gold as if it was a purse
Oh, but what kind of love is this which goes from bad to worse?
Why am I always the one who must be the thief?
Come to me now, you know we're so alone
And life is brief
About
Historical Context:
During the time this song was written, (1967), America was in a state of turmoil and rapid change. The pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness was slowly turning into a pursuit for money and material goods – a result of post WWII advertising and the new ability to buy on credit.
Overall Meaning:
In the song, Dylan weeps for the direction America is heading in (hence the title). He is angered and saddened that the principles on which America was founded are becoming secondary to the greed of corporations and capitalism. It is IMPORTANT to note that the entire song is in past-tense, implying that Dylan has given up on changing the world.
This song is also featured on The Band’s debut record Music From Big Pink, with Richard Manuel on lead vocals. The group chose this song, a slow one, to intentionally go against the trends in popular music at the time.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 8.Bessie Smith
- 12.Tears of Rage
- 17.Ruben Remus
- 18.Tiny Montgomery