Cover art for Political World by Bob Dylan

Political World

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Sep. 18, 19891 viewer7.6K views

Political World Lyrics

[Verse 1]
We live in a political world
Love don’t have any place
We’re living in times where men commit crimes
And crime don’t have a face

[Verse 2]
We live in a political world
Icicles hanging down
Wedding bells ring and angels sing
Clouds cover up the ground

[Verse 3]
We live in a political world
Wisdom is thrown into jail
It rots in a cell, is misguided as hell
Leaving no one to pick up a trail

[Verse 4]
We live in a political world
Where mercy walks the plank
Life is in mirrors, death disappears
Up the steps into the nearest bank

[Verse 5]
We live in a political world
Where courage is a thing of the past
Houses are haunted, children are unwanted
The next day could be your last
[Verse 6]
We live in a political world
The one we can see and can feel
But there’s no one to check, it’s all a stacked deck
We all know for sure that it’s real

[Verse 7]
We live in a political world
In the cities of lonesome fear
Little by little you turn in the middle
But you’re never sure why you’re here

[Verse 8]
We live in a political world
Under the microscope
You can travel anywhere and hang yourself there
You always got more than enough rope

[Verse 9]
We live in a political world
Turning and a-thrashing about
As soon as you’re awake, you’re trained to take
What looks like the easy way out

[Verse 10]
We live in a political world
Where peace is not welcome at all
It’s turned away from the door to wander some more
Or put up against the wall
[Verse 11]
We live in a political world
Everything is hers or his
Climb into the frame and shout God’s name
But you’re never sure what it is

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Genius Annotation

A rock introduction for this album and highlighted in concert. Dylan played this song quite often in 1990, but not at all since March 1991.

It reaffirms its lack of conviction in politics, even its disgust with it: We live in a “political world”, but it is more a situation suffered than a deliberate choice for the vast majority of people who can not act on this world. Spirituality is the only alternative, but one “will never be sure of what it is”. Finally, this song joins the theme of the Apocalypse, it is kind a compact “It’s Alright Ma” version.

“Climb into the frame” of the last couplet is an imprint to “Love Calls You By Your Name” by Leonard Cohen.

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