Bob Dylan's Political Economy

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in , at 6/10/2007 12:17:00 AM
When it comes to sharp commentary on socioeconomic issues, Bob Dylan has few peers in the rock world, save for perhaps Bruce Springsteen. I have just listened (very belatedly) to Dylan's latest release, 2006's Modern Times. Although all of the songs on the album are fine indeed, "Workingman's Blues # 2" caught my ear as particularly appropriate for a weekend post on this blog. Here are some lyrics to the song; the YouTube clip is above:

There's an evenin' haze settlin' over the town
Starlight by the edge of the creek
The buyin' power of the proletariat's gone down
Money's gettin' shallow and weak
The place I love best is a sweet memory
It's a new path that we trod
They say low wages are a reality
If we want to compete abroad

My cruel weapons have been put on the shelf
Come sit down on my knee
You are dearer to me than myself
As you yourself can see
I'm listenin' to the steel rails hum
Got both eyes tight shut
Just sitting here trying to keep the hunger from
Creeping its way into my gut

Given the general theme of outsourcing/offshoring/globalization, it's also worth revisiting Bruce Springsteen's similarly themed "My Hometown" from Born in the USA which came out way back in 1984. Few sing about the workingman's blues as well as Dylan and Springsteen, although they are hardly proletariats at this point in their multi-million dollar careers.