Από τον Δημήτρη Παπακωνσταντίνου
Το τραγούδι «ύμνος» γράφτηκε από τον Bob Dylan την άνοιξη του ’65 και ηχογραφήθηκε στις 15 και 16 Ιουνίου με συμμετοχή του Mike Bloomfield στην κιθάρα και του Al Kooper στα πλήκτρα. Κυκλοφόρησε στις 20 Ιουλίου του ίδιου έτους σε 45άρι με B-side το "Gates of Eden". Η διάρκεια του τραγουδιού ήταν για την εποχή πολύ μεγάλη (6 λεπτά και 13 δεύτερα) και αρκετοί ραδιοσταθμοί δεν έπαιζαν τραγούδια με διάρκεια πέραν των 3 λεπτών.
Ψηφίστηκε σαν το καλύτερο τραγούδι στο: "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" του περιοδικού Rolling Stone (τεύχος 963 - 9/12/2004).
Ο Dylan δανείστηκε την ιδέα για τον τίτλο από το τραγούδι Lost Highway του Leon Payne (1948) το οποίο έγινε γνωστό το 1949 στην εκτέλεση του Hank Williams,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZqket_suHw
αλλά η ιστορία που περιγράφει αναφέρεται πιθανότατα σε μία σύντομη σχέση του με την Edie Sedgwick ένα από τα μοντέλα του Andy Warhol.
Οι στίχοι του τραγουδιού είχαν αρχικά πολύ μεγαλύτερη έκταση αλλά τελικά περιορίστηκαν στους παρακάτω:
Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you ?
People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall."
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?
You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody's ever taught you how to live out on the street
And now you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
A complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?
You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?
Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're all drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all precious gifts
But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rollingstone ?
Οι 24 διαφορετικές εκτελέσεις:
Robert Allen Zimmerman (Bob Dylan)
Jim Hendrix
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones & Bob Dylan
John Cougar Mellencamp and Al Kooper
Seal & Jeff Beck
John Mayer
David Bowie and Mick Ronson
The Four Seasons
Sonny and Cher
Al Stewart
Patti Smith
Jon Bon Jovi, Seal and Robert Palmer
Green Day
The Turtles
John Lennon, Phil Spector, Allan Ginsberg and Ringo Starr
Judy Collins
Johnny Winter
Michael Bolton
The Creation
Bob Dylan and Tom Petty
Flatt & Scruggs
