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This is a cross-university blog project between the University of South Carolina - Upstate and Clemson University for the Fall 2007 semester.
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27 comments:
Bob Dylan – “Masters of War” (1963)
Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks
You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly
Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain
You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud
You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins
How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do
Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul
And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead
Hey Guys,
My name is Tyler Williams and I am a freshman at Clemson. I am undeclared right now but am looking to go into pre business. This song is very deep and personal. I'm not really sure who Bob Dylan is talking to in his lyrics. I believe he might be talking to people who somehow paid thier way to get out of fighting in this war. He talks about how they betray you and run away when bullets are fired. He also talks about how money is the most important to them and that it can't buy you your life back. I really like how this song is put together. I also like how he's so honest about his opinion and he gets really personal. He wishes death upon these people and shows no mercy or forgiveness for what they've done. I think this is a very well written song and that it has a lot of meaning in it. Does anyone know who Bob Dylan is talking about?
Tyler W.21
Hello group, my name is Elena Polydorou. I am a freshmen from USC Upstate. I am double majoring in Graphic Design and Business. I like how Bob Dylan let out his opinion and was not afraid. I think he is talking about war, and how he does not appreciate the people who just sat back and watch and did not help. It also makes me think he is talking about the people who built weapons. "You that never done nothin' but build to destroy. You fasten the triggers for the others to fire." He is also trying to say how the people who built the weapons has just put fear in this world and threatened poeple's lives. This is a very nice song how it was put together.
Elena Polydorou(31)
Hello, my name is Chris Gainey majoring in Philosophy with emphasis on Religion at Clemson University. The “Masters of War” that Bob Dylan would be referring to is our own government, both involving politics and military persons, and high class society. In the first verse, he uses diction like “masters,” “build,” and “desks” to convey men of power. As Bob Dylan describes these people negatively for most of the song, he elicits a feeling of disgust in the listeners against those people. At the very end, he wishes death to the ones who have escaped it during the war. Especially during that time when dislike of the government and high class was already elevating, the many sufferers who listened were wishing the same thing for them. Another form of rhetoric that he used well involves the transition from a soft yet sad tone, possible by minor notes, to a sharper more hateful tone.
Chris G. (21)
I'm Nicole from upstate and I’m biology major. In Bob Dylan’s song I think that "The masters of war" he sings about refers to the government and the so-called brains behind the war, the people who sit back and support the war and try to make decisions about the war but aren't actually out fighting it. I liked the honesty in these lyrics and the fact that he wasn't trying to be glib. He wishes ill will upon the high-class society who hide in their mansions. Dylan writes that “You ain't worth the blood that runs in your veins” which is a very bold statement. He has obvious disapproval of the war but his dislike for the people who are sending the young people to the war and “fastening triggers” to them is pretty compelling. He does a great job at making you see the unjustness in the situation. When he refers to the “masters of war” using the world as their little toy it agitates me and gets me irritated for the people during this war and that they were just thrown around and not necessarily cared about. Which I think was the message Bob Dylan was trying to convey.
Nicole Yancey, Section 30
Hey everyone, my name is McKenzie Glenn. I am a freshman Communication Studies major at Clemson. I think this assignment is pretty cool, and I must admit that I really like the lyrics to this song. Bob Dylan apparently is not afraid to speak his mind and is not concerned about the criticism that he might face. I know that in today’s society, people who strongly display their opinions about something will more than likely face criticism, but people do it so often that it is not such a large deal. I imagine that speaking like this in the 1960’s caused quite an up roar. I would have to agree that Bob Dylan is talking about the influential people in our nation, more specifically in government. I love the line, “You put a gun in my hands and you hide from my eyes, and you turn and run farther when the fast bullets fly.” These young men were being placed into the warzone, and left there to either fight for survival or die. I also love how he says “even Jesus would never forgive what you do.” This just shows how strongly he feels about this .
I forgot to sign my name to the bottom of the last comment! sorry about that!
McKenzie Glenn. 33.
Hey guys,
My name is James Higdon, and I’m a freshman at Clemson studying computer science. I believe that what Bob Dylan is saying here is that the so-called “Masters of War”, are really just cowards that hide from the actual battles while sending in soldiers to die. These “Masters of War” are those who start the war; the politicians, or the heads of governments. They begin the war, and yet they are not the ones who go and fight it. They sit and “hide behind walls” or “behind desks” while those who they send to fight the wars die. Dylan is expressing his dislike of the people who start the war not being the ones paying the price in the war. That is my interpretation of this piece.
James H., 60
hey everybody my name is Daniel Elmore. I'm a Biology major at Upstate. "How much do I know
to talk out of turn." I love that line because it's sarcastic and it says, "What? You expect me not to talk because I'm only 21? You're 35 and you know nothing!" He's laughing in the Master's face because he knows that they'll get it in the end, which he wishes them dead. It's like the older you get the more stupid you get. weird right?
Daniel Elmore section 30
Hello my Fellow Group Mates!!!
My name is Soleighta and I am a Communications major with a minor in Travel and Tourism at Clemson University. Bob Dylan’s Lyrics are very profound. He had a lot to say in this song and I believe that a lot of people of that time period agreed with him. He refers to the “master of war” as the U.S Government and people of high upper class, and explains that they make all of the bombs, guns, and hand them to the soldiers, sit back, relax, and watch our very own fight the battle. Yet when combat time comes, they scamper in the opposite direction and want us to fight the battle instead of fighting the battle together. He believed that they were liars and deceitful to their people. He knew what the real deal was and him saying that bringing children in the world (unborn and nameless) was fearful showed just how appalling Dylan believed the war and government was. He thought that they were so dreadful that he wished they’d die and he would make sure that he went to their funeral and observe the casket being lowered into the ground just to make sure they were dead. I liked how Dylan expressed his thoughts and I even agree with him. Overall I’d say that he had a lot of hate toward the “masters of war” don’t you think?
Soleighta F. Section 69
Hey everyone I am Bradley Graham and I am a freshman at USC Upstate. As for now I have an undeclared major and I hope to figure out my plans in the near future. I think that this song by Bob Dylan is pretty intense. Bob Dylan was very bold with his music during this time in history but I think that he made public what many Americans were thinking during the Vietnam War. I believe that he is talking to the people who caused the war and just left the soldiers own their own when he says, “you put a gun in my hand,” and, “you turn and run farther.” He speaks about how the world is such a frightening place that he is worried about the future. He said that he has “fear to bring children into the world.” I think that Bob Dylan did a great job of speaking out and taking action during this tough time.
Bradley G. 31
Hey Guys,
I really enjoyed reading all of your responses to this song. I never thought about some of the ideas that you guys had. I think I have a good idea as to what this song is talking about after reading everyone's comments. I really liked what James Higdon said about "Masters of War". He talked about how the masters of war are the politicians and government leaders who send our troops out but aren't really participating in the war. Our troops were getting killed because of the decisions of the government. I believe that this song may be talking about Vietnam. So many men died in that war when we didn’t even need to go into this war. I believe this is what the song is talking about. I also liked reading what Chris Gainey had to say. I totally agree with how you interpreted this song and I like how you described the mood of the song.
Tyler W, 21
I think that the song is true in what it says because the government are the ones who are putting guns in our hand and making us fight for them. All they do is turn around and walk away and watch while soldiers do their dirty work out there at battle. I believe strongly in the lyrics of this song and i like how he picks out the people who do not have to worry about it and hide in their homes whether it be because they are rich or just scared. I think this song is well put together and well said.
Josh G.
Hello Again Group Mates!!!
I read all of you all’s comments and I have to agree with all of them. Nicole and Chris you both talked about how the “masters of war” referred to the government, and I felt the same way. You all talked about how the government just sit back and plan “actions of war” but hide behind the close doors and allow the rest of America fight the war. The lyrics say, “You that never done nothing, but build to destroy…..you put a gun in my hand, and you hide from my eyes…”, these are all examples of what Dylan believed the Americans really felt. Reading your comments really helped me to understand how strongly he felt about the government, and gave me a better insight about what he was saying.
Soleighta F. Section 69
Hey group, it is Elena Polydorou again. I really liked what Soleighta had to say about the song. "He refers to the “master of war” as the U.S Government and people of high upper class, and explains that they make all of the bombs, guns, and hand them to the soldiers, sit back, relax, and watch our very own fight the battle." She also thinks that the author explains how people are making the bombs and weapons and giving it to the soldiers. I think this song is true because that is what the government does. They make weapons and give it to the people and make us fight for them.
Elena Polydorou (31)
Hey everyone. Thanks for the compliment Tyler. Although this song directly attacks the government, this is exactly what our nation is built upon, liberty. So many times, the freedom of speech has preserved such impacting forms of protest. I mean Bob Dylan literally says “I'll stand o'er your grave 'Til I'm sure that you're dead,” which is quite treasonous, yet the government could not ban the song. Bob Dylan also brings the Christian savior into the issue, making the rich persons seem close to absolute evil. This still has impact, despite the very common and often colloquial use of Christian ideas. I would not have been surprised if the government members themselves felt moved by this song; not everyone has a private office. The problem of rich people evading consequences applies today, expanding far beyond the government into the Entertainment business.
Chris Gainey (21)
Hey guys, I really enjoyed listening to what all of you had to say. I think everyone pretty much has the same idea about this song--about the anger Bob Dylan feels because of what is happening to young men on the battle fields. I really liked what Chris Gainey had to say about how strongly disgusted he is at the people in government who forced them to go into war and then just sat back and watched people die.He mentions the part in the song where Dylan wishes death to those who put these men in such a terrible position. I also liked what Nicole said about the unjustness of this whole situation. It is one thing for someone to speak about how unfair war times are, but to convey that message in a song is even more powerful--especially in a song that relates the message so well.
-McKenzie, 33.
hola! it's Daniel again. I like what Chris G. said about freedom of speech and how treasonous the song is but the government can not do anything about it. Good point man! I guess you could build on that and say if Dylan could sing this song in public and not be punished for it, couldn't you do more than just sing could you actually change the fact that these "masters" run the game? hmmmm.
Daniel Elmore (30)
Hey guys,
First I would like to apologize for not having a second comment due to being out of town without access to a computer. I agree with Chris; I too would not be surprised if this song moved government members themselves. Also, I like what Tyler says about this song possibly being about Vietnam. He is correct when he said that so many people died in that senseless war.
I have found a picture that represents the theme of this assigned lyric. It can be found here: http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/89/51/22855189.jpg
This picture is showing a man cowering behind a desk, much like the “Masters of War” from the song. From the expression on his face he is obviously scared, much like I believe these “masters” were scared of dying. Hope you guys agree.
James H., 60
Hello Again my Fellow Group Mates!!!
I can see that we basically had the same viewing of the lyrics, and I believe that what each of you said was true. A picture that I saw link is posted below that made me think of the song and what Dylan was really talking about. It shows how the “masters of war” was linked to the government just as Dylan was stating. At the bottom it has a small poem like saying which asks about the “Rich’s” money being good enough for forgiveness and the other sort, and that all the money you’ve made will not save your soul after you’ve died and did all that wrong. I hope that once you’ve seen it you know too exactly what the picture is trying to say.
Soleighta F. Section 69
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9gnMiNcNS5HgocAJU.jzbkF/SIG=12c8rbcdh/EXP=1194297052/**http%3A//www.flickr.com/photos/jersey_cameraman/401635064/
Hey everyone, its McKenzie. I first wanted to say that I really like Soleighta's picture and the idea that not even all the money in the world can save these "masters of war" from their sin. I also found Daniel Elmore's point interesting about actually making a difference. If this song proves to be so convincing and effective to everyone, then they should go out and actually try to change it. I found this picture, http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40336000/jpg/_40336521_us_protests300.jpg , that basically describes how Bob Dylan feels about the war. It is a mass of people protesting outside of the Capital building promoting peace and justice to those fighting in the war. I loved hearing from all of you!
McKenzie Glenn (33)
Hey Guys It's Tyler,
I have really enjoyed reading everyone's comments once again. I think that this was such a good idea to be able to interact with students from other schools. I totally agree with what Josh and Soleighta talked about. They talked about how the government just sits back and doesn't do anything during times of war. They send the troops to fight , and then sit back and watch the war. This is a link I found to a photo I thought was very good for what we've been talking about.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/400000/images/_403224_vietnam_war150.jpg
This picture represents what our troops have to go through when they're off fighting. The government sends them off to fight in places like this and its sad. I think this is a great representation of what our troops do for us.
Tyler Williams,(21)
Hey group, this is Elena Polydorou. I realy enjoyed having an interaction with people from a different school, and your thoughts. Pretty much everyone was on the same point of what the song is about. It is true that the government does just sit back and watch. The picture i choose is just a simple thing saying support the troops and bring them back home. I really wish the government would realize what they are doing and putting danger in this world. http://www.dubyasworld.com/support-troops.jpg. Anyways it was a pleasure discussing this.
Elena Polydorou (31)
sorry it was past 5:30 was not able to reach a computer before that time.
Hello everyone this is Bradley again. Sorry for the late entry I have been out of reach from a computer this weekend so that is my fault. It seems like everyone has had a lot of great ideas about this song. I would have to agree with McKenzie when she is talking about Bob Dylan’s anger towards the government during this tough time. I also like the comment by Daniel who talks about Dylan taking action by publicizing his feelings. I found a great picture to illustrate the Vietnam War. This is a picture of solders that are stuck in the trenches and are fighting for their lives.
http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/2666597.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=6E41E83E90A345BD6EF59A3F69060B1EA55A1E4F32AD3138
Bradley G. (31)
Hey it's nicole, i'm late sorry i completely forgot..i'll throw both into one i guess. i really liked what Chris, Soleighta and McKenzie had to say about the song. I agreed with most of your ideas especially about the government dictating who goes to war as well as the upper class society sitting back and not paying any attention to what was going on. McKenzie i really liked how you addressed that Bob Dylan spoke what he felt and that regardless of the critisism he was going to recieve he sang his song anyways.
I have throughly enjoyed hearing what everyone had to say and your opinions and critcism. AS far as the pictures i really liked Soleighta's picture it had the right message and pretty much hit the assignment right on the head. But James' picture was really funny i liked the route you took instead of the typical picture of protest. http://www.magma.ca/~cstevens/images/dmn03.jpg
I liked this picture for the song because it goes along with the idea that the government was sending young inexperienced "boys" to war. This guy looks nervous and scared and i thought that it went along with the vibe of Dylan's song.
Nicole Y, sec 30
i hope that the government felt touched by this song if they happen to hear it because it shows a lot of the wrongs they do and i think they should take this song into consideration. and change some of their ways. I hate how the government can just force the weapons into our hands and make some of the soldiers go out their and fight when they are so scared of war that they cant be strong enough to stand up themselves and fight.
i forgot to sign the name Josh G.
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