Dylan wrote "Drifter's Escape" on a train in New York while traveling to the first session for the John Wesley Harding album.[4] The lyrics provide a Kafka-esque narrative in which an outsider is oppressed by society, but not defeated.[5][6][7] The protagonist is put on trial without knowing what the charges against him are.[5][7] The judge is sympathetic, but powerless.[7] The jury finds the protagonist guilty, but he is saved through divine intervention when the courthouse is struck by lightning.[7] The protagonist is able to escape as his persecutors fall to their knees in prayer.[3][5] Dylan leaves the orientation of the protagonist and the deus ex machina ambiguous.[5] The protagonist could be a prophet freed by God,[5][6][7] or he could be a false prophet freed by the devil.[5][8]
Several commentators have pointed to parallels between the song's story and Dylan's own experiences around the time he wrote the song.[7] The drifter does not understand the charges against him, just as Dylan did not understand the criticism he received for moving from folk music to rock music.[7] The jury "cried for more", just as Dylan's fans who followed his path to rock music became more oppressive.[7] And the lightning bolt that allows the drifter to escape could be a metaphor for the "motorcycle accident" Dylan suffered in 1966.[5][6][7] Another theme that comes through in the song is Dylan's hatred for mob violence.[6]
Biographer Clinton Heylin has noted that in writing "Drifter's Escape", Dylan found a new, economical style that allowed him to tell a five-act story in just three verses.[3] He then went on to write more songs in a similar manner, which formed the bulk of the John Wesley Harding album.[3]
Live performances
Dylan did not perform "Drifter's Escape" live for almost 25 years after it was written and released.[3][5] He first performed it live in Oregon on April 30, 1992, a day after the Rodney King verdict.[3] He sang it again four days later in San Francisco, at which point the lines "The trial was bad enough/ But this was ten times worse" had particular resonance with those who considered that verdict unjust.[3] Since then, Dylan has performed the song occasionally on the Never Ending Tour.[5] In 1992, he used two different live arrangements: one similar to the arrangement on John Wesley Harding and one influenced by Jimi Hendrix's version.[5] He also performed it as the show opener in several 1995 concerts.[5] It returned to his live set again in 2001, this time in an energetic performance driven by Dylan's "paranoia-inflected vocals".[5]
^Kosser, Michael (2006). How Nashville Became Music City, U.S.A.: A History Of Music Row. Lanham, Maryland, US: Backbeat Books. pp. 149–150. ISBN978-1-49306-512-7.
^Krogsgaard, Michael (1991). Positively Bob Dylan. Popular Culture, Ink. p. 66. ISBN1-56075-000-6.
^ abcdefgHeylin, Clinton (2009). Revolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan, 1957–1973. Chicago Review Press. pp. 361–362. ISBN978-1-55652-843-9.
^ abcdefghiGill, Andy (1998). Don't Think Twice It's All Right: Bob Dylan The Early Years. Da Capo Press. p. 132. ISBN1-56025-185-9.
^Nogowski, John (2008). Bob Dylan: A Descriptive, Critical Discography and Filmography, 1961–2007 (Second ed.). McFarland. pp. 42–43. ISBN978-0-7864-3518-0.
