
Happy birthday Bob! A guide to Dylan's best narrative songs
With the recent release of the Timothée Chalamet -starring biopic A Complete Unknown, Bob Dylan's popularity has undergone a resurgence lately. While the film tells the true story of Dylan's rise to fame, it leaves out one crucial fact: Dylan himself is a master storyteller.
Dylan's career is defined by stratospheric highs, interminable lows and endless reinventions. He's been a folkster, a country rocker, a born-again bible-beater and even a singer of nursery rhymes, both traditional and original (1990's Under the Red Sky, an album written for his youngest child at the time).
And he's still going. Dylan has been on the Never-Ending Tour ever since 1988 (covering The Pogues' A Rainy Night In Soho lately). He's only took a single year off touring since and that was 2020, when the entire world ground to a halt. Even still, it was the year Dylan released his album Rough and Rowdy Ways, which ranks among his finest.
Beyond his divisive vocals (memorably described by Haruki Murakami in his 1985 novel End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland as sounding "like a little kid staring out the window at the rain"), Dylan's entire discography is defined by his rich literary style. His lyrics are witty, intelligent and often narrative. Over the past 60 years, Dylan has penned strange and sometimes difficult to follow stories – for which he was eventually awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. Although controversial at the time, the award was entirely deserved. Here's a list featuring a single song from each decade showing Dylan's narrative strengths and abilities.
1960s
Honourable mentions: Desolation Row, Talkin' World War III Blues, Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
In this song, which is criminally absent from A Complete Unknown, Dylan gives an account of the real-life murder of a black barmaid by a wealthy young white man. Literary critic and leading Dylan scholar Christopher Ricks counts it among Dylan's finest songs, referring to his subtle invocation of biblical imagery. An angry, embittered, and deeply political song, The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll builds to the reveal of the murderer's punishment: a mere six month's imprisonment.
1970s
Honourable mentions: Hurricane, Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts, Black Diamond Bay, Romance in Durango
Co-written with clinical psychologist and theatre director Jacques Levy, Isis tells the story of a mysterious graverobber and his troubled marriage. The song is set in an unfamiliar land, with sloped pyramids "embedded in ice" and harkens to fantasy and myth like Lovecraft's The Quest of Iranon or the Odyssey. Like the Odyssey, Isis tells the story of an ambitious man separated from his wife, recounting his adventures and journey home.
The song is a true epic, accompanied by one of Dylan's finest vocal performances. Isis was released during a particularly strong narrative period for Dylan; the album on which it features, 1976's Desire is packed with stories of thwarted love, doomed people and miscarriages of justice.
1980s
Man In the Long Black Coat
Dylan is unusually candid in his discussion of this track in his memoir Chronicles: Volume One, describing the song as his version of Johnny Cash's I Walk the Line: "a song he'd always considered to be up there at the top, one of the most mysterious and revolutionary of all time, a song that makes an attack on your most vulnerable points". Man in the Long Black Coat tells a story familiar to folk standards like Black Jack Davy – a woman leaves her partner for a mysterious interloper – but Dylan conjures a unique sort of menace that sets it apart.
Highlands
Honourable mentions: Handy Dandy, Tryin' to Get to Heaven
A nearly seventeen-minute track, Highlands demonstrates Dylan's novelistic command of dialogue. The song comes to life during a conversation between the speaker of the song and a waitress in a Boston restaurant around the six-minute mark. The conversation reads as an allegory for Dylan's sometimes contentious relationship to the press: the speaker, by various means, attempts to deny the woman's requests of him, echoing Dylan's sometimes difficult interview style. His dialogue is clipped and sparse, recalling the work of Cormac McCarthy, while retaining a wry knowingness that is all his own.
2000s
Ain't Talkin'
Honourable mentions: Mississippi, Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, Thunder on the Mountain
A song in which Dylan's speaker wanders through a seemingly corrupted idyll. As a narrative, the song is sparse. As an allusive poem, the song is as dense as Dylan has ever managed – managing to reference Wild Mountain Thyme in the same breath as biblical apocalypses. A bubbling sense of unease haunts the song, which ends up feeling like a snapshot of a cold, dead world bereft of light and good.
2010s
Tin Angel
Honourable mentions: Tempest, Scarlet Town
Of all the songs featured here, Tin Angel is perhaps the most direct in its storytelling. It also feels familiar; Dylan is replaying his old tricks here, returning to the narrative of the runaway bride. But this time, there is progression – the spurned husband confronts his wife and her new lover. The dialogue is again the highlight: Dylan conjures three distinct character voices, interchanging between the three in a climactic argument. The resolution of the song is as grim as Dylan has ever gotten. Listen with the lights down low.
2020s
Murder Most Foul
Dylan's longest track to date (thirty seconds longer than Highlands), Murder Most Foul is a challenging song: 17 minutes, no chorus, and a sparse arrangement of hushed, meditative piano and percussion. Named after a quote from Hamlet, it finds Dylan retelling the assassination of JFK. The song later introduces late radio DJ Wolfman Jack as a character, imagining conversations between Kennedy and Wolfman in the afterlife. The song is at once an elegy, a conspiracy, and a masterpiece.
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The Irish Sun
24-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
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The Irish Sun
24-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
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Advertisement It cost her just over £1,100 for a return flight to Afghanistan, and she stopped off for two days in Dubai to collect her visa which cost around £220. Landing at Kabul International Airport on May 2 last year, she was surprised to be greeted by 'massive smiles'. She recalled: "I was nervous flying in as there is no British embassy. Hospitals are not well-equipped at all. I took my own medical supplies in and I went in very, very steady. "The first thing that struck me was how super clean the streets were. Everything was very quiet and calm. You'd imagine it would be carnage and it wasn't. Advertisement "Afghan people are very kind, sweet and shy. You notice immediately there are no women on the streets." 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Trailed by Taliban guard s 21 In Kandahar, Carrie's tour guide drove her through the lively city for a day of visiting the beautiful mosques and historic landmarks Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 21 Carrie was trailed the whole day by a man on a motorbike, seemingly a Taliban guard keeping an eye on her Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 21 Carrie captured the man on the bike on her camera Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Advertisement 21 Local Afghan women are denied an education past primary school age Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media In Kandahar, Carrie's tour guide drove her through the lively city for a day of visiting the beautiful mosques and historic landmarks such as the Friday Mosque, known for housing the cloak of the Prophet Muhammad. During the six-hour trip, the tour guide parked up the car to allow Carrie to admire the historical shrines. 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"If you go in knowing and understanding why they might be frightened of you then you will understand why they are following you. "I'd rather the Taliban know where I am because they can see I'm not doing anything dodgy. Advertisement "It's really easy to wrap up an entire nation with a regime but actually most of the people, even if they work for the Taliban, they work for the Taliban to put food on the table. "It doesn't necessarily mean they support the oppression of women." Foreign privilege 21 Throughout her travels Carrie couldn't forget her 'foreign privilege' as unlike local women, she could visit public places Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 21 Carrie said her trip to Afghanistan was incredibly rewarding and she wants to go back Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Advertisement 21 Carrie recommends anyone interested in travelling to Afghanistan does their research beforehand Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Throughout her travels Carrie couldn't forget her 'foreign privilege' as unlike local women, she could visit public places, which she admitted 'didn't sit right'. While she encourages others to experience the country's 'beautiful culture', she urges people to be 'completely aware of the risks' before travelling there. Carrie said: "My trip to Afghanistan was incredibly rewarding and I do want to go back. Advertisement 'What I wouldn't do is say, 'Sure, go and book your flight now.' 'It is a regime that is not recognised politically by many governments around the world. If you go you must be completely aware of the risks and it must be a risk you are willing to take. "But when we only talk about the Taliban and women we lose the opportunity to celebrate what is a beautiful culture." 'No more dangerous than UK night out' 21 Zoe Stephens has visited Afghanistan three times between August last year and June 2025 Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Advertisement 21 Zoe travels with a group of up to eight women and with local female tour guides to get a glimpse into the daily lives of women and girls living there Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 21 Zoe sticks to following cultural norms to avoid unwanted attention Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Zoe Stephens, 31, who works for Koryo Tours and lives in Crosby, Liverpool, has visited Afghanistan three times between August 2024 and June 2025. She travels with a group of up to eight women and with local female tour guides to get a glimpse into the daily lives of women and girls living there. Advertisement It took a year of researching and planning, which included a research trip in August 2024, before she was able to safely take her first tour group there. Zoe said: "Everything is a risk in life. For me, the risk of going to Afghanistan is no more dangerous than walking the streets of a bustling city centre on a dark night. "People always think they know better. They always warn you against going to these places. "I'm confident in myself to go to these places because of my ability to handle any tricky situation, and if I didn't then I wouldn't go. Advertisement Everything is a risk in life. For me, the risk of going to Afghanistan is no more dangerous than walking the streets of a bustling city centre on a dark night Zoe Stephens 'I had chatted to other travellers who'd been there and done my research. I wanted to see what it's really like." Zoe doesn't let any of her group walk around alone and sticks to cultural norms to avoid unwanted attention. Recounting her first-hand experiences with the 'morality police' - a law enforcement body which implements strict interpretation of Islamic morality - she said: 'They're the ones you have to watch out for. "It's not allowed for women to go into public parks. There are a couple of instances where they very politely enforce these laws. Advertisement 'If you're a woman and you're there then they may come up to you and politely ask you to leave. "It's a very brief insight into the daily life of what the women there have to deal with. "The biggest rule is how you're dressed. I always go on respecting and trying to blend in rather than sticking out and challenging any cultural norms. 'That would be to wear clothing down to your wrists and ankles and having your hair covered at all times. Advertisement "The main thing is modesty, not just in clothing but in behaviour as well. I wouldn't recommend going around singing and dancing." Pro-tourism 21 Zoe saw first-hand how the Taliban are trying to encourage more tourism Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 21 Zoe says visitors must be wary of the 'morality police' Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 21 Zoe said the Afghan women she came into contact with were ' so similar to us' Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Advertisement Zoe and her group took part in traditional embroidery and cooking classes with local women and visited a women's retreat centre. She said it allowed her to see a different side to the lives of Afghan women. "When all we see in the media is Afghan women as shapes behind cloth, that's all we see them as,' she said. 'The Afghan women that I know and have seen and danced with, gossiped with and laughed with, are women who have great ambition and are so similar to us. Advertisement "But the reality for some people is they're not allowed to leave their house. It's about seeing these different dimensions." The traveller says she saw first-hand how the Taliban are trying to encourage more tourism. The Afghan women that I know and have seen and danced with, gossiped with and laughed with, are women who have great ambition and are so similar to us. But the reality for some people is they're not allowed to leave their house Zoe Stephens During her stay in Kandahar, a government minister decided to film her group as part of a 'propaganda video' by the Taliban for its X account. But she wasn't allowed to be part of it because she is a woman. Advertisement Zoe said: "At the moment, for a traveller, the authorities are on your side. It's in your favour to cooperate with them. It was a surprise during my first visit. "When you speak to them you realise there are varying levels and not everyone subscribes to certain ideologies. "The minister wanted to get us on camera and make films, literal propaganda videos. They're very pro-tourism.' Zoe would recommend Afghanistan as a travel destination to Brits to better understand the culture and people - but she advises caution. Advertisement 'Afghanistan has quickly become one of my favourite countries. You need to experience it to believe it,' she said. "The amount of things the Afghans have been through compared to their warmth, resilience and friendliness, they're just incredible people. "Do your research beforehand, and if you're not willing to follow the cultural norms and be respectful, then don't go.' 21 Zoe and her group took part in traditional embroidery and cooking classes with local women Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Advertisement 21 Zoe says Afghanistan is one of her favourite countries to visit Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 21 Zoe would recommend Afghanistan as a travel destination to Brits to better understand the culture and people - but she advises caution Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media