song lyric analaysis the answer is blowing in the wind by bob dylan *tugas mata kuliah poetry*

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?

The man walk on many roads in order to be called man may represent the action of ones that trying to stand out and get the attention and approval. How those consistent of activity just to get noticed is associated with the nature of men’s ego of being the most powerful of all.

How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?

The white dove sail seas to sleeps in the sand might means that how many things that requires to be done until finally ones get what ones actually wanted. The desire that never get satisfied just like the white dove that keep sail to find the sand.

Yes, and how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?

The cannon balls fly until it get banned pictured how something that literally bad but repeatedly being done anyway. The cannon balls fly can be translated into an actual cannon in war field or it also might be translated into any kinds of bad activity around us that never stop happening. 

Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?

The existence of the mountain can be the best representation of the power that how big it is and how influenced it is, it only a matter of time before it fade away at the end.

Yes, and how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?

People exist for some years and then allowed to be free is another word for people will die no matter how long they might have lived. This is the nature of mortality. How great some people can be in this world, we are still just people that going to die.

Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?

Many things happen and we are totally aware but we keep acting like everything is okay by giving no response. But for how long will we denying the truth?

Yes, and how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?

We already know what is actually going on, we are looking at the sky but never admit that the one we are seeing at the moment is the sky. Just like we see fire but we call it water.

Yes, and how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?

We hear screaming and crying but we pretend to hear nothing. Does the problem is one the voices that are seem to be less loud or the malfunction happening on our ears?

Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows
That too many people have died?

This might translated into literal meaning. The death as the death. People are dying and suffer everywhere. The war causing so many loses.

The song released on August 1963 and there have been so many comments ever since, regarding the ultimate same goal of seeking the meaning of this song lyric Blowing in The Wind by Bob Dylan. Some people would have said that the answer is none because it is blowing in the wind and for the characteristic of wind as something real but has no actual form and uncatchable but exist in everywhere so that the answer would be just the same as the wind. Some argued that this song lyric creation has something to do with the world situation at the time which was in the middle of Vietnam war, Bob Dylan wrote this as his critics towards what was going on.

In June 1962, the song was published in, accompanied by Dylan's comments:

“There ain’t too much I can say about this song except that the answer is blowing in the wind. It ain't in no book or movie or TV show or discussion group. Man, it's in the wind — and it’s blowing in the wind. Too many of these hip people are telling me where the answer is but oh I won't believe that. I still say it's in the wind and just like a restless piece of paper it's got to come down some ... But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down so not too many people get to see and know ... and then it flies away. I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it's wrong. I'm only 21 years old and I know that there's been too many… You people over 21, you're older and smarter.” (Bob Dylan, 1962)

The Answer is blowing in the wind

The answer is clear but the author, Bob Dylan, never wanted to say it explicitly. The author is trying to make the song as simple as possible and touch every people whose listening to the song to come into their very own conclusion that the answer is among us, that the answer is within us, just like the wind, we are the answer. We have known what is going on and we know what to do.

Despite of how old the song lyric are made back in 1962 but the context is still applicable even until now means one only thing, that we still have not the answer the question, because we still do nothing about what is happening in the world now.

The Answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind

The Answer is blowing in the wind

references :

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1669

http://bob-dylan.org.uk/archives/9

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-meaning-of-The-answer-is-blowing-in-the-wind-in-the-Bob-Dylan-song

https://www.essays24.com/Miscellaneous/Blowin-In-The-Wind-Analysis/26219.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowin'_in_the_Wind