As you know, I devote Fridays to two posts. One highlights various things that caught my eye over the past week. This post is dedicated to two of my favorite loves: poetry and music. I highlight a different poet each week, including at least one poem and I also (usually) highlight a musical artist who makes at least one track available for download (free and legal). We also take time to highlight the artistic pursuits of others, namely the photography of Steve McCoy, Joe Thorn, Timmy Brister, Joe Kennedy, Laura Beth/Alex, Michael Cawley, Matthew Wireman, Alex Forrest and the history musings of Will Turner.

Today’s poet is one of my favorite writers. It’s odd that people don’t often equate songwriters with poets, but it’s hard for me to see them as anything else. Though some might debate it, I would argue that the greatest songwriter is Bob Dylan. Does that make him the greatest poet as well? I’m not sure. I realize that he is an aquired taste for many, but I have aquired it and if nothing else, I’d encourage you to spend time with his lyrics, he is a master of using and shaping words and those of us who wrestle with words for a living, whether it be preaching or writing, certainly have much to learn from him.

A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (1963)

Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, where have you been, my darling young one?
I’ve stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains,
I’ve walked and I’ve crawled on six crooked highways,
I’ve stepped in the middle of seven sad forests,
I’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceans,
I’ve been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard,
And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard,
And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.

Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it,
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin’,
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin’,
I saw a white ladder all covered with water,
I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken,
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children,
And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard,
And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.

And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin’,
Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,
Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin’,
Heard ten thousand whisperin’ and nobody listenin’,
Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin’,
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley,
And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard,
And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.

Oh, who did you meet, my blue-eyed son?
Who did you meet, my darling young one?
I met a young child beside a dead pony,
I met a white man who walked a black dog,
I met a young woman whose body was burning,
I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow,
I met one man who was wounded in love,
I met another man who was wounded with hatred,
And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard,
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.

Oh, what’ll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what’ll you do now, my darling young one?
I’m a-goin’ back out ‘fore the rain starts a-fallin’,
I’ll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest,
Where the people are many and their hands are all empty,
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters,
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison,
Where the executioner’s face is always well hidden,
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten,
Where black is the color, where none is the number,
And I’ll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it,
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it,
Then I’ll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin’,
But I’ll know my song well before I start singin’,
And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard,
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.

• Read Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan
• Read Lyrics: 1962-2001
• Buy Bob Dylan’s music
• Visit Bob Dylan’s official website

Today’s musical artist is another favorite instrumental project. Sonna plays melodic instrumental post-rock in the vein of Lanterna, The Mercury Program and the Six Parts Seven. While bands like these often serve as background music for some, upon closer listen there is a depth of emotion, just as powerful (if not moreso in my opnion) than their lyrical counterparts. As allmusic.com says, “Sonna evokes the feeling of a summer road trip across the middle sprawl of America with sunlight dancing on the dashboard, or warm nights in quiet towns during truck stop living.” A bit more mellow than last week’s selection but still one of my favorite instrumental acts. Enjoy.

• Download “Frone Taj”
• Download “Makeshift”
• Download “Real Quiet”
• Buy We Sing Loud Sing Soft Tonight
• Buy Smile & The World Smiles With You
• Download Sonna from eMusic