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Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast

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Rating
★★★★★
5
from
18 reviews
This podcast has
44 episodes
Language
English
Explicit
No
Date created
2024/05/06
Latest episode
2026/10/15
Average duration
70 min.
Release period
31 days

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Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast, where we explore the man and the music one song at a time.

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Check latest episodes from Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast podcast


31. If You See Her, Say Hello - With Mark Swartz
2026/10/15
Welcome to Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast, where we explore the man and the music one song at a time. In this episode Henry welcomes Mark Swartz, author of The Music Never Died: Tales from the Flipside, to break down If You See Her, Say Hello from 1975's Blood On The Tracks.    Follow Along: If you see her, say hello, she might be in TangierShe left here last early Spring, is livin' there, I hearSay for me that I'm all right, though things get kind of slowShe might think that I've forgotten her, don't tell her it isn't so We had a falling out, like lovers often willAnd to think of how she left that night, it still brings me a chillAnd though our separation, it pierced me to the heartShe still lives inside of me, we've never been apart If you get close to her, kiss her once for meAlways have respected her for doing what she didFor I know it had to be that way, it was written in the cardsBut the bitter taste still lingers on, it all came down so hard I see a lot of people as I make the roundsAnd I hear her name here and there as I go from town to townAnd I've never gotten used to it, I've just learned to turn it offEither I'm too sensitive, or else I'm gettin' soft Sundown, yellow moon, I replay the pastI know every scene by heart, they all went by so fastIf she's passin' back this way, I'm not that hard to findTell her she can look me up if she's got the time Check out Mark's fabulous books! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1959163051?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JBCHXP6?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback   Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
30. "Love & Theft" at 25!
2026/09/11
For the first time ever, Henry and Erin Callahan welcome you to a crossover episode with Infinity Goes Up On Trial! In this very special episode Henry and Erin are joined by a panel of experts to discuss the 25th anniversary of "Love & Theft" and September 11, 2001, which famously (in the Dylan world) occurred on the same day. Our expert panel of Michael Glover Smith, Roberta Rakove, Adam Selzer share their thoughts, memories and feelings about both the album and that day.  What were your memories from that day? Did you buy "Love & Theft" when it came out? Tag @songsofbob on Instagram with your thoughts! Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
29. Goodbye Jimmy Reed with Erin Callahan
2026/08/17
Welcome to Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast, where we explore the man and the music one song at a time. In this episode, Henry welcomes back his bestie Erin Callahan to talk about Goodbye Jimmy Reed and the finale of the Long Hot Summer 2026 in Nashville!  Goodbye Jimmy Reed Written by: Bob Dylan I live on a street named after a Saint Women in the churches wear powder and paint Where the Jews and the Catholics and the Muslims all pray I can tell a Proddy from a mile away Goodbye Jimmy Reed - Jimmy Reed indeed Give me that old time religion, it’s just what I need For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory Go tell it on the Mountain, go tell the real story Tell it in that straight forward puritanical tone In the mystic hours when a person’s alone Goodbye Jimmy Reed - Godspeed Thump on the bible - proclaim the creed You won’t amount to much the people all said ‘Cause I didn’t play guitar behind my head Never pandered never acted proud Never took off my shoes and threw them into the crowd Goodbye Jimmy Reed - goodbye and goodnight I’ll put a jewel in your crown - I’ll put out the light They threw everything at me, everything in the book Had nothing to fight with but a butcher’s hook They have no pity - they don’t lend a hand And I can’t sing a song that I don’t understand Goodbye Jimmy Reed - goodbye and good luck Can’t play the record ‘cause my needle got stuck Transparent woman in a transparent dress It suits you well - I must confess I’ll break open your grapes I’ll suck out the juice I need you like my head needs a noose Goodbye Jimmy Reed, goodbye and so long I thought I could resist her but I was so wrong G-d be with you, brother dear If you don’t mind me asking, what brings you here? Oh, nothing much, I’m just looking for the man I came to see where he’s lying in this lost land Goodbye Jimmy Reed and with everything within ya Can’t you hear me calling from down in Virginia     Check out Erin's new book! https://bookshop.org/p/books/bob-dylan-in-the-1980s-a-reconsideration-erin-c-callahan/1f54f866c253f95d  And her fabulous podcast: https://infinitygoesupontrial.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
28. Desolation Row with Dr. Stephen Daniel Arnoff
2026/07/15
Welcome to Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast, where we explore the man and the music, one song at a time. In this episode, Henry welcomes renowned scholar and author of "About Man and God and Law: The Spiritual Wisdom of Bob Dylan," Dr. Stephen Daniel Arnoff to discuss a top 3 song, of Henry's from the legendary, Highway 61 Revisited, 1965's DESOLATION ROW.  Listen to the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUvcWXTIjcU Desolation Row Written by: Bob Dylan They’re selling postcards of the hanging They’re painting the passports brown The beauty parlor is filled with sailors The circus is in town Here comes the blind commissioner They’ve got him in a trance One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker The other is in his pants And the riot squad they’re restless They need somewhere to go As Lady and I look out tonight From Desolation Row Cinderella, she seems so easy “It takes one to know one,” she smiles And puts her hands in her back pockets Bette Davis style And in comes Romeo, he’s moaning “You Belong to Me I Believe” And someone says, “You’re in the wrong place my friend You better leave” And the only sound that’s left After the ambulances go Is Cinderella sweeping up On Desolation Row Now the moon is almost hidden The stars are beginning to hide The fortune-telling lady Has even taken all her things inside All except for Cain and Abel And the hunchback of Notre Dame Everybody is making love Or else expecting rain And the Good Samaritan, he’s dressing He’s getting ready for the show He’s going to the carnival tonight On Desolation Row Now Ophelia, she’s ’neath the window For her I feel so afraid On her twenty-second birthday She already is an old maid To her, death is quite romantic She wears an iron vest Her profession’s her religion Her sin is her lifelessness And though her eyes are fixed upon Noah’s great rainbow She spends her time peeking Into Desolation Row Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood With his memories in a trunk Passed this way an hour ago With his friend, a jealous monk He looked so immaculately frightful As he bummed a cigarette Then he went off sniffing drainpipes And reciting the alphabet Now you would not think to look at him But he was famous long ago For playing the electric violin On Desolation Row Dr. Filth, he keeps his world Inside of a leather cup But all his sexless patients They’re trying to blow it up Now his nurse, some local loser She’s in charge of the cyanide hole And she also keeps the cards that read “Have Mercy on His Soul” They all play on pennywhistles You can hear them blow If you lean your head out far enough From Desolation Row Across the street they’ve nailed the curtains They’re getting ready for the feast The Phantom of the Opera A perfect image of a priest They’re spoonfeeding Casanova To get him to feel more assured Then they’ll kill him with self-confidence After poisoning him with words And the Phantom’s shouting to skinny girls “Get Outa Here If You Don’t Know Casanova is just being punished for going To Desolation Row” Now at midnight all the agents And the superhuman crew Come out and round up everyone That knows more than they do Then they bring them to the factory Where the heart-attack machine Is strapped across their shoulders And then the kerosene Is brought down from the castles By insurance men who go Check to see that nobody is escaping To Desolation Row Praise be to Nero’s Neptune The Titanic sails at dawn And everybody’s shouting “Which Side Are You On?” And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot Fighting in the captain’s tower While calypso singers laugh at them And fishermen hold flowers Between the windows of the sea Where lovely mermaids flow And nobody has to think too much About Desolation Row Yes, I received your letter yesterday (About the time the doorknob broke) When you asked how I was doing Was that some kind of joke? All these people that you mention Yes, I know them, they’re quite lame I had to rearrange their faces And give them all another name Right now I can’t read too good Don’t send me no more letters no Not unless you mail them From Desolation Row Copyright © 1965 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1993 by Special Rider Music Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
27. "Bob" by Weird Al with Ray Padgett
2026/06/15
In this weird Episode, Henry veers off course to talk to Bob Dylan scholar, writer & expert, Ray Padgett, about Weird Al Yankovic's 2003 pastiche of a Bob Dylan song, "Bob." Come for Ray Padgett, stay for the best palindromes you'll hear today! I promise, next month, back to a Bob Dylan song!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIty7RqbF9o  I, man, am Regal, a German am I Never odd or even If I had a Hi-Fi Madam, I'm Adam Too hot to hoot No lemons, no melon Too bad I hid a boot Lisa Bonet ate no basil Warsaw was raw Was it a car or a cat I saw? Rise to vote, sir Do geese see God? Do nine men interpret? Nine men I nod Rats live on no evil star Won't lovers revolt now? Race fast safe car Pa's a sap Ma is as selfless as I am May a moody baby doom a yam Ah Satan sees Natasha No devil lived on Lonely Tylenol Not a banana baton No X in Nixon O stone, be not so O Geronimo, no minor ego "Naomi" I moan A Toyota's a Toyota A dog, a panic, in a pagoda Oh no, Don Ho Nurse, I spy gypsies, run! Senile felines Now I see bees, I won UFO tofu We panic in a pew Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo God, a red nugget, a fat egg under a dog Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog   Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
26. John Brown with Jon Lasser
2026/05/16
Welcome to Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast, where we explore the man and the music one song at a time. Henry brings in Professor Jon Lasser to teach us all about the early 60's Bob Dylan song that didn't see the light of day till the mid 90s, "John Brown." Learn more from Jon at @teachingbobdylan! Listen and follow along with the song here: John Brown Written by: Bob Dylan John Brown went off to war to fight on a foreign shore His mama sure was proud of him! He stood straight and tall in his uniform and all His mama’s face broke out all in a grin “Oh son, you look so fine, I’m glad you’re a son of mine You make me proud to know you hold a gun Do what the captain says, lots of medals you will get And we’ll put them on the wall when you come home” As that old train pulled out, John’s ma began to shout Tellin’ ev’ryone in the neighborhood: “That’s my son that’s about to go, he’s a soldier now, you know” She made well sure her neighbors understood She got a letter once in a while and her face broke into a smile As she showed them to the people from next door And she bragged about her son with his uniform and gun And these things you called a good old-fashioned war Oh! Good old-fashioned war! Then the letters ceased to come, for a long time they did not come They ceased to come for about ten months or more Then a letter finally came saying, “Go down and meet the train Your son’s a-coming home from the war” She smiled and went right down, she looked everywhere around But she could not see her soldier son in sight But as all the people passed, she saw her son at last When she did she could hardly believe her eyes Oh his face was all shot up and his hand was all blown off And he wore a metal brace around his waist He whispered kind of slow, in a voice she did not know While she couldn’t even recognize his face! Oh! Lord! Not even recognize his face “Oh tell me, my darling son, pray tell me what they done How is it you come to be this way?” He tried his best to talk but his mouth could hardly move And the mother had to turn her face away “Don’t you remember, Ma, when I went off to war You thought it was the best thing I could do? I was on the battleground, you were home . . . acting proud You wasn’t there standing in my shoes” “Oh, and I thought when I was there, God, what am I doing here? I’m a-tryin’ to kill somebody or die tryin’ But the thing that scared me most was when my enemy came close And I saw that his face looked just like mine” Oh! Lord! Just like mine! “And I couldn’t help but think, through the thunder rolling and stink That I was just a puppet in a play And through the roar and smoke, this string is finally broke And a cannonball blew my eyes away” As he turned away to walk, his Ma was still in shock At seein’ the metal brace that helped him stand But as he turned to go, he called his mother close And he dropped his medals down into her hand Copyright © 1963, 1968 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1991, 1996 by Special Rider Music Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
25. Mississippi with Laura Tenschert (Definitely Dylan)
2026/04/15
Welcome to Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast, where we explore the man and the music one song at a time. Henry finally welcomes the iconic Queen of Bob Dylan Podcasting, Laura Tenschert aka "Definitely Dylan!" In this episode Laura brings our first "Love & Theft" song to the podcast with, "Mississippi" for a lively and fun discussion! Mississippi Written by: Bob Dylan Every step of the way we walk the line Your days are numbered, so are mine Time is pilin’ up, we struggle and we scrape We’re all boxed in, nowhere to escape City’s just a jungle, more games to play Trapped in the heart of it, trying to get away I was raised in the country, I been workin’ in the town I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down Got nothing for you, I had nothing before Don’t even have anything for myself anymore Sky full of fire, pain pourin’ down Nothing you can sell me, I’ll see you around All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime Could never do you justice in reason or rhyme Only one thing I did wrong Stayed in Mississippi a day too long Well, the devil’s in the alley, mule’s in the stall Say anything you wanna, I have heard it all I was thinkin’ about the things that Rosie said I was dreaming I was sleeping in Rosie’s bed Walking through the leaves, falling from the trees Feeling like a stranger nobody sees So many things that we never will undo I know you’re sorry, I’m sorry too Some people will offer you their hand and some won’t Last night I knew you, tonight I don’t I need somethin’ strong to distract my mind I’m gonna look at you ‘til my eyes go blind Well I got here following the southern star I crossed that river just to be where you are Only one thing I did wrong Stayed in Mississippi a day too long Well my ship’s been split to splinters and it’s sinking fast I’m drownin’ in the poison, got no future, got no past But my heart is not weary, it’s light and it’s free I’ve got nothin’ but affection for all those who’ve sailed with me Everybody movin’ if they ain’t already there Everybody got to move somewhere Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow Things should start to get interesting right about now My clothes are wet, tight on my skin Not as tight as the corner that I painted myself in I know that fortune is waitin’ to be kind So give me your hand and say you’ll be mine Well, the emptiness is endless, cold as the clay You can always come back, but you can’t come back all the way Only one thing I did wrong Stayed in Mississippi a day too long Copyright © 1996 by Special Rider Music Check out https://www.definitelydylan.com/ and Laura's Patreon, for more content! https://www.patreon.com/c/definitelydylan/posts Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
24. Cold Irons Bound with Michael Glover Smith
2026/03/15
Welcome to Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast, where we explore the man and the music one song at a time.  In this episode, Chicago Filmmaker and author, Michael Glover Smith returns to discuss 1997's Grammy award winning, Cold Irons Bound and its placement in 2003's Masked & Anonymous. Michael also talks about his book, "Bob Dylan As Filmmaker: No Time To Think.  Check out www.michaelgloversmith.com Listen to the song and follow along with the lyrics:  Cold Irons Bound Written by: Bob Dylan I’m beginning to hear voices and there’s no one around Well, I’m all used up and the fields have turned brown I went to church on Sunday and she passed by My love for her is taking such a long time to die I’m waist deep, waist deep in the mist It’s almost like, almost like I don’t exist I’m twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound The walls of pride are high and wide Can’t see over to the other side It’s such a sad thing to see beauty decay It’s sadder still to feel your heart torn away One look at you and I’m out of control Like the universe has swallowed me whole I’m twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound There’s too many people, too many to recall I thought some of ’m were friends of mine, I was wrong about ’m all Well, the road is rocky and the hillside’s mud Up over my head nothing but clouds of blood I found my world, found my world in you But your love just hasn’t proved true I’m twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound Twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound Oh, the winds in Chicago have torn me to shreds Reality has always had too many heads Some things last longer than you think they will There are some kind of things you can never kill It’s you and you only I been thinking about But you can’t see in and it’s hard lookin’ out I’m twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound Well the fat’s in the fire and the water’s in the tank The whiskey’s in the jar and the money’s in the bank I tried to love and protect you because I cared I’m gonna remember forever the joy that we shared Looking at you and I’m on my bended knee You have no idea what you do to me I’m twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound Twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound   Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
23. Lily, Rosemary & The Jack Of Hearts with Amy Maude Helfer (Mezzo Soprano)
2026/02/15
Henry welcomes professional opera singer and cantor, Mezzo Soprano, Amy Maude Helfer, to talk about 1975's Blood On The Tracks song, Lily Rosemary & The Jack Of Hearts. Listen to the song and follow along with the lyrics: https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/lily-rosemary-and-jack-hearts/ Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of HeartsWritten by: Bob Dylan The festival was over, the boys were all plannin’ for a fall The cabaret was quiet except for the drillin’ in the wall The curfew had been lifted and the gamblin’ wheel shut down Anyone with any sense had already left town He was standin’ in the doorway lookin’ like the Jack of Hearts He moved across the mirrored room, “Set it up for everyone,” he said Then everyone commenced to do what they were doin’ before he turned their heads Then he walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin “Could you kindly tell me, friend, what time the show begins?” Then he moved into the corner, face down like the Jack of Hearts Backstage the girls were playin’ five-card stud by the stairs Lily had two queens, she was hopin’ for a third to match her pair Outside the streets were fillin’ up, the window was open wide A gentle breeze was blowin’, you could feel it from inside Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts Big Jim was no one’s fool, he owned the town’s only diamond mine He made his usual entrance lookin’ so dandy and so fine With his bodyguards and silver cane and every hair in place He took whatever he wanted to and he laid it all to waste But his bodyguards and silver cane were no match for the Jack of Hearts Rosemary combed her hair and took a carriage into town She slipped in through the side door lookin’ like a queen without a crown She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear “Sorry, darlin’, that I’m late,” but he didn’t seem to hear He was starin’ into space over at the Jack of Hearts “I know I’ve seen that face before,” Big Jim was thinkin’ to himself “Maybe down in Mexico or a picture up on somebody’s shelf” But then the crowd began to stamp their feet and the houselights did dim And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him Starin’ at the butterfly who just drew the Jack of Hearts Lily was a princess, she was fair-skinned and precious as a child She did whatever she had to do, she had that certain flash every time she smiled She’d come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs With men in every walk of life which took her everywhere But she’d never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts The hangin’ judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined The drillin’ in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind It was known all around that Lily had Jim’s ring And nothing would ever come between Lily and the king No, nothin’ ever would except maybe the Jack of Hearts Rosemary started drinkin’ hard and seein’ her reflection in the knife She was tired of the attention, tired of playin’ the role of Big Jim’s wife She had done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide Was lookin’ to do just one good deed before she died She was gazin’ to the future, riding on the Jack of Hearts Lily washed her face, took her dress off and buried it away “Has your luck run out?” she laughed at him, “Well, I guess you must     have known it would someday Be careful not to touch the wall, there’s a brand-new coat of paint I’m glad to see you’re still alive, you’re lookin’ like a saint” Down the hallway footsteps were comin’ for the Jack of Hearts The backstage manager was pacing all around by his chair “There’s something funny going on,” he said, “I can just feel it in the air” He went to get the hangin’ judge, but the hangin’ judge was drunk As the leading actor hurried by in the costume of a monk There was no actor anywhere better than the Jack of Hearts Lily’s arms were locked around the man that she dearly loved to touch She forgot all about the man she couldn’t stand who hounded her so much “I’ve missed you so,” she said to him, and he felt she was sincere But just beyond the door he felt jealousy and fear Just another night in the life of the Jack of Hearts No one knew the circumstance but they say that it happened pretty quick The door to the dressing room burst open and a cold revolver clicked And Big Jim was standin’ there, ya couldn’t say surprised Rosemary right beside him, steady in her eyes She was with Big Jim but she was leanin’ to the Jack of Hearts Two doors down the boys finally made it through the wall And cleaned out the bank safe, it’s said that they got off with quite a haul In the darkness by the riverbed they waited on the ground For one more member who had business back in town But they couldn’t go no further without the Jack of Hearts The next day was hangin’ day, the sky was overcast and black Big Jim lay covered up, killed by a penknife in the back And Rosemary on the gallows, she didn’t even blink The hangin’ judge was sober, he hadn’t had a drink The only person on the scene missin’ was the Jack of Hearts The cabaret was empty now, a sign said, “Closed for repair” Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair She was thinkin’ ’bout her father, who she very rarely saw Thinkin’ ’bout Rosemary and thinkin’ about the law But most of all she was thinkin’ ’bout the Jack of Hearts Copyright © 1974 by Ram's Horn Music; renewed 2002 by Ram’s Horn Music Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
22. Tryin' To Get To Heaven with Steven Rings (What Did You Hear?)
2026/01/15
In this episode, Henry joins Steven Rings, author of "What Did You Hear? The Music Of Bob Dylan," in his home studio to break down the music in the Time Out Of Mind masterpiece, "Tryin' To Get To Heaven." Listen to the album version, and when you hear us start talking about the "2000 version" found on both Fragments and Tell Tale Signs, listen here. Tryin' To Get To Heaven  Written By Bob Dylan: The air is getting hotter There’s a rumbling in the skies I’ve been wading through the high muddy water With the heat rising in my eyes Every day your memory grows dimmer It doesn’t haunt me like it did before I’ve been walking through the middle of nowhere Trying to get to heaven before they close the door When I was in Missouri They would not let me be I had to leave there in a hurry I only saw what they let me see You broke a heart that loved you Now you can seal up the book and not write anymore I’ve been walking that lonesome valley Trying to get to heaven before they close the door People on the platforms Waiting for the trains I can hear their hearts a-beatin’ Like pendulums swinging on chains I tried to give you everything That your heart was longing for I’m just going down the road feeling bad Trying to get to heaven before they close the door I’m going down the river Down to New Orleans They tell me everything is gonna be all right But I don’t know what “all right” even means I was riding in a buggy with Miss Mary-Jane Miss Mary-Jane got a house in Baltimore I been all around the world, boys Now I’m trying to get to heaven before they close the door Gonna sleep down in the parlor And relive my dreams I’ll close my eyes and I wonder If everything is as hollow as it seems When you think that you’ve lost everything You find out you can always lose a little more I been to Sugar Town, I shook the sugar down Now I’m trying to get to heaven before they close the door Copyright © 1997 by Special Rider Music Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
21. Live In Dublin with Erin Callahan & Michael Glover Smith!
2025/12/15
Henry ends 2025, reflecting on his trip to Dublin, Ireland to see Bob Dylan along with 2 All-Star guests, Erin Callahan and Michael Glover Smith. Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
20. God Knows with Rob Kelly (Pod Dylan)
2025/11/15
Welcome to Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast, where we explore the man and the music one song at a time In this episode Henry welcomes his friend and mentor Rob Kelly for a homecoming and return to Bob Dylan podcasting!  Rob and Henry discuss 1990's Under The Red Sky track, God Knows. https://music.apple.com/us/album/god-knows/717157868?i=717157887 God KnowsWritten by: Bob Dylan God knows you ain’t pretty God knows it’s true God knows there ain’t anybody Ever gonna take the place of you God knows it’s a struggle God knows it’s a crime God knows there’s gonna be no more water But fire next time God don’t call it treason God don’t call it wrong It was supposed to last a season But it’s been so strong for so long God knows it’s fragile God knows everything God knows it could snap apart right now Just like putting scissors to a string God knows it’s terrifying God sees it all unfold There’s a million reasons for you to be crying You been so bold and so cold God knows that when you see it God knows you’ve got to weep God knows the secrets of your heart He’ll tell them to you when you’re asleep God knows there’s a river God knows how to make it flow God knows you ain’t gonna be taking Nothing with you when you go God knows there’s a purpose God knows there’s a chance God knows you can rise above the darkest hour Of any circumstance God knows there’s a heaven God knows it’s out of sight God knows we can get all the way from here to there Even if we’ve got to walk a million miles by candlelight   Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
19. Spirit On The Water with Caroline Schwarz (The Bob Dylan Fan Club)
2025/10/15
Welcome to Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast, where we explore the man and the music one song at a time. This episode Henry completes the set of Bob Dylan Fan Club founders with Caroline Schwarz, discussing Spirit On The Water from 2006's Modern Times. https://music.apple.com/us/album/spirit-on-the-water/187497036?i=187497259 Spirit on the WaterWritten by: Bob Dylan Spirit on the water Darkness on the face of the deep I keep thinking about you baby I can’t hardly sleep I’m traveling by land Traveling through the dawn of day You’re always on my mind I can’t stay away I’d forgotten about you Then you turned up again I always knew That we were meant to be more than friends When you are near It’s just as plain as it can be I’m wild about you, gal You ought to be a fool about me Can’t explain The sources of this hidden pain You burned your way into my heart You got the key to my brain I’ve been trampling through mud Praying to the powers above I’m sweating blood You got a face that begs for love Life without you Doesn’t mean a thing to me If I can’t have you I’ll throw my love into the deep blue sea Sometimes I wonder Why you can’t treat me right You do good all day Then you do wrong all night When you’re with me I’m a thousand times happier than I could ever say What does it matter What price I pay They brag about your sugar Brag about it all over town Put some sugar in my bowl I feel like laying down I’m pale as a ghost Holding a blossom on a stem You ever seen a ghost? No But you have heard of them I hear your name Ringing up and down the line I’m saying it plain These ties are strong enough to bind I been in a brawl Now I’m feeling the wall I’m going away baby I won’t be back ’til fall High on the hill You can carry all my thoughts with you You’ve numbed my will This love could tear me in two I wanna be with you in paradise And it seems so unfair I can’t go back to paradise no more I killed a man back there You think I’m over the hill You think I’m past my prime Let me see what you got We can have a whoppin’ good time   Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
18. Things Have Changed with Liz Cantalamessa
2025/09/15
Welcome to Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast, where we explore the man and the music one song at a time. Henry welcomes writer, scholar, professor, front row warrior, fellow Swiftie and all around Bestie, Liz Cantalamessa to discuss Dylan's 2000, Oscar Winning song "Things Have Changed."  Watch the Things Have Changed Video Follow along with the lyrics here: Things Have ChangedWritten by: Bob Dylan A worried man with a worried mind No one in front of me and nothing behind There’s a woman on my lap and she’s drinking champagne Got white skin, blood in my eyes I’m looking up into the sapphire-tinted skies I’m well dressed, waiting on the last train Standing on the gallows with my head in a noose Any minute now I’m expecting all hell to break loose People are crazy and times are strange I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range I used to care, but things have changed This place ain’t doing me any good I’m in the wrong town, I should be in Hollywood Just for a second there I thought I saw something move Gonna take dancing lessons, do the jitterbug rag Ain’t no shortcuts, gonna dress in drag Only a fool in here would think he’s got anything to prove Lot of water under the bridge, lot of other stuff too Don’t get up gentlemen, I’m only passing through People are crazy and times are strange I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range I used to care, but things have changed I’ve been walking forty miles of bad road If the Bible is right, the world will explode I’ve been trying to get as far away from myself as I can Some things are too hot to touch The human mind can only stand so much You can’t win with a losing hand Feel like falling in love with the first woman I meet Putting her in a wheelbarrow and wheeling her down the street People are crazy and times are strange I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range I used to care, but things have changed I hurt easy, I just don’t show it You can hurt someone and not even know it The next sixty seconds could be like an eternity Gonna get low down, gonna fly high All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie I’m in love with a woman who don’t even appeal to me Mr. Jinx and Miss Lucy, they jumped in the lake I’m not that eager to make a mistake People are crazy and times are strange I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range I used to care, but things have changed   Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.
17. Where Are You Tonight (Journey Through Dark Heat) With Kait Runevitch (The Bob Dylan Fan Club)
2025/08/15
Welcome to Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast, where we explore the man and the music one song at a time. Henry welcomes dear friend and co-founder of The Bob Dylan Fan Club, Kait Runevitch to discuss 1978's Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat).    Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)Written by: Bob Dylan There’s a long-distance train rolling through the rain Tears on the letter I write There’s a woman I long to touch and I miss her so much But she’s drifting like a satellite There’s a neon light ablaze in this green smoky haze Laughter down on Elizabeth Street And a lonesome bell tone in that valley of stone Where she bathed in a stream of pure heat Her father would emphasize you got to be more than streetwise But he practiced what he preached from the heart A full-blooded Cherokee, he predicted to me The time and the place that the trouble would start There’s a babe in the arms of a woman in a rage And a longtime golden-haired stripper onstage And she winds back the clock and she turns back the page Of a book that no one can write Oh, where are you tonight? The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure To live it you have to explode In that last hour of need, we entirely agreed Sacrifice was the code of the road I left town at dawn, with Marcel and St. John Strong men belittled by doubt I couldn’t tell her what my private thoughts were But she had some way of finding them out He took dead-center aim but he missed just the same She was waiting, putting flowers on the shelf She could feel my despair as I climbed up her hair And discovered her invisible self There’s a lion in the road, there’s a demon escaped There’s a million dreams gone, there’s a landscape being raped As her beauty fades and I watch her undrape I won’t but then again, maybe I might Oh, if I could just find you tonight I fought with my twin, that enemy within ’Til both of us fell by the way Horseplay and disease is killing me by degrees While the law looks the other way Your partners in crime hit me up for nickels and dimes The guy you were lovin’ couldn’t stay clean It felt outa place, my foot in his face But he should-a stayed where his money was green I bit into the root of forbidden fruit With the juice running down my leg Then I dealt with your boss, who’d never known about loss And who always was too proud to beg There’s a white diamond gloom on the dark side of this room And a pathway that leads up to the stars If you don’t believe there’s a price for this sweet paradise Remind me to show you the scars There’s a new day at dawn and I’ve finally arrived If I’m there in the morning, baby, you’ll know I’ve survived I can’t believe it, I can’t believe I’m alive But without you it just doesn’t seem right Oh, where are you tonight?   Follow us on Instagram @songsofbob, If you would like to support hosting my podcasts, please check out my Patreon where for $5 I will give you a shout out on the podcast of your choice. Thank you to, Rob Kelly, Roberta Rakove, Matt Simonson, and Christopher Vanni. For $10, in addition to the shout-out I'll send you a surprise piece of Bob Dylan merch! Thank you to Kaitie Cerovec who is already enjoying her merch! I have a merch shop! Check out all sorts of fun Bob Dylan (and more) items! Thank you to Mark Godfrey, & Linda Maultsby over on Substack. Email us at [email protected] Subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack.

Podcast reviews

Read Songs of Experience: A Bob Dylan Podcast podcast reviews


5 out of 5
18 reviews
★★★★★
MollyM54 2026/07/23
Lyrics and more
Following on the revered Pod Dylan, Songs of Experience delves into the lyrics of a Bob Dylan song line by line. This deep dive is really fun because ...
★★★★★
OhSister 2024/12/10
A Must Listen for Bob Fans
Henry Bernstein is not only incredibly knowledgeable about Bob Dylan. He is also a gifted interviewer who knows how to draw the best out of his guests...
★★★★★
Field357 2024/08/29
Dylan fans for Harris
And you lost me.
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