by Larry Fyffe
Emanuel Swedenborg claims that he visits other planets in our solar system as well as the World of the Spirits, but the religious writer gives no supporting evidence that he actually does so.
However, there is plenty of evidence that singer/songwriter Bob Dylan travels back and forth in time and space. There are writers who claim that alien space ships visit Earth a long time ago, but again they provide no convincing evidence that this actually happened. On the other hand, it can be demonstrated that a number of authors of the Holy Bible were inspired by Dylan’s lyrics, and this shows that the singer/songwriter must have been in contact with them before the Bible’s written.
Old Testament Ezekiel supposedly foresees the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians; God is angry at their corrupt ways; the ‘prophet’ warns the Hebrews to prepare an escape route for themselves and their stuff:
Dig thou through the wall in their sight And carry out thereby In their sight shalt thou bear it up upon thy shoulders And carry if forth in the twilight (Ezekiel 12:5,6)
It’s quite clear that Ezekiel’s gets his prophecy from listening to the following song lyrics:
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 (Bob Dylan: Lily, Rosemary, And The Jack Of Hearts)
“J.O. H.” be a code word for JehOvaH.
How else to explain the ‘prophet’ Jeremiah being aware of the modern steam locomotive when he writes the story about the Queen of Sheba visiting King Solomon:
And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train With camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones And when she come to Solomon, she communed with him in her heart (I Kings 10: 2)
Without a shadow of a doubt Jeremiah incorporates Dylan lyrics in the telling the story of moral corruption (the King accepts the camels, spices, gold, and gems carried by the train from Ethiopia), and how it will eventually lead to the splitting up of Northern and Southern Israel.
It’s evident that Jeremiah is only considered a prophet because he’s informed by the lyrics below as to what is going to happen in the future:
Sometimes I feel so low-down and disgusted Can't help but wonder what's happenin' to my companions Are they lost or are they found? Have they counted the cost it'll take to bring down All their earthly principles they're gonna have to abandon? There's a slow, a slow train comin' up around the bend (Bob Dylan: Slow Train)
The reference to the train by Jeremiah is a sure giveaway that he pinched his so-called prophecy from the singer/songwriter who, because he comes from the future, already knows what’s gonna happen.
The “Song Of Solomon” too ‘borrows’ from the lyrics above:
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest Where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon For why should I be as one that turneth aside By the flocks of thy companions? (Song Of Solomon 1:7)
Likewise, the prophet Hosea supposedly speaks of Hebrews being forced to flee their homeland in order to escape the onslaught of the Assyrians sent by God to punish them for their wayward behaviour:
For, lo, they are gone because of destruction Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them The pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them Thorns shall be in their tabernacles (Hosea 9:6)
This Hosea story, the ‘prophet’ actually makes up from song lyrics that have been whispered in his ear:
Now the preacher looked so baffled When I asked him why he dressed With twenty pounds of headlines stapled to his chest But he cursed me when I proved to him Then I whispered, said, "Not even you can hide You see you're just like me, I hope you're satisfied" Oh, Mama, can this really be the end To be stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again (Bob Dylan: Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again)
The giveaway clue: this is the only time that the name “Memphis” is mentioned in the holy book.
What else is here?
You’ll find some notes about our latest posts arranged by themes and subjects on the home page. You can also see details of our main sections on this site at the top of this page under the picture.
The index to all the 590 Dylan compositions and co-compositions that we have found on the A to Z page.
We also have a very lively discussion group “Untold Dylan” on Facebook with over 2000 active members. (Try imagining a place where it is always safe and warm). Just type the phrase “Untold Dylan” in, on your Facebook page or follow this link
If you are interested in Dylan’s work from a particular year or era, your best place to start is Bob Dylan year by year.
On the other hand if you would like to write for this website, please do drop me a line with details of your idea, or if you prefer, a whole article. Email Tony@schools.co.uk
And please do note The Bob Dylan Project, which lists every Dylan song in alphabetical order, and has links to licensed recordings and performances by Dylan and by other artists, is starting to link back to our reviews