Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" Meaning Explained & Who The Lyrics Are About
Bob Dylan's song "Like A Rolling Stone" inspired the title of his recent biopic A Complete Unknown, but what do the song lyrics really mean? Dylan has found himself back at the center of pop culture after Timothée Chalamet's critically acclaimed performance as the singer. Chalamet even released his own recording of the Dylan song and other classics from his career on the A Complete Unknown soundtrack. Unlike some other biopics, the film doesn't take viewers through the singer's whole life but a specific time period. However, the movie does a great job of highlighting Dylan's talent and career.
Bob Dylan is mainly known as a folk singer, but "Like A Rolling Stone" showcased a more electric sound. While change isn't always met with immediate praise, the switch-up showcased Dylan's desire to push the boundaries and allowed his artistic growth. Dylan has remained a major inspiration for the generations of songwriters and musicians who came after him. Miley Cyrus has covered his music on several occasions, and Taylor Swift even referenced him while writing a track for her album reputation. With all the music he's written, "Like A Rolling Stone" remains a profound song in his career.
Who Is Bob Dylan Singing About?
Dylan References Someone Called Miss Lonely
Like most clever songwriters, Bob Dylan lets his music speak for itself and never gave a clear answer on who inspired "Like A Rolling Stone." However, an analysis of the lyrics and Dylan's personal life offers some hints as to who "Miss Lonely" is. In his 1980 memoir, Andy Warhol confessed some people believed he had inspired the song because of the way he treated Edie Sedgwick. The model and actress grew up in a wealthy family, which appealed to the pop artist. Warhol was known for using people as his muses and then tossing them aside.
Warhol was also engulfed in the world of drug abuse and has often been blamed for Sedgwick's addiction. Sedgwick also had a brief romance with Dylan before finding out he had secretly married Sara Lownds. Warhol's muse is thought to be "Miss Lonely," while the artist is the "diplomat" who lets her down. However, Joan Baez has also been named as a potential inspiration. Baez's affair with Dylan is a prominent part of A Complete Unknown as they were seeing each other for about two years.
Another suggestion is that while Dylan may have been inspired by a woman, he is also singing about himself. Before releasing "Like A Rolling Stone," Dylan felt frustrated with the industry and nearly quit music. The opening verse about going from a privileged lifestyle to being broke on the street relates to how if Dylan had quit music, he would have to go back to his pre-fame Bohemian lifestyle.
Why Was Like A Rolling Stone Received Poorly
Fans Didn't Like Dylan's New Sound
"Like A Rolling Stone" may be one of Dylan's best-known songs now, but it wasn't initially received well. Dylan released his album Bringing It All Back Home in April 1965. It was his first album to incorporate a rock and electric sound, which was quite different for him since he'd established himself as a folk singer. He further leaned into his new sound when he released "Like A Rolling Stone" in July 1965 and later put it on his album Highway 65 Revisited.
A Complete Unknown features a remarkable retelling of the electric Dylan controversy, which came about when Dylan performed at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Fans were not happy about his new sound, and many of them booed as he performed his new music. Dylan also experienced some push-back from his record label and radio stations due to the length of "Like A Rolling Stone." However, fans ultimately ended up loving the song, and radio stations were forced to play it due to fan requests. It ended up charting at #2 on the US Billboard charts.
Like A Rolling Stone Lyrics Explained
What Is The Meaning Of The Song
Whether "Like A Rolling Stone" was inspired by a specific woman, multiple women, or was secretly about Dylan himself, there is a powerful story hidden in the lyrics. Dylan is singing about someone who had it all and has fallen from grace, now having to deal with the struggles of life.
Once upon a time you dressed so fine
Threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?
People call say 'beware doll, you're bound to fall'
You thought they were all kidding you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging your next meal
How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone
Ahh you've gone to the finest schools, alright Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out on the street
And now you're gonna have to get used to it
You say you never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?
How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be on your own, with no direction home
A complete unknown, like a rolling stone
Ah you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on a chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discovered that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal
How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be on your own, with no direction home
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone
Ahh princess on a steeple and all the pretty people
They're all drinking, thinking that they've got it made
Exchanging all precious gifts
But you better take your diamond ring, you better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him he calls you, you can't refuse
When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you've got no secrets to conceal
How does it feel, ah how does it feel?
To be on your own, with no direction home
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone
In the opening verse, Dylan sings of someone going from a glamorous lifestyle to now having to worry about where their next meal is coming from. In the chorus, he asks, "How does it feel?" wondering what it is like to have once been engulfed in luxury and then have it all taken away. By chorus two, he introduces the character "Miss Lonely," talking about her past as a prep school student, wondering how she's going to adjust to life out on the street.
In the next verse, Dylan goes further in depth about this character. Miss Lonely got all her success from swindlers who didn't have her best interest at heart. Now, she's suffering the consequences of relying on people who were only using and deceiving her. In the final verse, Dylan continues to reference her upper-class lifestyle slipping through her fingers.
However, there seems to be an optimism that isn't present in the rest of the song. Dylan spends most of the track mocking the upper class and warning this character of what's to come. In the final verse, Dylan realizes there are some pros to being "a complete unknown." He tells Miss Lonely, "When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose" and "you're invisible now, you've got no secrets to conceal."
This seems to be one of the biggest hints that Dylan is at least partially singing about himself. These lyrics are deeply personal, coming from someone who knows what it's like to have nothing and what it's like to have everything. He knows the pros and cons of both sides and while most people would not want to go from wealthy to poor, Dylan sees that there are some benefits.
While the song is in many ways mocking its main character, it also suggests there is a lot of freedom in losing everything. It's the only time this person will have the chance to start anew with no expectations, and Dylan understands that it's quite liberating.
Like Rolling Stone's Legacy
How Has Dylan's Song Impacted The World
"Like A Rolling Stone" has become a revolutionary hit. It propelled Dylan's career forward and cemented him as an artist who could not be boxed into one genre. Aside from how its lyrics inspired the title of his biopic, it has also impacted many artists who look up to Dylan as a role model. The song has been covered by artists like Jimi Hendrix, Green Day, John Mayer, and The Rolling Stones.
Singers like Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Frank Zappa, and Elvis Costello all remember how impressed they were upon hearing "Like A Rolling Stone" for the first time. The song also topped Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time lists in 2004 and 2010. The hit has certainly contributed to Bob Dylan's legacy and is a defining song in his career as it inspired him and other artists to step out of line.
