John Brown WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN

 

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

 

Reference to the context: These lines have been extracted from Bob Dylan’s anti-war poem ‘John Brown’. Dylan presents an antimilitarist theme, the tale of an innocent sent off to war to fight on a foreign shore. The poem portrays the futility of wars. It was written in Dylan's protest song period. As a song, it was recorded for the first time in February 1963 at ' Broadside Records', New York City. 

In the above lines, the poet begins the poem on a dramatic note introducing the characters and their profession. 

Explanation: The poet begins the tale abruptly without any proper introduction. John Brown went off to war in an alien country. No details of the war are mentioned. The young soldier's proud mother dispatches him with the advice to obey the captain and win medals. She desired to see him dressed in uniform and winning laurels in the war. John Brown looked very respectable when dressed in the uniform and brought a smile onto his mother's face. She felt as if her dream has come true.

“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”

Reference to the context: These lines have been extracted from Bob Dylan’s anti-war poem ‘John Brown’. Dylan presents an antimilitarist theme, the tale of an innocent sent off to war to fight on a foreign shore. The poem portrays the futility of wars. It was written in Dylan's protest song period. As a song, it was recorded for the first time in February 1963 at ' Broadside Records', New York City. 

In the above lines, the mother's sense of pride and relation is revealed. She advises him to follow his superior's orders and win lots of medals. 

Explanation: The mother appreciates the son as charming and handsome in his uniform. She even expresses her pride in watching him holding the gun. She exhorts him to obey his Captain and win lots of medals. She said that she would display the medals on the wall when he returned home victorious. She only desired fame and glory overlooking the dangers and destruction of war.

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

Reference to the context: These lines have been extracted from Bob Dylan’s anti-war poem ‘John Brown’. Dylan presents an antimilitarist theme, the tale of an innocent sent off to war to fight on a foreign shore. The poem portrays the futility of wars. It was written in Dylan's protest song period. As a song, it was recorded for the first time in February 1963 at ' Broadside Records', New York City. 

In the above lines, John Brown's brags about his being a soldier. She did not keep her pride but happiness to herself but shared it with her neighbours.

Explanation: As John Brown is going away to war in an old train, his mother is shouting out farewell to him. Her shouts bidding adieu is of pride. She is flaunting and boasting and wants everyone to know that her son is a soldier and that he is going away to fight in the war. She ensured that her neighbours knew it perfectly well. She is afflicted by a false sense of pride. She wants to announce to one and all that her dream to see her son as a soldier has been accompanied. Her son would surely bring back fame and glory to all.

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

Reference to the context: These lines have been extracted from Bob Dylan’s anti-war poem ‘John Brown’. Dylan presents an antimilitarist theme, the tale of an innocent sent off to war to fight on a foreign shore. The poem portrays the futility of wars. It was written in Dylan's protest song period. As a song, it was recorded for the first time in February 1963 at ' Broadside Records', New York City. 

In the above lines, The mother boasts about her son receiving his letter. She even criticized those who called war old-fashioned.

Explanation: The poet tells us that John's mother received a letter from her son which made her feel happy and proud. She showed that letter to everybody in her neighbourhood and boasted of her son's glory in the uniform. She wished that all her acquaintances should come to know that her dream to see her son at the battlefield is fulfilled. She criticized those who considered wars as obsolete and old-fashioned. She believed in the heroic concept of 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”

Reference to the context: These lines have been extracted from Bob Dylan’s anti-war poem ‘John Brown’. Dylan presents an antimilitarist theme, the tale of an innocent sent off to war to fight on a foreign shore. The poem portrays the futility of wars. It was written in Dylan's protest song period. As a song, it was recorded for the first time in February 1963 at ' Broadside Records', New York City. 

In the above lines, the poet states that the mother did not receive any letter for ten months. After ten months she received a letter saying she should meet her son at the station.

Explanation: For a long time there was no interaction between John Brown and his mother. After a long span of ten months John's mother received the letter saying that she should go to the station to receive her son who was coming home from the battlefield. In her, over-excitement she did not notice that the letter was not from her son rather it was posted by somebody else.

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

Reference to the context: These lines have been extracted from Bob Dylan’s anti-war poem ‘John Brown’. Dylan presents an antimilitarist theme, the tale of an innocent sent off to war to fight on a foreign shore. The poem portrays the futility of wars. It was written in Dylan's protest song period. As a song, it was recorded for the first time in February 1963 at ' Broadside Records', New York City. 

In the above lines, the poet states that the mother is over-excited to receive her son. She at once went to the station but could not believe what she saw there.

Explanation:    Without wasting any time she rushed to the station. She was impatiently waiting to see her son. She looked everywhere around but could not spot her son anywhere. When all the passengers had departed from the station she saw her son but 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

Reference to the context: These lines have been extracted from Bob Dylan’s anti-war poem ‘John Brown’. Dylan presents an antimilitarist theme, the tale of an innocent sent off to war to fight on a foreign shore. The poem portrays the futility of wars. It was written in Dylan's protest song period. As a song, it was recorded for the first time in February 1963 at ' Broadside Records', New York City. 

In the above lines, the poet states that the mother found her son in a pathetic state. He was all disfigured and could hardly speak. She could hardly recognize that he was her own son.

Explanation: John Brown's face is all shot up and one of his hands is blown off. He has undergone a lot of physical harm in the war. His arm is amputated and his face bears scars from bullet and grenade wounds. He wears a metal brace around his waist to support himself in walking. He seems to be lucky even to be alive after receiving such injuries in the battle. But his torment is not limited to physical harm. He has also undergone mental trauma. When he speaks his voice is slow and unrecognizable, even to his own mother. He was disfigured, not at all like her son she had sent to war.

“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

Reference to the context: These lines have been extracted from Bob Dylan’s anti-war poem ‘John Brown’. Dylan presents an antimilitarist theme, the tale of an innocent sent off to war to fight on a foreign shore. The poem portrays the futility of wars. It was written in Dylan's protest song period. As a song, it was recorded for the first time in February 1963 at ' Broadside Records', New York City. 

In the above lines, the poet states that the mother tried to find out what happened on the battlefield but John could hardly move his lips to speak to her. Various questions are posed by her to him.

Explanation: She laments at the fact that she could not even recognize his face. With immense sympathy, she asks him what had happened to him on the battlefield and how was he utterly disfigured. John could hardly move his lips to speak to her. So disfigured and repulsive was his face that even she, his mother, could not bear to look at him.

“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”

Reference to the context: These lines have been extracted from Bob Dylan’s anti-war poem ‘John Brown’. Dylan presents an antimilitarist theme, the tale of an innocent sent off to war to fight on a foreign shore. The poem portrays the futility of wars. It was written in Dylan's protest song period. As a song, it was recorded for the first time in February 1963 at ' Broadside Records', New York City. 

In the above lines, John reminded her of how proudly she had sent him to the war. He wished she had been in his place to see the horrors of war.

Explanation: John reminded his mother, the time when he went to war and how she thought it was the best thing that had happened in his life. He said that while he was in the middle of the war, she was at home, feeling to be proud. He wished she should have been in his place to know what really battle and fighting was.

“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!

Reference to the context: These lines have been extracted from Bob Dylan’s anti-war poem ‘John Brown’. Dylan presents an antimilitarist theme, the tale of an innocent sent off to war to fight on a foreign shore. The poem portrays the futility of wars. It was written in Dylan's protest song period. As a song, it was recorded for the first time in February 1963 at ' Broadside Records', New York City. 

In the above lines, John stated his dilemma that whether he was trying to kill someone or die doing so. During the encounter, he found the enemy Soldier similar to himself and thus he questioned the validity of war.

Explanation: On the battlefield, John wondered what he was doing killing somebody or by doing so. On looking on to his enemy soldier he was frightened as he found the enemy soldier resembled himself. It scared him and made him think in what way he was his enemy and why he should kill him. He questioned the validity of war.

“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”

Reference to the context: These lines have been extracted from Bob Dylan’s antiwar poem ‘John Brown’. Dylan presents an antimilitarist theme, the tale of an innocent sent off to war to fight on a foreign shore. The poem portrays the futility of wars. It was written in Dylan's protest song period. As a song, it was recorded for the first time in February 1963 at ' Broadside Records', New York City. 

In the above lines, John Brown confesses that his dilemma comes to an end and realized they were both Puppets and the strings that pulled them were in the hands of someone far away. That very moment he was hit by a cannonball and lost his eyes.

Explanation: When John Brown saw the face of the opponent and found him a human being similar to him he realized that he was just a puppet in the play. All the soldiers on the battlefield are governed by their superiors without being aware of the reason for the battle. At that time in the loud noise and smoke amidst the war, he fails to play his role, and then only a cannonball hit and took his 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

 Reference to the context: These lines have been extracted from Bob Dylan’s anti war poem ‘John Brown’. Dylan presents an antimilitarist theme, the tale of an innocent sent off to war to fight on a foreign shore. The poem portrays the futility of wars. It was written in Dylan's protest song period. As a song, it was recorded for the first time in February 1963 at ' Broadside Records', New York City. 

In the concluding stanza, the main theme of the poem is portrayed that wars are futile and various soldiers are mercilessly killed and become victims of war. 

Explanation: Leaving his mother in a state of shock John turned away to walk. She persistently stared at the metal brace around his waist, that was with the help of which he could stand straight. At that moment he called his mother to come closer.  As she came closer he dropped his medals down into her hand. Those metals were an emblem of so-called glory won in the war. But an exorbitant price was paid to achieve it. Thus the poet criticizes war and its romanticization.