Drifter's Escape
Bob Dylan
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Oh, help me in my weakness I heard the drifter say As they carried him from the courtroom And were taking him away My trip hasn't been a pleasant one And my time, it isn't long And I still do not know What it was that I've done wrong Well, the judge, he cast his robe aside A tear came to his eye You'd failed to understand, he said Why must you even try Outside, the crowd was stirring You could hear it from the door Inside, the judge was stepping down While the jury cried for more Oh, stop that cursed jury Cried the attendant and the nurse The trial was bad enough But this is ten times worse Just then a bolt of lightning Struck the courthouse out of shape And while everybody knelt to pray The drifter did escape
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Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
11 facts about this song
Artist Background"Drifter's Escape" was written and performed by Bob Dylan, an American singer-songwriter renowned for his impactful lyrics that touch on political, social, and philosophical issues.
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Album FactsThe song is a part of Dylan's eighth studio album, "John Wesley Harding," released in December 1967.
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Recording Period"Drifter's Escape" was recorded at CBS Studio A in Nashville, Tennessee, during sessions running from October to November of 1967.
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Musical StyleThe song maintains an acoustic, folk-rock sound, in harmony with most of Dylan's music in the 1960s.
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Lyric ContentThe song is symbolically rich and covers themes of oppression, justice, and the search for freedom, relayed through the story of a drifter's trial and miraculous escape.
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Inspiration"Drifter's Escape" is considered by many to have been inspired by Dylan's renewed interest in the Bible, with elements of the song mirroring Biblical stories of judgment and salvation.
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Audience ReceptionThe song was generally well-received, yet it wasn't released as a single and thus didn't chart. However, the album "John Wesley Harding" on which it appeared reached No. 4 on the UK charts and No. 2 on the US charts.
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Cover VersionsThe song has been covered by other well-known musicians including Jimi Hendrix, Patti Smith, and U2. Notably, Hendrix's version was included in the 1974 album, "Loose Ends."
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Literature Recognition"Drifter's Escape" has also had a place in literature. The song was interpreted in a comic format by notable illustrator Paul Pope for the book titled "Bob Dylan Revisited," a collection of Dylan's songs transformed into graphic pieces.
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Song LengthThe song has a running time of 2 minutes and 52 seconds, making it one of Dylan's more brief works.
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Live PerformancesAccording to Dylan's official site, he performed "Drifter's Escape" live for the first time in 1987, two decades after the song's release and it become one of Bob Dylan's most performed songs in concert.
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Citation
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"Drifter's Escape Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/21226052/Bob+Dylan/Drifter%27s+Escape>.
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