Chimes of Freedom
Joan Osborne, Bob Dylan
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Far between sundown's finish an' midnight's broken toll We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight An' for each an' ev'ry underdog soldier in the night An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing Through the city's melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched With faces hidden as the walls were tightening As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin' rain Dissolved into the bells of the lightning Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an' forsakened Tolling for the outcast, burnin' constantly at stake An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind An' the poet and the painter far behind his rightful time An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing In the wild cathedral evening the rain unraveled tales For the disrobed faceless forms of no position Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts All down in taken-for-granted situations Tolling for the deaf an' blind, tolling for the mute For the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute For the misdemeanor outlaw, chaineded an' cheated by pursuit An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing Even though a cloud's white curtain in a far-off corner flared An' the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless, seeking trail For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale An' for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing Starry-eyed an' laughing as I recall when we were caught Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended As we listened one last time an' we watched with one last look Spellbound an' swallowed 'til the tolling ended Tolling for the aching whose wounds cannot be nursed For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an' worse An' for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
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Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Bob Dylan's Composition"Chimes of Freedom" is a song written and composed by Bob Dylan. It is a part of his album "Another Side" which was released in 1964.
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InspirationThe song was heavily influenced by the civil rights movement that was going on during the time of its composition. Many people consider it an anthem for human rights and freedom.
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Song StructureThe original version of "Chimes of Freedom" by Bob Dylan is nearly seven and a half minutes long. The song structure breaks from traditional folk and rock forms, consisting of verses only, without any chorus or bridge.
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The Byrds' Cover"The Byrds," an American rock band, performed a cover version of "Chimes of Freedom" for their album "Mr. Tambourine Man" in 1965, making the song considerably shorter, down to just over three minutes.
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Popularizing The SongThe Byrds are credited with helping to popularize the song. Their version was very popular in the U.K. and reached number 36 in the Singles Chart.
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Other CoversApart from The Byrds, the song has been covered by numerous artists in various genres. This includes versions by Bruce Springsteen, Youssou N'Dour, and U2.
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Use in Protests"Chimes of Freedom" has been used in numerous protests and human rights campaigns around the world because of its strong message about freedom and equality.
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Legacy"Chimes of Freedom" is often considered one of Bob Dylan's most significant and impactful songs. Rolling Stone magazine listed it at number 334 on their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.
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Tribute AlbumThe song was also featured on the 2012 charity tribute album "Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International" which features various artists covering Bob Dylan's songs.
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Live PerformancesBoth Bob Dylan and The Byrds played "Chimes of Freedom" at many live performances, including music festivals and concerts, making it a staple in their setlists.
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Citation
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"Chimes of Freedom Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 Jun 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/35538138/Bob+Dylan/Chimes+of+Freedom>.
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