Bob Dylan’s epic song “Dignity” is easily enjoyed – if you’re a fan of Bob Dylan – but not so easily understood. It is a long, complex song full of powerful, abstract imagery and bursts of thought-provoking philosophy. It is typical of all songs in that the music shapes our response to the lyric, and that the meaning perceived is likely to be different for every individual. I don’t believe this devalues trying to understand this song – or any song at all; rather, it means that we can enjoy the process of engaging with the songs we encounter in a personally satisfying manner as we see fit.
Dylan has used a variety of complex images to position listeners to consider what the concept of dignity might mean; many of which (images and concepts) that may not be initially apparent on first listen. (Dylan tends to mumble.) A particularly effective image early in the song is the contrasting of three individuals in the song’s opening stanza, where in the form of a rhyming triplet, each person – a rich and powerful man, a poor man and a “hollow” enslaved man each search for dignity in their lives. What is intriguing is that immediately the listener is compelled to reject the notion that power brings dignity, as well as rejecting the notion that power can be used to attain it.
The narrative voice of the song shifts constantly, giving the song a sense of urgency and journey, as though the quest for dignity is an all-consuming task. Some stanzas, such as the first and second have a feel of social commentary due to the third person voice Dylan uses, whereas at the third and fourth are direct and in first person, which blurs the boundary between the persona and the songwriter;
“asking the cops wherever I go,
have you seen Dignity?”
The quest is universal, general and personified; as though dignity is to be found everywhere and nowhere. The personal touches are, in some ways, as elusive as the other scenes Dylan describes, which although disorientating, is certainly engaging.
Additionally, the setting of the song moves through time and space, encompassing images of “searching high, searching low”, a “valley of dry bone dreams”, the “edge of the lake”, the outside (or possibly inside) of a burning house and other locations. Some are realistic and easy to envisage, whilst others are surreal and more evocative of a feeling, rather than a place. Dylan’s use of such imagery and imaginative settings positions listeners to experience a complex and significant sense of journey, whilst leaving their own imaginations room to move and explore.
Some of Dylan’s imagery is powerful but obtuse, such as the image of a drinking man in the song’s ninth verse;
“Drinkin' man listens to the voice he hears In a crowded room full of covered up mirrors Lookin' into the lost forgotten years For dignity”
Whilst some of the ideas, such as drinking man can readily enough be seen as (possibly) someone drowning his sorrows, room full of covered up mirrors seems a bit more symbolic, perhaps suggesting that those around might have been able to shed light on the life and circumstances of this man, had things been different. Whether or not the covering of the mirror is caused by his drinking or theirs is impossible to say. It’s possible to speculate that this ambiguity is deliberate; Dylan may want to highlight the confusion that alcohol and depression can cause, but it’s equally likely he meant something else entirely. But the meaning stands for those who find it, regardless of whatever meaning they find.
I've always been struck by the inclusion of Prince Phillip, and the idea that 'he's been abused by dignity'. A fascinating concept. Philip is a man who's stood second to the Queen his whole life, and for a good deal of it in an age where he might expected to stand first. Has he been abused by an upending of the patriarchy, or its very existence? And has his life - with all the deference directed at him - failed to actually 'dignify' him on any meaningful or personal level? It's a brilliant conceit, imbedded in a song that's full of them.
Structurally, the song’s lack of chorus gives a feel of a song constant movement, whilst the heavy repetition of the word “dignity” in the final line of many of the verses positions listeners to feel an almost obsessive preoccupation with the need to find and experience dignity. This lends the fourteenth stanza a climatic feel, where a man finally “bites the bullet and looks within” in his search for dignity. The image of courage is clear, but the resolution of the search is not, which might suggest that the search for dignity is as important as what might be found along the way.
This largely positive reading of the song is considerably enhanced by the music, which is driven by propulsive drumming, acoustic guitars and a repetitive, keyboard motif. Dylan’s singing, which isn’t exactly melodic is nevertheless very expressive, and he conveys the words with a mixture of passion, sarcasm, yearning and a rather world-weary grumble. No doubt one’s enjoyment or appreciation of the song will lie not with the words, but whether or not they can connect with Dylan’s voice. Personally, I've loved it for as long as I can remember, with its every incarnation offering something new and rewarding.
“Dignity” was written 1989; at a time in Dylan’s life when, for the first time in close to a decade, things were looking up. He was emerging from a time of professional and personal despair, consumed as he had been with marital strife, terrible reviews and writer’s block. A song like “Dignity” when considered in the context of his career seems to signify both rejuvenation and endurance; as though he suggesting that although the journey is not over, and Dylan is getting older, the journey needs to continue for as long as it can.
It’s hard to say whether or not this song can be understood definitively or not; but I don’t think that’s really the right way to think about it. All meaning is derived jointly, via a collaboration between the creator of the text and its consumer. “Dignity” is a powerful song that doesn’t really arrive anywhere in terms of conveying a clear opinion on dignity as a concept, but as a listening experience, is a powerful and, more me, largely uplifting experience. That I enjoy its ideas and the craft of language and imagery simply means that, for me, it’s a song worth hearing more than once; and this thought in itself reinforces the notion that what we get out of a song is very much based around what we choose to put in. Whether or not we feel the song is worth the effort is another matter entirely.