Re: Farewell Angelina, lyric interpretation

Date: 09 May 2003 16:07:55 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Size: 2,083 bytes

what a strange thread this turned out to be.
i think it's an excellent song. it's part of the series of many songs
from around that period, like "it's all over now baby blue," where
dylan is inspired by the resentment the folk music community had with
him over "selling out" to write a song about the general state of
mankind as filled with imitators, fearful judges, and people obsessed
with "correct" behavior. he is simply saying, Farewell, I am no
longer your friend.
"the camouflaged parrot"--that is, one who not only mouths the
speeches of others (for instance adopting his opinions from Time
Magazine, or even Speak Out) but also makes sure he stays blended in
to his surroundings, indistinguishable from other people--"he flutters
from fear when something he doesn't know about suddenly appears."
that's clear, isn't it? like Mr. Jones, he's scared when confronted
with something he's never seen before. and instead of just accepting
it as new and wonderful, he hates it. "What cannot be imitated perfect
must die" --these words are a projection into the opinions of this
unnamed Mr Jones, who feels that anything unusual--an artist, a
singer, a person--had better behave in a way that everybody else can
instantly understand and adopt...because if he doesn't, that's a
threat to the the whole promise of society as a place where you can
fit in and stay hidden and live your life unobtrusively, with no
burden of having to create a self, or invent your own unique purpose
for having appeared on the earth.
is there any problem now with the other images in the song? puppets
throwing rocks, for instance--it's the same idea, dylan feeling he's
being attacked by people who aren't even genuine, but are mere puppets
of the general culture.
it's a very very strong song, and i can't understand the lack of
response to it.
On Thu, 8 May 2003 02:00:16 -0400, "Engin Kurutepe"
<email-address-deleted> wrote:
>What cannot be imitated perfect must die in Farewell Angelina.
>
>Do you think if it has any deeper meanings, or references to
>other works and/or philosophies?
>