"Shelter from the Storm" by Bob Dylan, was released on his 15th studio album, Blood on the Tracks, in 1975. The song also appears on two live albums by Bob Dylan — Hard Rain (from a May 1976 performance) and At Budokan (recorded in February 1978). Along with "Tangled Up in Blue", "Shelter from the Storm" was one of two songs from Blood on the Tracks to be re-released on the compilation The Essential Bob Dylan. This is Dylan at his best, playing with images, showing us that lyrics can paint any picture, even against the simplest of musical textures. There are many interpretations for this bob Dylan song. Most follow the along the lines of Dylan reflecting on his divorce from Sarah Dylan, this may be true but the song is going deeper, as with all Bob Dylan songs there is prophetic hidden meaning. My own thoughts are that Bob is speaking out about oppression of some sorts. For him personally it could be the music industry and the dealing with fame and Sarah is the one who gave him an oasis and now in the threat of divorce he reflects on that in this song. The song's prophetic edge is that it speaks out against oppression of every kind, you only have to read the lyrics to see that.
I was in another lifetime one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness a creature void of form
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
And if I pass this way again you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death and men who are fighting to be warm
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
Not a word was spoke between us there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
I was burned out from exhaustion buried in the hail
Poisoned in the bushes and blown out on the trail
Hunted like a crocodile ravaged in the corn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
Suddenly I turned around and she was standing there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
Now there's a wall between us something there's been lost
I took too much for granted got my signals crossed
Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
Well the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much it's doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker he blows a futile horn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
I've heard newborn babies wailing like a mourning dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love
Do I understand your question man is it hopeless and forlorn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
In a little hilltop village they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation and they gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
Well I'm living in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge someday I'll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness a creature void of form
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
And if I pass this way again you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death and men who are fighting to be warm
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
Not a word was spoke between us there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
I was burned out from exhaustion buried in the hail
Poisoned in the bushes and blown out on the trail
Hunted like a crocodile ravaged in the corn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
Suddenly I turned around and she was standing there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
Now there's a wall between us something there's been lost
I took too much for granted got my signals crossed
Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
Well the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much it's doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker he blows a futile horn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
I've heard newborn babies wailing like a mourning dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love
Do I understand your question man is it hopeless and forlorn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
In a little hilltop village they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation and they gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
Well I'm living in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge someday I'll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
In this special one off ending to the "Beatitudes" I want to look at Matthew 5:11-12 with the theme of Prophets and Oppression. In this devotion I want to devote some time to focusing on the prophetic lifestyle against the backdrop of oppression.
In the last of the beatitudes Jesus points to his disciples suffering from oppression. Verses 11 and 12 are not always seen as a beatitude. In most places their are only eight beatitudes. I think here there is room to take another angle on being a follower of Jesus in a world where oppression is king. This could be seen as the continuation of the eighth beatitude, but here we take another side. Oppression and oppressors. Jesus in this passage talks about the prophets of the Old Testament who stood outside the institution of religion, who were outside of the ritual of organised religion and who took a prophetic stance often against the system. So today there is something to say about oppression and also about the ministry and life of a prophet.
The life and ministry of a prophet is often a lonely existence. You only have to read about the prophet Elijah, John the Baptist, Jonah, Habbakuk, Joel and the like who at different times were called of God to take a stand against injustice and the failings of God's People. These prophets were putting their very lives on the line for the sake of a bigger story. They were calling the people of God back from the brink into a restored relationship with God. That relationship had broken down and was near total collapse. In the OT you can clearly see the role of the prophet at work. Where God's people had no longer any regard for God and where the powers of the religious institution were in bed with the powers of oppression then the prophet stepped in and spoke for and on behalf of the Almighty. In other words when the people of God followed the ways of the world they are brought up short by the life and ministry of the prophet, it's the mercy of God at work.
Jesus goes on after sharing the blessed's to speak about the role of the prophet in his context "Salt and Light". In this vein Jesus shows what a prophetic lifestyle is. It is not about the power, but salt and light in a world of oppression, this is a subversive prophetic lifestyle. This is not a full frontal thing, but a sideways attempt to hold out God's heart to all who are oppressed and weary, and who have slid from God's plan, purpose and will. In this way Jesus calls his disciples in every generation to share in the ministry of the O.T. prophets in a contemporary way. There are many examples of this subversive sideways action in the world of Art, poetry. music, storytelling and writing these are considered sideways approaches that often challenge oppression and remind us of deeper things and eternal truths. These expressions of creativity are the medium of carrying the message of God, Humanity, Truth, Justice, and Life. These are the vehicles of carrying meaning at different levels and they are accessible to all, not just the intelligentsia, but the common people. In verses 11 and 12 Jesus is primarily addressing the disciples but the truth still shines through for all and for everyone regardless of creed and religion.
Oppression robs people of their dignity and value. It robs people of life. It comes in disguise and we find it in government, politics, religion, race, economics, all on a grand scale. But we also find it in a micro scale too, in neighbourhoods where there is real hardship, in schools where bullying takes place, in family's who face domestic violence, everywhere where their is sexual abuse. Oppression has many faces, It has a distinct persona and at it's core it has an ego the size of Mars and it's interested in power, money, position and prestige. The world is crying out for "Salt and Light" prophetic lifestyle that lives on the margins, that comes at things sideways, that carries a message of restoration, that speaks to power and injustice and who looks a lot like Jesus. "Shelter from the Storm" by Dylan reflects these themes of oppression and prophetic lifestyle and makes it a classic. Where are you in all of this? Would you consider your lifestyle to be prophetic?
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In the last of the beatitudes Jesus points to his disciples suffering from oppression. Verses 11 and 12 are not always seen as a beatitude. In most places their are only eight beatitudes. I think here there is room to take another angle on being a follower of Jesus in a world where oppression is king. This could be seen as the continuation of the eighth beatitude, but here we take another side. Oppression and oppressors. Jesus in this passage talks about the prophets of the Old Testament who stood outside the institution of religion, who were outside of the ritual of organised religion and who took a prophetic stance often against the system. So today there is something to say about oppression and also about the ministry and life of a prophet.
The life and ministry of a prophet is often a lonely existence. You only have to read about the prophet Elijah, John the Baptist, Jonah, Habbakuk, Joel and the like who at different times were called of God to take a stand against injustice and the failings of God's People. These prophets were putting their very lives on the line for the sake of a bigger story. They were calling the people of God back from the brink into a restored relationship with God. That relationship had broken down and was near total collapse. In the OT you can clearly see the role of the prophet at work. Where God's people had no longer any regard for God and where the powers of the religious institution were in bed with the powers of oppression then the prophet stepped in and spoke for and on behalf of the Almighty. In other words when the people of God followed the ways of the world they are brought up short by the life and ministry of the prophet, it's the mercy of God at work.
Jesus goes on after sharing the blessed's to speak about the role of the prophet in his context "Salt and Light". In this vein Jesus shows what a prophetic lifestyle is. It is not about the power, but salt and light in a world of oppression, this is a subversive prophetic lifestyle. This is not a full frontal thing, but a sideways attempt to hold out God's heart to all who are oppressed and weary, and who have slid from God's plan, purpose and will. In this way Jesus calls his disciples in every generation to share in the ministry of the O.T. prophets in a contemporary way. There are many examples of this subversive sideways action in the world of Art, poetry. music, storytelling and writing these are considered sideways approaches that often challenge oppression and remind us of deeper things and eternal truths. These expressions of creativity are the medium of carrying the message of God, Humanity, Truth, Justice, and Life. These are the vehicles of carrying meaning at different levels and they are accessible to all, not just the intelligentsia, but the common people. In verses 11 and 12 Jesus is primarily addressing the disciples but the truth still shines through for all and for everyone regardless of creed and religion.
Oppression robs people of their dignity and value. It robs people of life. It comes in disguise and we find it in government, politics, religion, race, economics, all on a grand scale. But we also find it in a micro scale too, in neighbourhoods where there is real hardship, in schools where bullying takes place, in family's who face domestic violence, everywhere where their is sexual abuse. Oppression has many faces, It has a distinct persona and at it's core it has an ego the size of Mars and it's interested in power, money, position and prestige. The world is crying out for "Salt and Light" prophetic lifestyle that lives on the margins, that comes at things sideways, that carries a message of restoration, that speaks to power and injustice and who looks a lot like Jesus. "Shelter from the Storm" by Dylan reflects these themes of oppression and prophetic lifestyle and makes it a classic. Where are you in all of this? Would you consider your lifestyle to be prophetic?
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