Dylan, Shakespeare, and I'm Not There
The Impossible Song, Untangled What follows is some kind of essay on the origins of that once-obscure Bob Dylan song, "I'm Not There (1956)", which was, of course, recorded in 1967. I've written down what he's probably almost definitely nearly singing, and I thought I might as well record it while I was at it. I've been wrestling with "I'm Not There" for a while. I first came across it as a bootleg, passed on by a friend almost 25 years ago. Since then, it's gained prominence, first as the title of the 2007 Dylan biopic, and eventually issued on The Bootleg Series. I've read various attempts at transcribing it, and can see that few have got too far, at least in terms of producing a whole. On the official website, aptly, it's not there. Eyolf Østrem , whose site I depend on for Dylan chords and lyrics , has left it undeciphered, convinced that the hieroglyphs can be enjoyed as they are. And they can. Says Eyolf : "Even if it we...
