A good story song

It takes a lot of talent to weave a world in a book, to craft a bunch of characters and intertwine individuals into one story.

It takes a different talent to compress a whole story into the boundaries of a song.

The result is a story song, and to me a good story song puts the songwriter’s talent on display in a unique way.

When I got the idea to write about story songs for today’s WordPress Discover prompt, which is “song,” the first one to pop into my head was Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue.”

Dylan’s voice is unique, and some might say it’s an acquired taste, but I’m not sure anyone could dispute his talent as a wordsmith.

Even if you take away the music behind his lyrics the words are still poetry, which might be the reason “Mr. Tambourine Man” was on the syllabus in one of my college literature classes.

When it comes to story songs, “Tangled Up In Blue” stands out to me because Dylan crammed almost an entire life into five minutes.

It’s a long musical road, and it’s a journey in song.

It’s an odyssey of a man’s feelings for a woman he loved, lost and hopes to find again.

A summary of the story wouldn’t do it justice so here are the lyrics.

The song is great on its own merit, but I also like the fact it doesn’t answer every question it poses.

I don’t know if boy finds girl at the end of the song, or if he’s left to wander with her memory.

Sometimes part of the appeal of a good story song is the story never ends.