Folk Rock Icon Bob Dylan Plays Controversial 1963 Hit for the First Time in Nearly a Decade originally appeared on Parade.
Folk rock legend Bob Dylan, 84, has always had a knack for writing or performing his poignant songs at the perfect time. Over 62 years ago, Dylan revolutionized music with The Times They Are A-Changin‘, the first entirely original folk album created. But just one year prior Dylan wrote and performed another poignant song “Masters of War” on The Free Wheelin’ Bob Dylan album in 1963.
Dylan released the tune as the U.S. was about to join in the Vietnam war as a heavy handed protest song that addresses the powers at the top with cutting lyrics like: “You that hide behind walls/ You that hide behind desks/I just want you to know/ I can see through your masks.”
It had been nine years since Dylan played that song live but just recently at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Corfu, NY, the poet opened his set with it.
Fans seemed to take as a sign that the times were once again in fact a-changin’.
“When Bob speaks the world should listen, even if they can’t understand it look up the words …the words man, this whole place has gone to [redacted] and it needs to change now, for future generations, so they can live how they deserve, with love,” wrote one passionate fan.
“What a powerful moment I wish I was there,” wrote one fan.
Related: The Story Behind the Song Bob Dylan Once Called the ‘Greatest Ever Written’
The song itself is pretty controversial considering the last lines where he calls for these people’s demises.
“And I hope you die, and your death will come soon/I’ll follow your casket in the pale afternoon/ And I will watch as you lay in your deathbed/And I’ll stay over your tomb till I’m sure that you’re dead“
According to American Songwriter, Dylan left these lines out when he played it at the United States Military Academy in 1990.
“I’ve never really written anything like that before,” Dylan once explained according to Songfacts. “I don’t sing songs which hope people will die, but I couldn’t help it with this one. The song is a soft of striking out, a reaction to the last straw, a feeling of what can you do?”
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Folk Rock Icon Bob Dylan Plays Controversial 1963 Hit for the First Time in Nearly a Decade first appeared on Parade on Aug 12, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
