“The Times They Are A’Changing” popped up on my iTunes this morning as I was brushing my teeth. Is there a more perfect song for capturing the spirit of revolution and change than “The Times They Are A’Changing?” Dylan doesn’t just express the sentiment of political and social revolution. He’s talking about the evolution of generations. “Your old road is rapidly aging. Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand, for the times they are a’changing.” The wheel of fortune is constantly spinning. One day we will not recognize the world around us. Don’t fight it. Don’t fear it. Just know that your time is gone. Don’t criticize what you can’t understand. Younger generations have found knew ways to express themselves. Keep your own, but let them keep theirs, as well. Youth will always rebel against what is to make something of their own.
This got me thinking. “The Times They Are A’Changing” is a pure revolution song. The 60’s was a time of social upheaval that those of us who were not alive to see will never understand. How perfect that a song like this that identifies exactly what rebellion is should express natural revolution so vividly? At the same time, though, talking about natural revolution and the evolution of culture, how much has our world changed? Think of this in terms of the mass of men leading lives of quiet desperation. Yes, culture has changed. If it weren’t for the onslaught of rock and roll there would have been no incarnation of punk, no advent of indie rock, and music as we know it would be vastly different. We would be making our lives more bearable in different ways. That’s the crux of the issue. Times have changed, but they’re still the same. All that’s really changed is the way we cope with desperation. We’re all going to die someday. Each generation creates its own way of forgetting. In the end, natural revolution creates change, but all that really changes is the natural coping mechanisms of human beings.
Is this depressing? Only if you’re afraid. The mass of men really do lead lives of quiet desperation. It’s just how things play out in this world. On the same token, being alive, we are naturally afraid of death. We constantly search for ways to forget that we are going to die. We want to forget that for the most part our lives have no meaning, so we develop creative ways to distract ourselves. When one generation’s coping mechanism becomes worn and obsolete, the next generation creates a new one, and so on. It’s a constant state of artistic revolution, but the more things change, the more they stay the same. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Wait. Wasn’t that the Who?
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