Album: Shot Of Love (1981)

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• In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need
  When the pool of tears beneath my feet floods every newborn seed
  There's a dying voice within me reaching out somewhere
  Toiling in the danger and the morals of despair
  
  Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake
  Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break
  In the fury of the moment I can see the Master's hand
  In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand
  
  Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear
  Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer
  The sun beams down upon the steps of time to light the way
  To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay
  
  I gaze into the doorway of temptation's angry flame
  And every time I pass that way I'll always hear my name
  Then onward in my journey I come to understand
  That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand
  
  I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night
  In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light
  In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space
  In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face
  
  I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
  Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me
  I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
  Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand Writer/s: BOB DYLAN
  Publisher: BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 7

• Man from The MoonNot to deny that he uses religious references, but the song is about humanity and self reflection set against the times (post Vietnam, cold war, etc.). It more or less runs a personal narrative as well as one on humanity and power as a whole. The religious references are twisted and not really endorsements or celebrations of the biblical phrases or context.
  
  The only actual reference to God is in the first verse where he can see the master's hand in fury and vengeance like that of Cain. I never know how far to read into that, but "Every leaf that trembles and every grain of sand" always seemed to me to be drawing on the imagery of war (half a decade after the horrors of Vietnam), which is not surprising for someone who was involved in protest and reflected a lot on these things.
  
  The end of the second verse I believe refers to time or at least the loss of youth, whether by age or poor choices. It's a biblical reference, but it never seemed to me like God numbering hairs. It's humanity. You don't get back that hair or that grain of sand that passes through the hourglass. Dylan being a wizard with the pen is using "numbered" in the same sense as "days are numbered", not in the biblical sense that God keeps track of them all.
  
  Even where the closing lines of the last verse take inspiration from the Bible, they aren't really religious. The Bible talks about the father's part in each sparrow falling, whereas Dylan is saying that the sparrows and every grain of sand hang in the balance of the reality of man. In 1981, you can't really miss the cold war reference, but it's also about personal actions and reflection. Realising his actions and reality affect the world around him.
  
  So yeah, I think it's personal reflection extrapolated to humanity on a greater scale. His interest in the Bible at the time probably served as inspiration for some references, but Dylan always loved references from religion or history. I never really saw it as a religious song.
• Keith M from Virginia i agree with dennis from charlevoix ...'every grain of sand' reads like the confession of an addict who's reached rock bottom. i've often wondered if the christian era wasnt dylan post-rehab, giving control over to his 'higher power' ... much like in AA. his last album before the christian era was 'streetlegal'--which definitely has a (wonderfully) druggy / sauced-up vibe to it.
• Dennis from Charlevoix, MiI'm a religious skeptic as well, but I also love the song...I have since I was around 11. But people make it too complicated, with all the Biblical references and what-not. Of course they are there, but it is fundamentally about a religious convert contemplating his own sinfulness. "Flowers of indulgence" and "weeds of yesteryear"? Sorry to have to connect the dots for y'all, but we're talking about drugs here. "Broken mirrors of innocence on each forgotten face"...how many groupies has Bob forgotten about. This isn't as complicated as people want to make it, especially when he compares himself to Cain, of all people.
• Steve from Binghamton, NyPeople who have their own agendas miss the point that Dylan's "born-again" phase contained some incredibly high-quality work. About seven songs from the four albums from "Slow Train" through "Infidels" are reasonable candidates for his all-time top ten song list, including this one....perhaps the most telling point about Dylan's place in American music is the sheer passion he excites in those that listen to him (no pun intended) religiously. People CARE about Dylan's work in a way they don't about virtually any other recording artist in history.
• Linda from New York City, NyI never understand when people accuse Dylan
  of turning his back on his Jewish roots to become a born again Christian. Wasn't Jesus a Jew? And accepted by the Jewish community that he was a prophet, so if you are truly spiritual wouldn't you investigate your own inner longing or despair and look to those who have wisdom of offer, i.e., Jesus, Ghandi, Buddha? Isn't the difference between Jewish and Christian ideas in the mind, versus the longing and despair in the heart. I have many Jewish friends who are Jewish and love Jesus, just like I'm a Christian and I love my Jewish friends. what's the difference?
  It's all word games. so you would think that someone like Dylan, with all of the questioning in his lyrics would also question faith.
  Linda, New York City
  
• Charlie from Anderson, ScI was surprised that this song didn't turn up on the list of songs inspired by the Bible...
  
  Biblical References:
  
  Cain's "chain of events" - Genesis 4: 1-16
  
  Abraham's seed as sand on the seashore - Genesis 22: 15-18
  
  God's thoughts "more in number than the sand" - Psalm 139: 17-18
  
  The Parable of the Sower - (newborn seed, flowers of indulgence, weeds of yesterday, choked) Mark 4: 13-20
  
  Be of Good Cheer - Mark 6: 47-51
  
  Sparrows/hairs numbered - Matthew 10: 28-31; Luke 12: 6-7
• Craig from Madison, WiPeople get down on Dylan's Christian Phase for any number of reasons (his musical and lyrical quality, his seeming hypocracy (didn't he tell us "don't follow leaders?"), his turning his back on his Jewish roots, his questionable authenticity, etc) there is no getting around the fact that this is a beautiful songs. Even as a religious sceptic, I am moved by this song.

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