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Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And
admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time
to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come
writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't
speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will
be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand
in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And
it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come
mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are
beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For
the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As
the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For
the times they are a-changin'.
Literary Analysis
"The Times They Are ac-Changin" has an ABCBDEDEFG rhyming pattern
and sticks closely to it the entire duration of the song. The poems style is very engaging; the author repeatedly calls out
to the reader ("come mothers and fathers," "come writers and critics") to join the new movement of people. This is an effective
strategy because though the author says there is no room for those who oppose progress, he leaves the movement open for all
those willing to come along and help. Also, he uses imagery, like the phrases "It will soon shake your windows and rattle
your walls" and "Don’t speak too soon for the wheel’s still in spin" to create a feeling of hope and excitement
for what is to come.
Historical Analysis
"The Times They Are a-Changin’" captures
the feel of much of the 1960's. The decade was one of progress, experimentation, and the willingness to sway from the norm
to find something new and hopefully better. The line that reads "Your sons and daughters are beyond your command" reflects
the truth that many parents in the 60's faced. Having grown up in earlier decades, many parents in the 60's were unprepared
for the new, free lifestyle that many counterculture young people engaged in. The 60's witnessed some of the highest levels
of political activism ever seen in American history, and great leaps were made for various social issues, like rights and
treatment for gays, blacks, and women. So the most truthful line in the poem is its title, "The times they are a-changing"
because the 60's were a truly revolutionary time in US history.
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