Nobel Prize Day: Bob Dylan Wins Nobel Prize in Literature

Music legend Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature on October 13, 2016. To celebrate, this list collects 75 vocabulary words from Dylan's lyrics from his entire catalog of songs. A wordsmith like no other, Dylan bends words to his will, like rhyming "teeth" with "breathe" in Idiot Wind, and he finds room for many words you're unlikely to encounter anywhere else in pop music, like "crestfallen," "reprobate," and "proletariat."
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. forsake
    leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
    Oh, but if I had the stars from the darkest night
    And the diamonds from the deepest ocean
    I’d forsake them all for your sweet kiss
    For that’s all I’m wishin’ to be ownin’
    - Boots of Spanish Leather
  2. epitaph
    an inscription in memory of a buried person
    Today, Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught
    They lowered him down as a king
    But when the shadowy sun sets on the one
    That fired the gun
    He'll see by his grave
    On the stone that remains
    Carved next to his name
    His epitaph plain:
    Only a pawn in their game.
    - Only a Pawn in Their Game
  3. kin
    a person related to another or others
    I don’t want to meet your kin
    Make you spin or do you in
    Or select you or dissect you
    Or inspect you or reject you
    All I really want to do
    Is, baby, be friends with you
    - All I Really Wanna Do
  4. wrack
    smash or break forcefully
    Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth
    “Rip down all hate,” I screamed
    Lies that life is black and white
    Spoke from my skull. I dreamed
    Romantic facts of musketeers
    Foundationed deep, somehow
    Ah, but I was so much older then
    I’m younger than that now
    - My Back Pages
  5. fleet
    moving very fast
    Maggie comes fleet foot
    Face full of black soot
    Talkin’ that the heat put
    Plants in the bed but
    The phone’s tapped anyway
    Maggie says that many say
    They must bust in early May
    Orders from the D.A.
    Look out kid
    Don’t matter what you did
    Walk on your tiptoes
    Don’t try “No-Doz”
    Better stay away from those
    That carry around a fire hose
    Keep a clean nose
    Watch the plain clothes
    You don’t need a weatherman
    To know which way the wind blows
    -Subterranean Homesick Blues
  6. vagabond
    a wanderer with no established residence or means of support
    Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
    Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you
    The vagabond who’s rapping at your door
    Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
    Strike another match, go start anew
    And it’s all over now, Baby Blue
    - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
  7. scrounge
    collect or look around for
    Once upon a time you dressed so fine
    You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you?
    People’d call, say, “Beware doll, you’re bound to fall”
    You thought they were all kiddin’ you
    You used to laugh about
    Everybody that was hangin’ out
    Now you don’t talk so loud
    Now you don’t seem so proud
    About having to be scrounging for your next meal
    - Like a Rolling Stone
  8. swagger
    walk with a lofty proud gait
    Now the medicine man comes and he shuffles inside
    He walks with a swagger and he says to the bride
    “Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride
    You will not die, it’s not poison”
    - Tombstone Blues
  9. resent
    feel bitter or indignant about
    Now when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you
    And the smell of their roses does not remain
    And all of your children start to resent you
    Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
    Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
    - Queen Jane Approximately
  10. airs
    affected manners intended to impress others
    When you’re lost in the rain in Juarez
    And it’s Eastertime too
    And your gravity fails
    And negativity don’t pull you through
    Don’t put on any airs
    When you’re down on Rue Morgue Avenue
    They got some hungry women there
    And they really make a mess outta you
    -Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
  11. desolation
    sadness resulting from being forsaken or abandoned
    Yes, I received your letter yesterday
    (About the time the doorknob broke)
    When you asked how I was doing
    Was that some kind of joke?
    All these people that you mention
    Yes, I know them, they’re quite lame
    I had to rearrange their faces
    And give them all another name
    Right now I can’t read too good
    Don’t send me no more letters, no
    Not unless you mail them
    From Desolation Row
    - Desolation Row
  12. concise
    expressing much in few words
    She’s delicate and seems like the mirror
    But she just makes it all too concise and too clear
    That Johanna’s not here
    The ghost of ’lectricity howls in the bones of her face
    Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place
    - Visions of Johanna
  13. gallantly
    in a heroic or brave manner
    I stood there and hummed
    I tapped on her drum and asked her how come
    And she buttoned her boot
    And straightened her suit
    Then she said, “Don’t get cute”
    So I forced my hands in my pockets
    And felt with my thumbs
    And gallantly handed her
    My very last piece of gum
    - Fourth Time Around
  14. stray
    wander from a direct course or at random
    So if you find someone that gives you all of her love
    Take it to your heart, don’t let it stray
    For one thing that’s certain
    You will surely be a-hurtin’
    If you throw it all away
    - I Threw It All Away
  15. compensation
    the act of making amends for service, loss, or injury
    The man in me will do nearly any task
    And as for compensation, there’s little he would ask
    Take a woman like you
    To get through to the man in me
    - The Man in Me
  16. dwell
    inhabit or live in
    Who dwells in our hearts and our memories
    Father of minutes, Father of days
    Father of whom we most solemnly praise
    - Father of Night
  17. solemnly
    in a serious and dignified manner
    Who dwells in our hearts and our memories
    Father of minutes, Father of days
    Father of whom we most solemnly praise
    - Father of Night
  18. modest
    marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself
    Sweet Goddess
    Born of a blinding light and a changing wind
    Now, don’t be modest, you know who you are and where you’ve been
    - Tough Mama
  19. crestfallen
    brought low in spirit
    I’m crestfallen
    The world of illusion is at my door
    I ain’t a-haulin’ any of my lambs to the marketplace anymore
    The prison walls are crumblin’, there is no end in sight
    I’ve gained some recognition but I lost my appetite
    Dark Beauty
    Meet me at the border late tonight
    - Tough Mama
  20. martyr
    one who suffers for the sake of principle
    I hate that foolish game we played and the need that was expressed
    And the mercy that you showed to me, who ever would have guessed?
    I went out on Lower Broadway and I felt that place within
    That hollow place where martyrs weep and angels play with sin
    - Dirge
  21. dirge
    a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person
    Can’t recall a useful thing you ever did for me
    ’Cept pat me on the back one time when I was on my knees
    We stared into each other’s eyes ’til one of us would break
    No use to apologize, what diff’rence would it make?
    - Dirge
  22. salvation
    a means of preserving from harm or unpleasantness
    In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
    I bargained for salvation an’ they gave me a lethal dose
    I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn
    “Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”
    - Shelter from the Storm
  23. scorn
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
    I bargained for salvation an’ they gave me a lethal dose
    I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn
    “Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”
    - Shelter from the Storm
  24. revelation
    an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
    It was like a revelation when you betrayed me with your touch
    I’d just about convinced myself that nothin’ had changed that much
    The old Rounder in the iron mask slipped me the master key
    Somebody had to unlock your heart, he said it was up to me
    - Up to Me
  25. remnant
    a small part remaining after the main part no longer exists
    Up on the white veranda
    She wears a necktie and a Panama hat
    Her passport shows a face
    From another time and place
    She looks nothin’ like that
    And all the remnants of her recent past
    Are scattered in the wild wind
    She walks across the marble floor
    Where a voice from the gambling room is callin’ her to come on in
    She smiles, walks the other way
    As the last ship sails and the moon fades away
    From Black Diamond Bay
    - Black Diamond Bay
  26. castanets
    pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone made to click together
    Past the Aztec ruins and the ghosts of our people
    Hoofbeats like castanets on stone
    At night I dream of bells in the village steeple
    Then I see the bloody face of Ramon
    -Romance in Durango
  27. radiant
    emanating or as if emanating light
    He knows the music intimately and led a radiant, stirring, if sometimes uneven performance. New York Times (Apr 3, 2016)
  28. tranquility
    an untroubled state that is free from disturbances
    Peace will come.
    With tranquility and splendor on the wheels of fire
    But will bring us no reward when her false idols fall
    And cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating
    - Changing of the Guards
  29. splendor
    the quality of being magnificent or grand
    Peace will come
    With tranquility and splendor on the wheels of fire
    But will bring us no reward when her false idols fall
    And cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating
    - Changing of the Guards
  30. lope
    run easily
    I got a new pony, she knows how to fox-trot, lope and pace
    - New Pony
  31. notoriety
    the state of being known for some unfavorable act or quality
    Loneliness, tenderness, high society, notoriety
    You fight for the throne and you travel alone
    Unknown as you slowly sink
    And there’s no time to think
    - No Time to Think
  32. waylay
    wait in hiding to attack
    Your conscience betrayed you when some tyrant waylaid you
    Where the lion lies down with the lamb
    I’d have paid off the traitor and killed him much later
    But that’s just the way that I am
    - No Time to Think
  33. bog
    cause to slow down or get stuck
    Well, the last thing I remember before I stripped and kneeled
    Was that trainload of fools bogged down in a magnetic field
    A gypsy with a broken flag and a flashing ring
    Said, “Son, this ain’t a dream no more, it’s the real thing”
    -Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)
  34. weary
    physically and mentally fatigued
    I’m getting weary looking in my baby’s eyes
    When she’s near me she’s so hard to recognize
    I finally realize there’s no room for regret
    True love, true love, true love tends to forget
    - True Love Tends to Forget
  35. yearn
    desire strongly or persistently
    You don’t have to yearn for love, you don’t have to be alone
    Somewheres in this universe there’s a place that you can call home
    - We Better Talk This Over
  36. liable
    likely to be affected with
    But I don’t think it’s liable to happen
    Like the sound of one hand clappin'
    - We Better Talk This Over
  37. belittle
    lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of
    I left town at dawn, with Marcel and St. John
    Strong men belittled by doubt
    I couldn’t tell her what my private thoughts were
    But she had some way of finding them out
    - Where Are You Tonight? ( Journey Through Dark Heat)
  38. sustain
    lengthen or extend in duration or space
    Don’t let me change my heart
    Keep me set apart
    From all the plans they do pursue
    And I, I don’t mind the pain
    Don’t mind the driving rain
    I know I will sustain
    ’Cause I believe in you
    - I Believe in You
  39. inhibition
    the conscious exclusion of unacceptable thoughts or desires
    They say lose your inhibitions
    Follow your own ambitions
    They talk about a life of brotherly love show me someone who knows how to live it
    - Slow Train
  40. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    For me He was chastised, for me He was hated
    For me He was rejected by a world that He created
    - Solid Rock
  41. guile
    shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception
    Heart of mine so malicious and so full of guile
    Give you an inch and you’ll take a mile
    - Heart of Mine
  42. aloofness
    a disposition to be distant and unsympathetic in manner
    Try to be pure at heart, they arrest you for robbery,
    Mistake your shyness for aloofness, your silence for snobbery,
    Got the message this morning, the one that was sent to me
    About the madness of becomin' what one was never meant to be.
    - The Groom's Still Waitin' at the Altar
  43. reprobate
    deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper
    Uttering idle words from a reprobate mind
    Clinging to strange promises, dying on the vine
    Never bein’ able to separate the good from the bad
    Ooh, I can’t stand it, I can’t stand it
    It’s makin’ me feel so sad
    - Dead Man, Dead Man
  44. toil
    work hard
    In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need
    When the pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed
    There’s a dyin’ voice within me reaching out somewhere
    Toiling in the danger and in the morals of despair
    - Every Grain of Sand
  45. indulgence
    the act of gratifying a desire
    Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear
    Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer
    The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way
    To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay
    - Every Grain of Sand
  46. stagnant
    not circulating or flowing
    Now he worships at an altar of a stagnant pool
    And when he sees his reflection, he’s fulfilled
    Oh, man is opposed to fair play
    He wants it all and he wants it his way
    - License to Kill
  47. decadence
    the state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualities
    Let’s try to get beneath the surface waste, girl
    No more booby traps and bombs
    No more decadence and charm
    No more affection that’s misplaced, girl
    No more mudcake creatures lying in your arms
    - Don't Fall Apart on Me Tonight
  48. discreet
    marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint
    They tell me to be discreet for all intended purposes,
    They tell me revenge is sweet and from where they stand, I’m sure it is.
    But I feel nothing for their game where beauty goes unrecognized,
    All I feel is heat and flame and all I see are dark eyes.
    - Dark Eyes
  49. swoon
    pass out from weakness or physical or emotional distress
    I come back to the town from the flaming moon
    I see you in the streets, I begin to swoon
    I love to see you dress before the mirror
    Won’t you let me in your room one time ’fore I finally disappear?
    - Abandoned Love
  50. snare
    a trap for birds or small mammals; often has a slip noose
    He was well connected but her heart was a snare
    And she had left him to die in there
    There were payments due and he was a little behind
    - Caribbean Wind
  51. content
    satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
    Strange how people who suffer together have stronger connections than people who are most content
    I don’t have any regrets, they can talk about me plenty when I’m gone
    You always said people don’t do what they believe in, they just do what’s most convenient, then they repent
    - Brownsville Girl
  52. repent
    feel sorry for; be contrite about
    Strange how people who suffer together have stronger connections than people who are most content
    I don’t have any regrets, they can talk about me plenty when I’m gone
    You always said people don’t do what they believe in, they just do what’s most convenient, then they repent
    - Brownsville Girl ( written with Sam Shepard)
  53. heathen
    a person who does not acknowledge your god
    Ring them bells, ye heathen
    From the city that dreams
    Ring them bells from the sanctuaries
    ’Cross the valleys and streams
    For they’re deep and they’re wide
    And the world’s on its side
    And time is running backwards
    And so is the bride
    - Ring Them Bells
  54. sanctuary
    a consecrated place where sacred objects are kept
    Ring them bells, ye heathen
    From the city that dreams
    Ring them bells from the sanctuaries
    ’Cross the valleys and streams
    For they’re deep and they’re wide
    And the world’s on its side
    And time is running backwards
    And so is the bride
    -Ring Them Bells
  55. vile
    morally reprehensible
    Preacher was a talkin’, there’s a sermon he gave
    He said every man’s conscience is vile and depraved
    You cannot depend on it to be your guide
    When it’s you who must keep it satisfied
    It ain’t easy to swallow, it sticks in the throat
    She gave her heart to the man
    In the long black coat
    - Man in the Long Black Coat
  56. depraved
    deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper
    Preacher was a talkin’, there’s a sermon he gave
    He said every man’s conscience is vile and depraved
    You cannot depend on it to be your guide
    When it’s you who must keep it satisfied
    It ain’t easy to swallow, it sticks in the throat
    She gave her heart to the man
    In the long black coat
    -Man in the Long Black Coat
  57. conceit
    the trait of being unduly vain
    Conceit is a disease
    That the doctors got no cure
    They’ve done a lot of research on it
    But what it is, they’re still not sure
    - Disease of Conceit
  58. rendezvous
    a meeting planned at a certain time and place
    One by one, they follow the sun
    Two by two, to another rendezvous
    - 2x2
  59. strife
    bitter conflict; heated or violent dissension
    But you changed my life
    Came along in a time of strife
    In hunger and need, you made my heart bleed
    You changed my life
    - You Changed My Life
  60. lull
    make calm or still
    Madame Butterfly, she lulled me to sleep
    Like an ancient river
    So wide and deep
    She said, “Be easy, baby, ain’t nothin’ worth stealin’ here”
    -Someone's Got a Hold of my Heart
  61. exalt
    praise, glorify, or honor
    They don’t believe in mercy
    Judgement on them is something that you’ll never see
    They can exalt you up or bring you down main route
    Turn you into anything that they want you to be
    - Foot of Pride
  62. vacant
    void of thought or knowledge
    I was born here and I’ll die here against my will
    I know it looks like I’m moving, but I’m standing still
    Every nerve in my body is so vacant and numb
    I can’t even remember what it was I came here to get away from
    Don’t even hear a murmur of a prayer
    It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there
    -Not Dark Yet
  63. reel
    walk as if unable to control one's movements
    I’m your man, I’m trying to recover the sweet love that we knew
    You understand that my heart can’t go on beating without you
    Well, your loveliness has wounded me, I’m reeling from the blow
    I wish I knew what it was keeps me loving you so
    I’m breathing hard, standing at the gate
    But I don’t know how much longer I can wait
    - Can't Wait
  64. stately
    impressive in appearance
    Tweedle-dee Dee and Tweedle-dee Dum
    All that and more and then some
    They walk among the stately trees
    They know the secrets of the breeze
    -Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum
  65. sublime
    worthy of adoration or reverence
    All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime
    Could never do you justice in reason or rhyme
    Only one thing I did wrong
    Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
    -Mississippi
  66. meek
    humble in spirit or manner
    I’m on the fringes of the night, fighting back tears that I can’t control
    Some people they ain’t human, they got no heart or soul
    Well, I’m crying to the Lord—I’m tryin’ to be meek and mild
    Yes, I cried for you—now it’s your turn, you can cry awhile
    - Cry A While
  67. transient
    lasting a very short time
    I picked up a rose and it poked through my clothes
    I followed the winding stream
    I heard a deafening noise, I felt transient joys
    I know they're not what they seem
    In this earthly domain, full of disappointment and pain
    You'll never see me frown
    I owe my heart to you, and that's sayin' it true
    And I'll be with you when the deal goes down
    -When the Deal Goes Down
  68. proletariat
    a social class comprising those who do manual labor
    There's an evenin' haze settlin' over the town
    Starlight by the edge of the creek
    The buyin' power of the proletariat's gone down
    Money's gettin' shallow and weak
    The place I love best is a sweet memory
    It's a new path that we trod
    They say low wages are a reality
    If we want to compete abroad
    - Workingman's Blues #2
  69. vain
    unproductive of success
    It's dark and it's dreary
    I ponder in vain
    I'm weakened, I'm weary
    My repentance is plain
    -Beyond the Horizon
  70. wretched
    very unhappy; full of misery
    My wretched heart's pounding
    I felt an angel's kiss
    My memories are drowning
    In mortal bliss
    -Beyond the Horizon
  71. demagogue
    a leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions
    I'm going where the Southern crosses the Yellow Dog
    Get away from these demagogues
    And these bad luck women stick like glue
    It's either one or the other or neither of the two
    -Nettie Moore
  72. woe
    intense mournfulness
    Ain't talkin', just walkin'
    Through this weary world of woe
    Heart burnin', still yearnin'
    No one on earth would ever know
    - Ain't Talkin'
  73. barren
    completely wanting or lacking
    Since we've been out of touch
    I haven't felt that much
    From day to barren day
    My heart stays locked away
    I walk the boulevard
    Admitting life is hard
    Without you near me
    - Life is Hard (written with Robert Hunter)
  74. plunder
    steal goods; take as spoils
    We looted and we plundered on distant shores
    Why is my share not equal to yours?
    Your father left you, your mother too
    Even death has washed it's hands of you
    It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
    If I can't work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
    - Narrow Way
  75. asunder
    into parts or pieces
    The veil was torn asunder
    'Tween the hours of twelve and one
    No change, no sudden wonder
    Could undo what had been done
    - Tempest
Created on Fri Apr 08 06:35:07 EDT 2016 (updated Thu Oct 13 07:57:50 EDT 2016)

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