When The Ship Comes In - Wikipedia

1964 song by Bob Dylan

"When the Ship Comes In"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album The Times They Are a-Changin'
Released	January 13, 1964
Recorded	October 23, 1963
Genre	Folk
Length	3:18
Label	Columbia
Songwriter	Bob Dylan
Producer	Tom Wilson

"When the Ship Comes In" is a folk music song by Bob Dylan, released on his third album, The Times They Are a-Changin', in 1964.

Background and composition

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Joan Baez states in the 2005 documentary film No Direction Home that the song was inspired by a hotel clerk who refused to allow Dylan a room due to his "unwashed" appearance (he was not famous outside of the folk movement at this time). The song then grew into a sprawling epic allegory about vanquishing the oppressive "powers that be." Another inspiration was the Bertolt Brecht/Kurt Weill song, "Pirate Jenny".[1]

According to biographer Clinton Heylin, "When the Ship Comes In" was written in August 1963 "in a fit of pique, in a hotel room, after his unkempt appearance had led an impertinent hotel clerk to refuse him admission until his companion, Joan Baez, had vouched for his good character". Heylin speculates that "Jenny's Song" from Brecht and Weill's Threepenny Opera was also an inspiration: "As Pirate Jenny dreams of the destruction of all her enemies by a mysterious ship, so Dylan envisages the neophobes being swept aside in 'the hour when the ship comes in'." Dylan's former girlfriend Suze Rotolo recalls that her "interest in Brecht was certainly an influence on him. I was working for the Circle in the Square Theater and he came to listen all the time. He was very affected by the song that Lotte Lenya's known for, 'Pirate Jenny'."[1]

The lyrics and meter are remarkably similar to the first six stanzas of the Egyptian Great Hymn to the Aten[2] written around 1500 BC, which celebrates the rising sun. The lyrics include Biblical references, such as the drowning of Pharaoh and his people in the Red Sea and the defeat of Goliath. Some of the lyrics are said to have been inspired by Dylan Thomas' poem "Fernhill" (Bob Dylan took his stagename from this Welsh poet). [3]

Live performances

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Shortly after Dylan wrote the song, he and Baez performed it together at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, as heard on Dylan's Live 1962-1966: Rare Performances From The Copyright Collections album (2018). Dylan later performed the song at Carnegie Hall on October 26, 1963; this performance was included on The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack (2005).[4]

Dylan performed the song during Live Aid on July 13, 1985, accompanied by Keith Richards and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones.[5]

The song was performed by the Clancy Brothers at The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, at Madison Square Garden in New York City on October 16, 1992.

Other versions

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Peter, Paul and Mary released "When the Ship Comes In" as a single in 1965. Billboard described this version as an "exciting rouser from the pen of Bob Dylan with an outstanding performance by the trio."[6] Cash Box described it as "a rhythmic, fast-moving bluesy ditty on warm-hearted somewhat euphoric theme."[7] Record World called it "a moving Bob Dylan song" and that there is "joy, joy, joy in [the trio's] voices."[8]

In 1972, Arlo Guthrie recorded the song for the album Hobo's Lullaby, with an organ backing Guthrie. The Pogues recorded it on their 1996 album Pogue Mahone, as an upbeat Irish-trad tune with Spider Stacy on vocals.

References

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1. ^ a b Heylin, Clinton (2000). Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited. pp. 124–125. ISBN 978-0060525699.
2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2024-03-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
3. ^ Ferguson, Angela (20 January 2025). "Bob Dylan 'took name' from iconic Welsh poet". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 January 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
4. ^ "The Bootleg Series, Vol 7: No Direction Home | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
5. ^ "Bob Dylan Live Aid Concert Programme". www.bobdylan-comewritersandcritics.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
6. ^ "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. May 1, 1965. p. 47. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-03-07. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
7. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 1, 1965. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
8. ^ "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Record World. May 1, 1965. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-07-23. Retrieved 2023-07-21.

External links

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• Lyrics on BobDylan.com

Bob Dylan related articles

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v t e Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter Yarrow Paul Stookey Mary Travers
Studio albums	Peter, Paul and Mary Moving In the Wind A Song Will Rise See What Tomorrow Brings The Peter, Paul and Mary Album Album 1700 Late Again Peter, Paul and Mommy No Easy Walk to Freedom In These Times
Compilation albums	The Best of Peter, Paul and Mary: Ten Years Together Songs of Conscience and Concern
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Related articles	Discography Albert Grossman

Authority control databases	MusicBrainz work