4th Time Around

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4th Time Around is a song by Bob Dylan on his 1966 album, Blonde on Blonde.

1 Narrative
2 vs. "Norwegian Wood"
3 Also
4 Covers
5 External links

[edit] Narrative

With a sweet and playful melody and lyrics, 4th Time Around is suggestive of a young romance. The song revolves around the actions and brief spoken phrases of a man and a woman. It opens with what sounds like the climax of an argument "When she said/ Don't waste your words, they're just lies/ I cried she was deaf." They each posture briefly, and then offer some glimpses of sheepishness and the loving connection between them; "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." They continue to bicker and banter, and the song itself comes fully around, and it ends with the couple lying together "and you, you took me in/ you loved me then/you never wasted time/ And I, I never took much/ I never asked for your crutch/ Now don't ask for mine".

[edit] vs. "Norwegian Wood"

"4th Time Around" was commonly speculated to be a response to the Beatles song "Norwegian Wood" - written by John Lennon for their 1965 album Rubber Soul - as the two tracks boast a reasonably similar melody and lyrical premise. Dylan confirmed this notion in a 1969 interview with Rolling Stone, and again much later on in Q Magazine. "Norwegian Wood" was considered an artistic leap for Lennon, as it was his earliest story-song and boasted an obvious Dylan-influence. "4th Time Around" has been seen as either a playful homage, or a satirical warning to Lennon about co-opting Dylan's well-known songwriting devices. Fans and rock journalists see evidence of the latter interpretation in the song's final lines: "I never took much/I never asked for your crutch/so don't ask for mine."

[edit] Also

A performace of "4th Time Around" from The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert appeared on the soundtrack for the film Vanilla Sky.

[edit] Covers

Terry Melcher: Terry Melcher (1974)
The Sports: The Sports Play Dylan & Donovan (1981)
Pete Williams: The Times They Are A-Changin' (1992)
Steve Gibbons: The Dylan Project (1998)
Chris Whitley: Perfect Day (2000)
Michael Moore: Jewels and Binoculars (2000)
Michel Montecrossa: 4th Time Around (2001)
Dylan Project: May Your Song Always Be Sung: The Songs of Bob Dylan, Volume 3 (2003)