On a Trail of Bells

Bob Dylan’s "Chimes of Freedom"

Abstract

“On a Trail of Bells: Bob Dylan’s ‘Chimes of Freedom’” explores the cosmological worlds that Dylan has traversed through his musical artistry during six decades of performance, in particular the sounds of bells and train whistles, remembered from childhood, that resonate within him. By incorporating imagery of bells and whistles into his lyrics, Dylan marks his songs with vibrant references to American places and histories, as he signals the blessings and dangers of modern times. In Dylan’s songscape, bells are multivalent symbols that ring with mercy and compassion, as they toll at death, yet embody the vitality of the life force. As an ironworker, Dylan can be seen – in a comparative cross-cultural musical context – as a mythic blacksmith ringing shamanic bells such as those inside the famous tambourine in the Bob Dylan Archive collection.