Analysis of Dylan’s “Masters of War”

With all of us writing about more or less the same thing this week, it seems fairly pointless to write an introduction. Instead I’ll do my best to cut right to the chase. Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War” addresses world leaders who actively compose and enact war at little to no cost to themselves. The song, with a multitude of verses but no real chorus, is more of a letter to these people than anything else. Dylan makes one long address that describes who these individuals are, what they are guilty of, and how he would intend to handle them, to ultimately convey his idea that we must end war for the sake of the people who are truly affected by it.

    The first verse primarily calls out the “masters of war” (Dylan) so as to gain their attention. He doesn’t just call them by their titular name, but specifies just what the name refers to. These are the people that “build the big guns...death planes…[and] all the bombs,” (Dylan). This opening is crucial to the song in that it immediately establishes an unapologetically angry tone. This tone is even stronger when performed, giving Dylan a unique air of conviction. These “masters of war” provide us with all the tools to slaughter one another, yet when the time comes, they are nowhere to be found. The speaker’s attack on these leaders truly begins, however, in the last line of the verse, when he declares that he can “see through” (Dylan) their masks. This is important in that the “masters of war” are typically also masters of persuasion, leading entire nations to believe that it is just to go to war for whatever reason they deem fit.

    The second verse adds no new content to Dylan’s argument, but continues to reinforce his ideas with stronger language. He goes beyond detailing the actions of the “masters of war,” to stating that war is all they have to offer the world. He follows this with my favorite line of the song; “You play with my world/like it’s your own little toy,” (Dylan). Through this line, Dylan reminds us that since nothing is at stake for the “masters of war” during times of conflict, they are ultimately enacting war simply because they would like to. The lives of the lower and middle classes are just playthings for world leaders to manipulate. This verse is then concluded with the reinforcement of the concept that the “masters” are cowardly enablers of destruction, by ‘putting a gun in the speaker’s hand’ (Dylan) and fleeing “when the fast bullets fly” (Dylan).

    The third verse accomplishes the same task as the second, however, this time Dylan compares the “masters of war” to Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus. This analogy works well with Dylan’s argument in that it has multiple meanings tied to it. The first is directly addressed by the speaker as the leaders “lie and deceive” (Dylan) their people. They want us to believe that war can have a winner rather than simply survivors, while Judas lied when he claimed he would not sell out Jesus. The second meaning we see here (though arguably tied closely to the first) is that the “masters of war” are meant to protect us, just as Judas was meant to protect Jesus, however, both did the exact opposite. Both parties had people relying on them, that they in turn led to their deaths for the sake of personal gain.

    After the second and third verses, the lyrics begin to branch out more in effect. Dylan goes on to blame the “masters of war” for unleashing what he claims to be the “worst fear” (Dylan) that one can create - the “fear to bring children into the world” (Dylan). This is an incredibly powerful statement because it highlights the fact that war doesn’t just affect adults, but also children, some of whom have yet to even exist. In times of conflict, something that is meant to be one of the most beautiful things a person can do, becomes something to fear instead. Trying to protect oneself from the horrors of conflict is troublesome enough. Trying to protect a child in times of war is a task that no one should have to undertake.

    From the topic of children, Dylan then introduces his own youth to the mix. He notes that many of the “masters of war,” likely older people, would say that by calling them out, he is young and foolish, speaking “out of turn” (Dylan). He then counters this by saying that there are some truths that are universal. The most obvious of these universal truths is that war solves nothing. Dylan even goes so far as to say that war is so wrong, that even Jesus would never forgive the actions of the “masters of war.” Giving particular attention to the fact that this song was written in 1963 when people were a lot more openly religious, we can imagine that that would be a very serious blow to someone’s character.

    Dylan concludes his anti-war beatdown with the declaration that he hopes that they all die and their “death[s] will come soon” (Dylan). Not only that, but he will follow their bodies to the grave to make sure that they’re dead. This verse solidifies the speaker’s feelings towards the “masters of war” as something beyond frustration and disagreement to flat-out hatred. Dylan believes that these leaders have so little to offer the world that they would truly be better off dead where they can deal no more damage. In many ways, whether intentional or not, this is a call to action. This is not a call to enact more violence (the speaker never outright kills these people) but instead one to refuse to listen any longer to those that condone warfare. The speaker’s hatred is sincere, but does not allow him to compromise his beliefs and become the very people that he hates.

    I really like this song as it feels very relevant to today. Though we are not necessarily in a major war such as the Vietnam War, we still find ourselves surrounded by hateful, war hungry leaders. I think for a lot of people nowadays, there is still a fear to some degree to have kids with the current state of the world. I also find with this track, that the feeling Dylan delivers each line with is something that I can tap into and connect with really well. There is an immense desperation to his cause and his words, but you can tell that underneath this feeling is a tremendous strength. In this moment, he has had enough and will stand up for himself and those he cares about.

Works Cited

Dylan, Bob. “Master of War,” 27 May, 1963. Genius Lyrics, 2018,           https://www.google.com/amp/s/genius.com/amp/Bob-dylan-masters-of-war-lyrics#ampf=undefined. Accessed 7 October, 2018.