Introduction:
In 1963 the murder of Medgar Evers, black leaderchip of the NAAC.P was a shok for the nation. In fact nearly one century after the Civil War, the segregation were still very present in the USA and the president in this time, promised a desegregation. That murder show that were not the case. Bob Dylan used this muder to show the roots of racial segregation, the dark side of the US. He did In his song "Only a pawn in their game" appeared in his third album "The Times They Are A Changing" in 1964.Watch the Bob dylan singing!!!
Historical and cultural context:
Medgar Ever (1925-1963) was Mississippi's first Affricain-American field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAAC.P). Evers was murdered just hours after President JohnF. Kennedy's speech on national television in support of civilrights.Bob Dylan sang for the first time "Only the pawn in their game" the 28 August 1963 the day where Martin Luther King made the disour I have a dream infront of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
Bob Dylan before to sing take part in the historic march to show the importance of solving the United States racial problems.
In 1963 Martin Luther King preach the no violence but he was not an consensus man. He is very criticize by an part of the activist that fight against the segregation. In this epoque John Fitzgerald Kennedy was since three years the president of the United States and has promised the desegregation, but this promess were not held. He was not again the emblematic figure, he is an leaderchip like another.
 |
| Martin Luther King (1929-1968) |
 |
| Medgar Ever (1925-1963) |
Lyrics:
A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Evers' blood
A finger fired the trigger to his name
A handle hid out in the dark
A hand set the spark
Two eyes took the aim
Behind a man's brain
But he can't be blamed
He's only a pawn in their game.
A South politician preaches to the poor white man
"You got more than blacks, don't complain
You're better than them, you been born with white skin" they explain
And the Negro's name
Is used it is plain
For the politician's gain
As he rises to fame
And the poor white remains
On the caboose of the train
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid
And the marshals and cops get the same
But the poor white man's used in the hands of them all like a tool
He's taught in his school
From the start by the rule
That the laws are with him
To protect his white skin
To keep up his hate
So he never thinks straight
'Bout the shape that he's in
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
From the powerty shacks, he looks from the cracks to the tracks
And the hoof beats pound in his brain
And he's taught how to walk in a pack
Shoot in the back
With his fist in a clinch
To hang and to lynch
To hide 'neath the hood
To kill with no pain
Like a dog on a chain
He ain't got no name
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
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.
A finger fired the trigger to his name
A handle hid out in the dark
A hand set the spark
Two eyes took the aim
Behind a man's brain
But he can't be blamed
He's only a pawn in their game.
A South politician preaches to the poor white man
"You got more than blacks, don't complain
You're better than them, you been born with white skin" they explain
And the Negro's name
Is used it is plain
For the politician's gain
As he rises to fame
And the poor white remains
On the caboose of the train
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid
And the marshals and cops get the same
But the poor white man's used in the hands of them all like a tool
He's taught in his school
From the start by the rule
That the laws are with him
To protect his white skin
To keep up his hate
So he never thinks straight
'Bout the shape that he's in
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
From the powerty shacks, he looks from the cracks to the tracks
And the hoof beats pound in his brain
And he's taught how to walk in a pack
Shoot in the back
With his fist in a clinch
To hang and to lynch
To hide 'neath the hood
To kill with no pain
Like a dog on a chain
He ain't got no name
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
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.
Interpretation:
We split and named each stanza because they tell a part of a story.Stanza 1: Remind the event and dehumanize the murder
« A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Evers' blood »:
Bob Dylan dennounce the murder, he is furtive but the killer don't fail the target as it happens Medgar Evers.
« A finger fired the trigger to his name »
We can understand of two manner. The first is taht it is an reference of the shoot (tigger) that was the tigger of the protest. The seconds is that is the "soldier" that kill Medgar Evers but we saw after that he is « only a pawn in their game ».
« A handle hid out in the dark »
Bob Dylan criticize the manner which Medgar isassassinated, in a cowardly manner.
« A hand set the spark »,« Two eyes took the aim », « Behind a man's brain »
We understand that it is an man « in the dark ».
The writer show that the crime were not epic but dirty.
« But he can't be blamed »
The autor say that it is not is entire fault, it is the fault of the message given by his instruction and media.
« He's only a pawn in theirgame. »
It is the title of the song as well as therefrain. He denounce the inegality and the diffrence of power.
This sentence suggest that the life is an game for the south politician.
Stanza 2: denounce the racial hate
« A South politician preaches to the poor white man »
From the beginning Bob Dylan oppose the south politician and the poor white man (the murderer).
« You got more than blacks, don't complain »There is an confusion betwen the victim and the murderer « the poor white man's used in the hands of them alllike a tool ».
« You're better than them, youbeen born with white skin" they explain »
The south politician try to manipulate the "soldier", he says that he made was good.
« And the Negro's name »,« Is used it is plain », « For the politician's gain », « As he rises to fame », « And thepoor white remains », « On the caboose of the train »
Bob Dylan explain that this event was an gain for the south politician while this event is an racism act and abominable.
« But it ain't him to blame » and « He's only a pawn in their game » again the refrain.
In the south racism of this time, the "divide for conquer" has maintain the White and the Black in the same destitution.
Stanza 3: indoctrination of the murderer
« The deputy sheriffs,the soldiers, the governors get paid
And the marshals and cops get the same »
Show that he could trust anyone and you would not have any help, people are ruled by power and power is money.
« But the poor whiteman's used in the hands of them all like a tool »
The murderer, a "poor whiteman", is used by all of them without any consent.
« He's taught in his school
From the start by the rule
That the laws are with him
To protect his white skin
To keep up his hate »
Point that his instruction decided by the elites manupulates him and his way of think.
« So he never thinks straight »
That links to the last affirmation, elites forge a new way of think for him, a wrong way.
« 'Bout the shape that he's in »
This is another link to the manipulation showed before, she is so much powerfull that he can't escape his conditioning.
« But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn int heir game. » Again the refrain.Stanza 4: His training
«From the powerty shacks, he looks from the cracks to the tracks »That denounces the poverty, that increase segregations
«And the hoof beats pound in his brain
And he's taught how to walk in a pack
Shoot in the back
With his fist in a clinch
To hang and to lynch
To hide 'neath the hood
To kill with no pain »
That tell us that he becomes a bad guy without honor and condolence. The man is like an pupet influences by the south politicians.
« Like a dog on a chain »
Remains that he has no liberty and is inflenced by the powerfulls.
« He ain't got no name »
The murderer is one more time dehumanize, to show his inhumanity or to show that there were all the same, therefore he could be anyone.
« But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn int heir game. »
Stanza 5: Now and after
« Today, Medgar Everswas buried from the bullet he caught
They lowered him down as a king »
He remains us again, that terrible act, the murderer of Medgar, the subject of the song.
« But when the shadowy sun sets on the one
That fired the gun »
This is a metaphor for the death of the murderer.
« He'll see by his grave
On the stone that remains
Carved next to hisname
His epitaph plain:
Only a pawn in theirgame »
This the fall of this song, the death of the murder show that he were just a tool in hands of powerfull, that is write on "his grave".
Conclusion
In his song Bob Dylan encourage us to think about the event, on the assassination of Medgar Evers. He denounces racial segregation and real violence in the USA. His aim is to show up the real killer of Medgar and stop the segregation. In order to, the people must think, and it is that this song try to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment