Only a Pawn in Their Game

Last updated
"Only a Pawn in Their Game"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album The Times They Are a-Changin'
ReleasedJanuary 13, 1964
RecordedAugust 7, 1963
Genre
Length3:33
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Bob Dylan
Producer(s) Tom Wilson

"Only a Pawn in Their Game" is a song written by Bob Dylan about the assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi, on June 12, 1963. Showing support for African-Americans during the American Civil Rights Movement, the song was released on Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin' album in 1964.

Contents

Lyrics

The lyrics attribute blame for the killing and other racial violence to the rich white politicians and authorities who manipulated poor whites into directing their anger and hatred at black people. [1] The song suggests that Evers's killer does not deserve to be remembered by name in the annals of history, unlike the man he murdered ("They lowered him down as a king"), because he was "only a pawn in their game."

Recording and performances

Dylan first performed "Only a Pawn in Their Game" at a voter registration rally in Greenwood, Mississippi on July 6, 1963, at the request of Pete Seeger. He sang it again at the Newport Folk Festival on 26 July. [2] Two weeks later, on August 7, he recorded several takes of the song at Columbia's studios in New York City, selecting the initial attempt for release on The Times They Are a-Changin'. [3]

Dylan performed the song at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. [4] Dylan stated of the experience, in the documentary No Direction Home , "I looked up from the podium and I thought to myself, 'I've never seen such a large crowd.' I was up close when King was giving that speech. To this day, it still affects me in a profound way." [5] Nevertheless, he received only scattered applause for the song, reflecting that many marchers did not agree with the sentiments of the song which exonerate Evers's murderer as a poor white man manipulated by race-baiting politicians and the injustices of the social system. [6]

The lyrics actually reiterate the claim that the murderer "can't be blamed. He's only a pawn in their game." In fact, the state twice prosecuted the murderer in 1964, but each time the all white jury failed to reach a verdict. [7] Dylan no longer played the song after October 1964. [8] In 1969 the murderer had the original indictment dismissed. However, when these first trials were shown to be held unfairly and with new evidence available the murderer was eventually found guilty on February 5, 1994. [9]

Hip hop group Public Enemy reference it in their 2007 Dylan tribute song "Long and Whining Road": "Only a pawn in the game, chastised for naming names / What was said and who said it, anti-nothing so forget it". [10]

In August 2020, John Mellencamp released the song "A Pawn in the White Man's Game" to his website along with a video to YouTube. The song was a re-working of "Only a Pawn in Their Game" with new lyrics that reflected the racial conflicts in the U.S. that followed in the wake of the murder of George Floyd while in custody of Minneapolis police officers. The video, which included a warning that it might be seen as "inappropriate for some viewers", featured footage of protesters and police clashing violently in 2020 and 1968. YouTube eventually removed the video for violating their community guidelines. [11]

Morrissey recorded the song for his 2019 cover album California Son . [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Times They Are a-Changin</i> (Bob Dylan album) 1964 studio album by Bob Dylan

The Times They Are a-Changin' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was released on February 10, 1964 through Columbia Records. Whereas his previous albums, Bob Dylan and The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, combined original material and cover songs, this was the first to feature only original compositions. The album consists mostly of stark, sparsely arranged ballads concerning issues such as racism, poverty, and social change. The title track is one of Dylan's most famous; many feel that it captures the spirit of social and political upheaval that characterized the 1960s.

<i>World Gone Wrong</i> 1993 studio album by Bob Dylan

World Gone Wrong is the twenty-ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on October 26, 1993, by Columbia Records.

"Talkin' World War III Blues" is a song written and performed by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan that was first released as the tenth track of his 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Like nearly every song on the album, it is performed by Dylan solo, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica played in a rack.

"As I Went Out One Morning" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as the second song on his 1967 album John Wesley Harding.

"Ballad of Hollis Brown" is a folk song written by Bob Dylan, released in 1964 on his third album The Times They Are A-Changin'. The song tells the story of a South Dakota farmer who, overwhelmed by the desperation of poverty, kills his wife, children and then himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Times They Are a-Changin' (song)</span> 1965 single by Bob Dylan

"The Times They Are a-Changin'" is a song written by Bob Dylan and released as the title track of his 1964 album of the same name. Dylan wrote the song as a deliberate attempt to create an anthem of change for the time, influenced by Irish and Scottish ballads. Released as a 45-rpm single in Britain in 1965, it reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was not released as a single in the U.S. In 2019 it was certified Silver by BPI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder on the Mountain</span> 2006 song by Bob Dylan

"Thunder on the Mountain" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released in 2006 as the first track on his album Modern Times. Like much of Dylan's 21st century output, he produced the song himself under the pseudonym Jack Frost.

"Workingman's Blues #2" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as the sixth track on his 2006 album Modern Times. As with much of Dylan's 21st-century output, he produced the song himself under the pseudonym Jack Frost.

"Tryin' to Get to Heaven" is a song written and performed by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, recorded in January 1997 and released in September that year as the fifth track on his album Time Out of Mind. The recording was produced by Daniel Lanois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political World</span> 1989 song by Bob Dylan

"Political World" is an uptempo folk rock song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as the opening track on his 1989 album Oh Mercy and as a single in Europe in 1990. It was produced by Daniel Lanois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beyond Here Lies Nothin'</span> 2009 song by Bob Dylan

"Beyond Here Lies Nothin' " is a song written by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and performed by Dylan as the opening track on his 2009 studio album Together Through Life. The title is a quote from the ancient Roman poet Ovid. The track was available as a free download on Dylan's official website from March 30 to March 31, 2009, and a photo montage set to the song premiered on Amazon on April 21. It has been anthologized on every reissue of The Essential Bob Dylan since 2010. Like much of Dylan's 21st century output, he produced the song himself using the pseudonym Jack Frost.

"John Brown" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The song, written in October 1962 was released under his pseudonym "Blind Boy Grunt" on the Folkways Records compilation album Broadside Ballads, Vol. 1 (1963). Live performances have been officially released on MTV Unplugged (1995), Live at The Gaslight 1962 (2005), and Live 1962–1966 – Rare Performances From The Copyright Collections (2018). A demo version was issued on The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 – The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964 (2010).

"Sweet, Sweet Blues" is an episode of the NBC drama series In the Heat of the Night, starring Carroll O'Connor as Chief Bill Gillespie and Howard Rollins as Detective Virgil Tibbs. In the Heat of the Night was based on the 1965 novel by John Ball, which was also the basis for the Academy Award winning film of the same name starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, directed by Norman Jewison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duquesne Whistle</span> 2012 single by Bob Dylan

"Duquesne Whistle" is a song written by Bob Dylan and Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter that appears as the opening track on Dylan's 2012 studio album Tempest. It was first released as a digital single on August 27, 2012 through Columbia Records then as a music video two days later. A limited edition "Record Store Day" 7" stereo single was released on November 23, 2012. It was also anthologized on the 2014 reissue of The Essential Bob Dylan. Like much of Dylan's 21st-century output, he produced the song himself using the pseudonym Jack Frost.

"Roll On John" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan that appears as the tenth and final track on his 2012 studio album Tempest. Like much of Dylan's 21st-century output, he produced the song himself using the pseudonym Jack Frost.

The history of the 1954 to 1968 American civil rights movement has been depicted and documented in film, song, theater, television, and the visual arts. These presentations add to and maintain cultural awareness and understanding of the goals, tactics, and accomplishments of the people who organized and participated in this nonviolent movement.

"Down the Highway" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was recorded on July 9, 1962 at Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, New York, produced by John Hammond. The song was released on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan on May 27, 1963. It is a twelve-bar blues love song, which Dylan told his girlfriend Suze Rotolo he had written about her.

"Highway 51 Blues" is a song composed by American blues pianist Curtis Jones, released on a 78 record on January 12, 1938. Bob Dylan's track "Highway 51", released as the closing track of the first side of his debut album Bob Dylan on March 19, 1962, incorporated the tune from Jones's version.

"Suze (The Cough Song)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, recorded in 1963 during the sessions for his third studio album, The Times They Are a-Changin' (1964). The song was written and performed by Dylan, and produced by Tom Wilson. It was released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 (1991). Dylan played the guitar by fingerpicking in the Piedmont blues style, until he stated coughing started 90 seconds into the recording and asked Wilson to fade it out. The quality of Dyan's playing has been crticised, although some critics have found the song enjoyable.

References

  1. ↑ NPR Staff (June 12, 2013). "Bob Dylan's Tribute To Medgar Evers Took On The Big Picture". npr.org. NPR . Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Bob Dylan Setlist at Newport Folk Festival 1963". setlist.fm. Setlist FM. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  3. ↑ Margotin, Phillipe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (October 27, 2015). Bob Dylan: All the Songs. New York, NY: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. pp. 96–97. ISBN   9781579129859.
  4. ↑ Greenman, Ben (August 28, 2013). "Dream Songs: The Music of the March on Washington". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  5. ↑ Greene, Andy (2020-06-09). "Flashback: Bob Dylan Performs at the 1963 March on Washington". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  6. ↑ Jones, William P. (2013). The March on Washington: Jobs, Freedom, and the Forgotten History of Civil Rights. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN   978-0-393-24058-0.
  7. ↑ "White Supremacist Indicted for Third Time in Shooting Death of Medgar Evers". Jet . Vol. 79, no. 12. January 7, 1991 – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2015). Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track New York. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal.
  9. ↑ Batten, Donna (2010). Gale Encyclopedia of American Law (3rd ed.). p. 266.
  10. ↑ Public Enemy – The Long and Whining Road , retrieved 2021-04-12
  11. ↑ John Mellencamp posts reworked version of 1964 Bob Dylan civil rights-themed protest song, archived from the original on 2021-09-29, retrieved 2021-09-29
  12. ↑ McCormick, Neil (2019-05-22). "Morrissey, California Son, review: has the once proud Mancunian swapped allegiances?". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2022-09-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.