Like a Rolling Stone
The next verse marks the beginning of McLean’s descent into hidden meanings, and this is why it contains some of the most debated lyrics of the song.
“Now for ten years, we’ve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a-rollin’ stone
But that’s not how it used to be”
Group shot of English rock and roll band The Rolling Stones posed in 1968. Clockwise from top left: Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, Brian Jones (1942-1969), Mick jagger and Keith Richards. (Photo by Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns)
This it is a clear reference to the Rolling Stones, but also another tribute to Buddy Holly who sang “Well you know, a rolling stone, don’t gather no moss.” Most interpreters believe that this verse takes place between 1963 and 1966. The image of the Rolling Stone is referring to an old cliché that describes a person never puts down the rules, but in this context, it foreshadows the uprooting anarchy that Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones Will bring tour America at the beginning of the 70s.
It is also believed that the rolling stone reference is about Bob Dylan who sang “Like a Rolling Stone” in 1965, in what was to be later considered a major break from folk music. Shortly after, Dylan was involved in a motorcycle accident and paused his musical career for about a year, in a period that many believed marked a turning point in his career (hence the “moss grows fat” line).