Culture against the Government
The lines “It landed foul out on the grass/The players tried for a forward pass” refers to the youth culture making a pass against the government while attempting to change and transform the country. It is evident that the political and civil authorities do not take kindly to the challenges and that this has forever changed the American cultural dialogue.
Photo of Grateful Dead Photo by Waring Abbott/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
This verse speaks about the pragmatic agendas of the civil rights movement and about the musical players of the time. Bob Dylan is now representing the New Left, antiwar position, while the Beatles are at the forefront of the counterculture. Together with many others such as the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, the Jefferson Airplane and the Byrds, they are all symbols of the liberal political forces that compete on the rock ‘n’ roll and cultural front during this period.
“With the jester on the sidelines in a cast” is a line that refers to the nearly fatal motorcycle accident Bob Dylan was involved in on July 29, 1966. After the crash, he retreated to Woodstock, New York, to recuperate and also deal with the overwhelming sensations he was experiencing due to the pressures of his success. In the next few years, his work was not as well received by us his earlier one, mostly because he retreated from the social commentary and lyrical complexity that made him the voice of a generation. His role as a beacon of light in the social and musical context was soon to be taken by the Beatles.