Bob Dylan has been recognized for his outstanding achievement as a songwriter by receiving the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. The announcement was made this morning and has been met with praise from the music community for one of the greatest American songwriters of his time.
He was given the award for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."
It comes as somewhat of a surprise to see Dylan win. He has been listed as someone with an outside shot for years, but without a shortlist, there is no way to know definitively who are the frontrunners each year. He is the first American to win since Toni Morrison won in 1993 and ninth overall from the United States.
It is the first time the honor has gone to a musician.
In honor of Dylan winning the prestigious award, we have put together seven of his best lyrics, but one could go on for days doing so. Just listen to his entire discography for wisdom and poetic mastery.
BREAKING 2016 #NobelPrize in Literature to Bob Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition” pic.twitter.com/XYkeJKRfhv
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 13, 2016
1. "Positively 4th Street"
Lyric - "I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes/ You'd know what a drag it is to see you"
2. "Like a Rolling Stone"
Lyric - "You used to laugh about/ Everybody that was hanging out/ Now you don't talk so loud/ Now you don't seem so proud/ About having to be scrounging for your next meal"
3. "Absolutely Sweet Marie"
Lyric - "To live outside the law, you must be honest."
4. "The Man In The Long Black Coat"
Lyric - "Every man's conscience is vile and depraved/You cannot depend on it to be your guide when it's you who must keep it satisfied"
5. "Masters of War"
Lyric - "Let me ask you one question / Is your money that good? / Will it buy you forgiveness / Do you think that it could?"
6. "Blowin' In The Wind"
Lyric - "How many roads must a man walk down / Before you call him a man? / Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail / Before she sleeps in the sand? / Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannonballs fly / Before they're forever banned? / The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind / The answer is blowin' in the wind?
7. "Mr. Tambourine Man"
Lyric - "Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free / silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands / with all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves / Let me forget about today until tomorrow."
