A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son? Oh, where have you been, my darling young one? I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains, I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways, I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests, I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans, I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard, And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard, And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall. Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son? Oh, what did you see, my darling young one? I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it, I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin', I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin', I saw a white ladder all covered with water, I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken, I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children, And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall. And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son? And what did you hear, my darling young one? I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin', Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world, Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin', Heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin', Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin', Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter, Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley, And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall. Oh, who did you meet, my blue-eyed son? Who did you meet, my darling young one? I met a young child beside a dead pony, I met a white man who walked a black dog, I met a young woman whose body was burning, I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow, I met one man who was wounded in love, I met another man who was wounded with hatred, And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall. Oh, what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son? Oh, what'll you do now, my darling young one? I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin', I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest, Where the people are many and their hands are all empty, Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters, Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison, Where the executioner's face is always well hidden, Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten, Where black is the color, where none is the number, And I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it, And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it, Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin', But I'll know my song well before I start singin', And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

PERFORMANCES SINCE 1998 1998.01.20, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK 1998.01.24, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 1998.06.02, LEIPZIG, GERMANY 1998.06.20, NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND 1998.06.27, LONDON, ENGLAND 1998.07.01, DIJON, FRANCE 1998.07.06, LUCCA, ITALY 1998.11.02, SYRACUSE, NEW YORK 1999.01.30, TAMPA, FLORIDA 1999.04.21, ZARAGOZA, SPAIN 1999.04.25, ZURICH, SWITZERLAND 1999.04.28, LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA 1999.04.30, VIENNA, AUSTRIA 1999.06.14, EUGENE, OREGON 1999.07.06, DETROIT, MICHIGAN 1999.07.27, NEW YORK CITY 1999.11.03, COLUMBUS, OHIO 1999.11.14, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 1999.11.19, ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY 2000.04.05, SALINA, KANSAS 2000.05.21, HORSENS, DENMARK 2000.07.11, CINCINNATI, OHIO 2000.09.25, PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND 2001.03.02, YOKOHAMA, JAPAN 2001.03.13, HAMAMATSU, JAPAN 2001.03.21, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA 2001.03.25, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 2001.04.25, CAPE GIRADEAU, MISSOURI 2001.06.28, LANGESUND, NORWAY 2001.07.05, BRAUNSCHWEIG, GERMANY 2001.07.18, BAD REICHENHALL, GERMANY 2001.08.15, OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA 2001.08.20, TELLURIDE, COLORADO 2001.08.25, LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA 2001.10.06, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 2001.10.12, SAN JOSÉ, CALIFORNIA 2001.10.13, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 2001.10.14, SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA 2001.10.23, SIOUX CITY, IOWA 2001.10.25, ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA 2001.10.31, MADISON, WISCONSIN 2001.11.08, TORONTO, CANADA 2001.11.09, DETROIT, MICHIGAN 2001.11.15, WASHINGTON, D.C. 2001.11.17, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 2001.11.19, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK 2001.11.24, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 2002.02.08, WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA 2002.02.11, CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA 2002.02.15, AUGUSTA, GEORGIA 2002.02.17, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 2002.02.23, BOSSIER CITY, LOUISIANA 2002.04.09, HAMBURG, GERMANY 2002.04.16, STUTTGART, GERMANY 2002.04.21, ZURICH, SWITZERLAND 2002.04.25, STRASBOURG, FRANCE 2002.04.29, PARIS, FRANCE 2002.05.05, BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND 2002.05.08, NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND 2002.05.12, LONDON, ENGLAND 2002.08.12, MONTRÉAL, QUEBEC, CANADA 2002.10.07, RED BLUFF, CALIFORNIA 2002.10.11, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 2003.04.25, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 2003.07.19, LAKE TAHOE, NEVADA 2003.08.02, JOLIET, ILLINOIS 2003.08.09, HOLMDEL, NEW JERSEY 2003.08.17, WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT 2003.11.25, LONDON, ENGLAND 2004.03.31, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 2004.04.03, WASHINGTON, D.C 2004.07.03, COMO, ITALY 2004.07.10, MOTRIL, SPAIN 2004.07.15, LEÓN, SPAIN 2004.08.12, ABERDEEN, MARYLAND 2004.08.28, DES MOINES, IOWA 2004.10.21, SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA 2004.10.30, KENOSHA, WISCONSIN 2004.11.03, WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA 2004.11.17, KINGSTON, RHODE ISLAND 2005.04.03, CHIGAGO, ILLINOIS 2005.04.17, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 2005.04.24, ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY 2005.04.28, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 2005.06.01, CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE 2005.06.16, CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY 2005.07.24, CALGARY, ALBERTA 2005.07.27, BOZEMAN, MONTANA 2005.10.30, WETZLAR, GERMANY 2005.11.03, PARIS, FRANCE 2005.11.06, ERFURT, GERMANY 2005.11.10, BOLOGNA, ITALY 2005.11.16, MANCHESTER, ENGLAND 2005.11.23, LONDON, ENGLAND 2006.04.24, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE 2006.07.12, PERPIGNAN, FRANCE 2006.07.19, FOGGIA, ITALY 2006.08.18, WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA 2006.08.24, PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND 2006.08.27, MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE 2006.10.13, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 2006.10.25, LINCOLN, NEBRASKA 2007.03.27, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN 2007.03.28, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN 2007.03.30, OSLO, NORWAY 2007.04.04, HAMBURG, GERMANY 2007.04.11, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND 2007.04.21, FRANKFURT, GERMANY 2007.07.10, INTERLOCHEN, MICHIGAN 2007.08.15, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 2007.08.23, PERTH, AUSTRALIA 2007.09.27, CHARLOTTSVILLE, VIRGINIA 2008.03.02, GUADALAJARA, MEXICO 2008.03.06, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL 2008.03.20, PUNTA DEL ESTE, URUGUAY 2008.06.05, VILNIUS, LITHUANIA 2008.06.16, BERGAMO, ITALY 2008.06.19, GRENOBLE, FRANCE 2008.06.23, ZARAGOZA, SPAIN 2008.07.10, MÉRIDA , SPAIN 2008.08.24, EVANSVILLE , INDIANA 2008.08.28, KANSAS CITY , MISSOURI 2008.09.04, TEMECULA , CALIFORNIA 2008.09.07, SANTA BARBARA , CALIFORNIA 2008.10.23, VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA , CANADA 2008.10.30, LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA , CANADA 2008.11.06, MILWAUKEE , WISCONSIN 2008.11.09, SAULT STE. MARIE, ONTARIO , CANADA 2008.11.13, SUDBURY, ONTARIO , CANADA 2009.03.25, OSLO, NORWAY 2009.04.02, ERFURT, GERMANY 2009.04.15, MILANO, ITALY 2009.07.08, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY 2009.07.23, LAKEWOOD, NEW JERSEY 2009.07.30, ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA 2009.10.11, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 2009.11.02, BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA 2009.11.05, CANTON, OHIO 2009.11.17, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK In April 1999 I have seen Bob perform "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" masterfully in Zurich, and in September 2000 my wife and I got to see Bob singing it at the second show in Portsmouth. It had been the fourth and last performance of this song in 2000. In 2001 "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" has been performed twice in Japan; and twice in Australia. In April in Cape Giradeau, Missouri, "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" has been performed in the same concert as "IN THE GARDEN", like so many times before back in the fall of 1981. The first European appearance of "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" in 2001 was in Norway, the second and the third one were in Germany. In August 2001 it was performed in Oklahoma, in Colorado, and in California. During the fall 2001 tour Bob sang "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" in Seattle, and on three consecutive days in San José, San Francisco and Santa Barbara. The song appeared next in Sioux City and St.Paul. And in Madison, halfway through the tour, Bob actually chose for the first time to follow up "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" with "THIS WORLD CAN'T STAND LONG". Eight days later in Toronto both songs appeared in the same setlist again; and one day after that in Detroit "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" appeared in the same show as the rare "EVERY GRAIN OF SAND". The next performances of "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" were again at three consecutive shows; in Washington D.C., the capital of the United States; two days later in Philadelphia; and another two days later at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Also the last Bob Dylan concert of 2001 in Boston included this song. In February 2002 "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" appeared in North Carolina and Louisiana in a concert starting with "I AM THE MAN THOMAS"; and in West Virgina and Georgia in the same show as "THIS WORLD CAN'T STAND LONG". Once more it was performed in Louisiana in February, making it five appearances in 15 days. In April it appeared twice in Germany, in Hamburg and Stuttgart, one week apart; and in Zurich, Switzerland, where I had seen it three years before. The next two performances were in France, in Strasbourg and Paris, four days apart. In England I had the pleasure to see Bob performing "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" three times in May 2002, in Bournemouth (where it appeared in the same show as "NOT DARK YET"), in Newcastle, and during the second show in London. In August Bob Dylan performed it in Montréal, Canada. In October in California "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed twice by Bob while playing piano. More than half a year later, at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, during the last verse of his first performance of "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" in 2003, Bob was standing at his piano and delivered one of the finest vocal performances in recent years. In July, almost three months after that, "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed in Lake Tahoe, Nevada; and in August it appeared in Joliet, Illinois, in Holmdel, New Jersey, and in Wallingford, Connecticut. Another three months later, in London, in November 2003, Bob Dylan performed "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" during the last show of his finest European tour since 1981. The first appearance of "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" in 2004 was on the last day of March, in Philadelphia. Only three days later it was performed again, in Washington, in the same show as the rare "RING THEM BELLS". Exactly three months after this, in July 2004, in Como, Italy, "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" appeared as the first encore of a show, which also included "EVERY GRAIN OF SAND". One week later, "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed at the south coast of Spain, in Motril, once more (as numerous times before over the years) in the same set as "NOT DARK YET". Five days later Dylan performed "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" in León. In August 2004, "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed during an extremely rainy show in Aberdeen, Maryland, and then sixteen days later in Des Moines, Iowa. During the fall tour "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" appeared at first in Santa Barbara, California, in the same show as "TRYIN' TO GET TO HEAVEN"; and then in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where it shared another setlist with "EVERY GRAIN OF SAND". Four days later, on the day after the US election, "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed in Lafayette, Indiana, in a show which also included "SHOOTING STAR"; and two weeks after that, in Kingston, Rhode Island, "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" appeared in the same concert as "TRYIN' TO GET TO HEAVEN". During the first Sunday show of 2005, in Chicago, Bob Dylan chose to sing his first "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" of the year, in the same set as "SEÑOR", "GOD KNOWS", "SHOOTING STAR", "TRYIN' TO GET TO HEAVEN", and "I SHALL BE RELEASED", creating a very strong and thought provocing juxtopostion of some fine songs. Two weeks later, during the third Boston show, another fine juxtoposition of great songs was to be heard, including "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL", "TRYIN' TO GET TO HEAVEN", "GOD KNOWS", "I BELIEVE IN YOU", and "RING THEM BELLS". On the following Sunday, in Atlantic City, "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" appeared in an even finer setlist, together with "GOD KNOWS", "RING THEM BELLS", "TRYIN' TO GET TO HEAVEN", "I BELIEVE IN YOU", and "MISSISSIPPI". Four days after that, in New York City, "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed in the same show as "SEÑOR", "BLIND WILLIE MCTELL", and "MISSISSIPPI". During the May to July stadium tour of 2005, "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed only twice in June, both times in the same set as "FOREVER YOUNG". Toward the end of July 2005 "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" appeared two more times, in Calgary, sharing a fine Sunday set list, which also included "GOD KNOWS", "SHOOTING STAR", and "TRYIN' TO GET TO HEAVEN"; and then in Bozeman, Montana. During the European fall tour of 2005, "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed six times, in Wetzlar, in Paris, in Erfurt, in Bologna, in Manchester, and during the fourth of his five London shows. Two of the six appearances (in Wetzlar and in Erfurt) were on consecutive Sundays, thus both times they were sharing a set list with "GOD KNOWS" and "SEÑOR"; and in Wetzlar also with the only "SHOOTING STAR" of the tour; and in Erfurt also with the only "RING THEM BELLS" of the tour. Powerful combinations indeed, these songs. My wife and I were standing at the rail in both Wetzlar and Erfurt, seeing both times a very focused vocal performance of "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL", which were only the 7th and 8th German "never ending tour" appearances of this gem. “I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it, and reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it, then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin', but I'll know my song well before I start singin'.” A very fitting addition to these two brilliant Sunday set list. The first appearance of "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" in 2006 was in Memphis, Tennessee, and the second one was during the summer tour in Europe, in Perpignan, France. One week later, in Foggia, Italy, "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed again, this time in the same set as "EVERY GRAIN OF SAND". During the US summer tour "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" appeared first in North Carolina; then six days later in Rhode Island, in a show which had started with "CAT'S IN THE WELL". This combination was repeated three days later, in New Hampshire. During the fall tour of 2006 "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed in two of the 29 shows, and during the fine European spring tour of 2007 "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" appeared in six of the 28 shows. The last of those six performances was in Frankfurt, where once more my wife and I were a part of the audience. During the North American summer tour of 2007 "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed only once, in Michigan; and during the New Zealand and Australia tour in August 2007 "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" appeared in two of the 12 shows. In the fall tour of 2007 "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed only once, in Virginia. In November of 2007 a new studio version of "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" surfaced, which was recorded by Bob and his band for the "EXPO ZARAGOZA 2008". [see mp3 link below] During his Latin America tour in 2008 Dylan chose to perform "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" three times, in Mexico, in Brazil, and in Uruguay; and during his European summer tour in 2008 it appeared five times, in Lithuania, in Italy, in France, and then twice in Spain (first in Zaragoza, and finally in Mérida, where I had the privilege to witness this very focused version from the center of the rail). Nine more times in 2008 "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed in North America from August to November. In 2009 "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" appeared three times in Europe in the spring, in Norway, in Germany, and in Italy; and then three times in the USA in the summer, in Kentucky, in New Jersey, and in Georgia. During the fall tour of 2009 "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" was performed four times. I do think Bob Dylan is conveying a very grave warning when singing "A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL" these days. This brilliant song does paint a vivid picture of a very desolate "world gone wrong", which "can't stand long" and which "will be destroyed" by its maker, "because it is too full of sin". ~ MP3 ~ A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL ~ OSLO ~ MARCH 30, 2007 ~ Oslo, Norway - March 30th, 2007 (the last two verses) ~ MP3 ~ A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL ~ FRANKFURT ~ APRIL 21, 2007 ~ ~ MP3 ~ A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL ~ ~ STUDIO VERSION FROM 2007 ~ FOR EXPO ZARAGOZA 2008 ~ Biblical references: ~ Luke 21 ~ "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken." ~ Ecclesiastes 11 ~ If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth. See for yourself "if the Bible is right".