All the Tired Horses

"All The Tired Horses"
Song by Bob Dylan from the album Self Portrait
Released June 8, 1970
Genre Rock, Folk rock
Length 3:14
Label Columbia
Writer(s) Bob Dylan
Producer(s) Bob Johnston
Self Portrait track listing

"All The Tired Horses"
(1)		 "Alberta #1"
(2)

"All the Tired Horses" is a song written by Bob Dylan, released on his 1970 double album Self Portrait. The song was featured in the 2001 film Blow.

The song is the first track on the album. It is most notable for its absence of Dylan's singing. It consists of a small choir of female voices (Hilda Harris, Albertine Robinson, and Maeretha Stewart)[1] repeating the same two lines

All the tired horses in the sun
How'm I s'posed to get any ridin' done? Hmm.

to the same melody for 3 minutes and 14 seconds, with varying instrumental accompaniment. In the key of C major, this song consists musically of the chord structure I-vi-iii-V, repeated throughout. This translates in the given key to C-Am-Em-G.

Possible Meanings

This has been taken as metaphor for simple tiredness, a psychological fatigue stemming from the wild ride of stardom and its attending distractions over his recent past years, or even a fatigue of the spirit itself, as interfering with his songwriting.

Some commentators have noted the near-homophonic relationship of "ridin'" and "writin'".[2][3]

Cover Versions

References

  1. ↑ "All The Tired Horses". Genius. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  2. ↑ Tony Attwood (November 26, 2014). "All the tired horses: the meaning of the music and the lyrics". Untold Dylan. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Lee Bains (May 2007). "The Narrator on CD". CMJ New Music Monthly. p. 15. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  4. ↑ http://www.covermesongs.com/2012/02/tim-heidecker-does-an-impromptu-collaboration-on-bob-dylans-all-the-tired-horses.html

Further reading

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