Masters of War

1963 song by Bob Dylan

This article is about the Bob Dylan song. For other uses, see Master of War.

"Masters of War"

Song by Bob Dylan
from the album  The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Released| May 27, 1963
Recorded| April 24, 1963
Genre| Folk
Length| 4:34
Label| Columbia
Composer(s)| Traditional/Jean Ritchie
Lyricist(s)| Bob Dylan

"Masters of War" is a song by Bob Dylan, written over the winter of 1962–63 and released on the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in the spring of 1963.[1] The song's melody was adapted from the traditional "Nottamun Town."[2] Dylan's lyrics are a protest against the Cold War nuclear arms build-up of the early 1960s.[3]

## Basis of melody[edit]

See also: Jack Landron

As with several of his early songs, Dylan adapted or "borrowed" melodies from traditional songs. In the case of "Nottamun Town," however, the arrangement was by veteran folksinger Jean Ritchie. Unknown to Dylan, the song had been in Ritchie's family for generations, and she wanted a writing credit for her arrangement. In a legal settlement, Dylan's lawyers paid Ritchie $5,000 against any further claims.[4]

## Recordings and performances[edit]

Dylan first recorded "Masters of War" in January 1963 for Broadside magazine, which published the lyrics and music on the cover of its February issue.[5][6] The song was also taped in the basement of Gerde's Folk City in February and for Dylan's music publisher, M. Witmark & Sons, in March.[7] The Witmark version was included on The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 – The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964 in October 2010.[8] The Freewheelin' version was recorded on April 24, 1963, by Columbia Records; in addition to that album, it has also appeared on compilation albums such as Masterpieces in 1978 and Biograph in 1985.[9][10]

During 1963, Dylan performed the song at major concerts, including his performances at New York City's Town Hall on April 12, Brandeis University's Brandeis Folk Festival on May 10, and Carnegie Hall on October 26. He also played it at an afternoon workshop at his first Newport Folk Festival appearance on July 27.[5][7] The Town Hall performance was released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home in August 2005, the Brandeis version on Live in Concert at Brandeis University 10/05/1963 in October 2010,[10] and the Carnegie Hall version on Live 1962–1966: Rare Performances From The Copyright Collections in July 2018. A live, electric version, recorded at London's Wembley Stadium in 1984, was included on Dylan's 1985 Real Live European tour album.[11][12] He performed the song during the 1991 Grammy Awards ceremony where he received a Lifetime Achievement Award. After 1963's performances, Dylan did not play an acoustic version of "Masters of War" for 30 years, until his Hiroshima concert in Japan in 1994.[13]

American folk revival musician Pete Seeger covered the song on his 1965 album Strangers And Cousins. Recorded live in Japan, the cover features Seeger playing an acoustic guitar, with each lyric followed by a spoken translation of the lyric by a Japanese translator.[14] Seeger and Dylan had a close personal and professional relationship, with Dylan citing Seeger as a source of inspiration in both musical and political spheres. Additionally, they both participated in anti-war activism during the '50s and '60s, and Seeger shared many of the pacifist values expressed by Dylan in “Masters of War".[15] The choice to cover the song in Japan links back to Seeger's involvement with activism against Japanese-American internment camps. His activism led to an FBI investigation, and he was later placed on an FBI blacklist of "communist" entertainers.[16] These issues also held significance in Seeger's personal life; his wife,Toshi Seeger, was the daughter of a Japanese political exile fleeing statism in Shōwa Japan.[17]

Leon Russell's 1970 version retains Dylan's lyric but is sung to the melody of "The Star Spangled Banner."[18]

Hip hop group The Roots performed an epic 14-minute version of the song that was considered by critics to be the high point of a Dylan-tribute concert in 2007.[19]

In October 2020, Canadian rock band Billy Talent uploaded a cover of the song to YouTube, with a message from drummer, Aaron Solowoniuk, urging American viewers to vote in the 2020 United States presidential election.[20]

## Themes[edit]

In the album notes to The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Nat Hentoff wrote that Dylan startled himself with this song, and quotes Dylan saying: "I've never written anything like that before. I don't sing songs which hope people will die, but I couldn't help it with this one. The song is a sort of striking out... a feeling of what can you do?"[3]

Critic Andy Gill described the song as "the bluntest condemnation in Dylan's songbook, a torrent of plain speaking pitched at a level that even the objects of its bile might understand it." Gill points out that when the song was published in Broadside magazine in February 1963, it was accompanied by drawings by Suze Rotolo, Dylan's girlfriend at the time, which depicted a man carving up the world with a knife and fork, while a hungry family forlornly looks on.[21]

According to Todd Harvey, in this song Dylan "allows the listener no opportunity to see the issue from the masters' eyes. 'I' and 'you' are clearly established and 'you' are clearly wrong. The repetitive text and accompaniment's droning single harmony work in tandem to drive home relentlessly the singer's perspective." Harvey notes that Dylan transforms "Nottamun Town," which has absurdly nonsensical words (a naked drummer accompanies a royal procession "with his heels in his bosom") into a confrontational political song; Dylan's writing entered a new phase—harsh, and fitting with the times.[22]

On January 17, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his farewell address from the Oval Office. In this speech, he warned that "we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."[23] In an interview, published in USA Today on September 10, 2001, Dylan linked his song to Eisenhower's speech, saying:

> "Masters of War"… is supposed to be a pacifistic song against war. It's not an anti-war song. It's speaking against what Eisenhower was calling a military-industrial complex as he was making his exit from the presidency. That spirit was in the air, and I picked it up.[24]

## Other cultural references[edit]

* American contemporary classical composer John Corigliano set the song's lyrics to music in his 2000 song cycle Mr. Tambourine Man. Like the other six Dylan songs in the cycle, Corigliano's version is musically unrelated to the original.[25]
* The Sage Francis song "Hey Bobby" references "Masters of War" with the lyrics "Hey Bobby, the masters are back, and they're up to no good just like the old days. They played dead when you stood over their graves, Bobby, they played dead when you stood over their graves."[26][27]
* The Staple Singers' 1964 version of "Masters of War" was used as the soundtrack in the promotional trailer for Sony's Resistance 3 video game in 2010[28] as well as Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's 2017 documentary series, The Vietnam War.

## See also[edit]

* List of Bob Dylan songs based on earlier tunes
* List of anti-war songs

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Sounes, Down the Highway: Life Of Bob Dylan, p. 131
2. ^ "Nottamun Town, bobdylanroots.com". Archived from the original on 2010-09-18. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
3. ^ a b Hentoff 1963
4. ^ Sounes, Down the Highway: Life Of Bob Dylan, p. 132
5. ^ a b Bjorner, "Still on the Road", 1963
6. ^ Broadside, Issue 20, February 1963
7. ^ a b Heylin, Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades, p. 739
8. ^ The Bootleg Series Volume 9—The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964. bobdylan.com. October 17, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
9. ^ "Masters of War", Bob Dylan
10. ^ a b Masters of War, Bob Dylan. Allmusic. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
11. ^ Bjorner, "Still on the Road", 1994
12. ^ Shelton, No Direction Home, pp. 490 and 534
13. ^ Bjorner, "Still on the Road", 1963–1994
14. ^ Pete Seeger - Strangers And Cousins, 1965, retrieved 2022-11-09
15. ^ admin (2015-08-25). "8 Things You Didn't Know About Pete Seeger". Evergreen. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
16. ^ Corn, David. "We obtained folk legend Pete Seeger's FBI file. Here's what it reveals". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
17. ^ Reports, Rafu (2015-12-25). "Seeger Was Investigated by FBI After Opposing JA Internment". Rafu Shimpo. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
18. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Leon Russell Masters of War". YouTube.
19. ^ "Listen to The Roots' Epic Cover of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War"". pastemagazine.com. 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
20. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Billy Talent - Masters Of War (Bob Dylan Cover)". YouTube.
21. ^ Gill 1999, p. 26
22. ^ Harvey 2001, p. 71
23. ^ "Dwight D. Eisenhower Farewell Address". USA Presidents. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
24. ^ Gundersen, Edna (2001-09-10). "Dylan is positively on top of his game". USAToday. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
25. ^ Corigliano, John. "Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan (Composer Note)". G. Schirmer Inc. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
26. ^ "Sage Francis: 'Hey Bobby' Lyrics". LyricsBox. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
27. ^ "Noize Suppressor: 'Master of War' Lyrics". LyricsGetit.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
28. ^ Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (2010). "Official Resistance 3 Teaser". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved February 16, 2011.

## References[edit]

* Bjorner, Olof. "Still on the Road: Recording sessions & concerts".
* Gill, Andy (1999), Classic Bob Dylan: My Back Pages, Carlton, ISBN 1-85868-599-0
* Harvey, Todd (2001), The Formative Dylan: Transmission & Stylistic Influences, 1961–1963, The Scarecrow Press, ISBN 0-8108-4115-0
* Hentoff, Nat (1963). The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (Media notes). Bob Dylan. New York: Columbia Records.
* Heylin, Clinton (2003). Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited. Harper Entertainment. ISBN 0-06-052569-X.
* Shelton, Robert (2003) [1986]. No Direction Home. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81287-8.
* Sounes, Howard (2001). Down The Highway: The Life Of Bob Dylan. Grove Press. ISBN 0-8021-1686-8.

## External links[edit]

* Masters Of War / Commentary by Bob Dylan about Masters Of War, John F. Kennedy, and Nikita Khrushchev A brief recording of Bob Dylan playing and talking 1 January 1963
* "Masters of War" Lyrics, BobDylan.com
* "Masters of War" Music & Lyrics, Broadside, Feb. 1963, p. 1
* “Bob Dylan: Masters of War” by Benno Schlachter 2012
* “Masters of War” by Bob Dylan at Music Politics 30 November 2015

* v
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Bob Dylan

* Discography
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* Songs written by Dylan
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* 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature

Studio albums|

* Bob Dylan
* The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
* The Times They Are a-Changin'
* Another Side of Bob Dylan
* Bringing It All Back Home
* Highway 61 Revisited
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* World Gone Wrong
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* Triplicate
* Rough and Rowdy Ways
* Shadow Kingdom

Live albums|

| Contemporary|

* Before the Flood
* Hard Rain
* Bob Dylan at Budokan
* Real Live
* Dylan & the Dead
* The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
* MTV Unplugged

|

Archival|

* Live 1961–2000: Thirty-Nine Years of Great Concert Performances
* Live at The Gaslight 1962
* Live at Carnegie Hall 1963
* In Concert – Brandeis University 1963
* The 1966 Live Recordings
* Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings
* The Complete Budokan 1978

Compilations|

| Hits|

* Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits
* Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II
* Masterpieces
* Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3
* The Best of Bob Dylan (1997)
* The Best of Bob Dylan, Vol. 2
* The Essential Bob Dylan
* The Best of Bob Dylan (2005)
* Dylan

|

Themed|

* Dylan
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Box sets|

* Biograph
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* The 50th Anniversary Collection
* Bob Dylan: The Complete Album Collection Vol. One
* The 50th Anniversary Collection 1963
* The 50th Anniversary Collection 1964
* 1970

The Bootleg Series|

* Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991
* Vol. 4: The Royal Albert Hall Concert
* Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue
* Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall
* Vol. 7: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack
* Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006
* Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964
* Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)
* Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete
* Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966
* Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979–1981
* Vol. 14: More Blood, More Tracks
* Vol. 15: Travelin' Thru, 1967–1969
* Vol. 16: Springtime in New York 1980–1985
* Vol. 17: Fragments – Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996–1997)

Bootlegs|

* From Newport to the Ancient Empty Street in L.A.
* Great White Wonder
* List of Basement Tapes songs
* 1967
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Concert tours|

* England Tour (1965)
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* Isle of Wight Festival (1969)
* Tour with the Band (1974)
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Films|

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* Hard to Handle
* The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
* MTV Unplugged
* Masked and Anonymous
* No Direction Home
* I'm Not There
* Soundtrack
* 65 Revisited
* The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963–1965
* Trouble No More – A Musical Film
* Rolling Thunder Revue
* Shadow Kingdom

Writings|

* Tarantula
* Writings and Drawings
* Chronicles: Volume One
* The Philosophy of Modern Song

Books about Dylan|

* The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia
* Bob Dylan, Performing Artist
* Invisible Republic
* The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan
* Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine

Family|

* Sara Dylan (first wife)
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* Jesse Dylan (son)
* Jakob Dylan (son)

Related|

* Recording Sessions
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* Joan Baez
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* Hearts of Fire
* Highway 61 Interactive
* Theme Time Radio Hour
* Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan
* Chimes of Freedom (album)
* The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams
* Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes
* Bob Dylan Center

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Bob Dylan songs by album (1960s)

Bob Dylan|

* "You're No Good"
* "Talkin' New York"
* "In My Time of Dyin'"
* "Man of Constant Sorrow"
* "Fixin' to Die"
* "Pretty Peggy-O"
* "Gospel Plow"
* "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down"
* "House of the Risin' Sun"
* "Freight Train Blues"
* "Song to Woody"
* "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean"
* "Highway 51"

The Freewheelin'
Bob Dylan|

* "Blowin' in the Wind"
* "Girl from the North Country"
* "Masters of War"
* "Down the Highway"
* "Bob Dylan's Blues"
* "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall"
* "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"
* "Bob Dylan's Dream"
* "Oxford Town"
* "Talkin' World War III Blues"
* "Corrina, Corrina"
* "Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance"
* "I Shall Be Free"

The Times They
Are a-Changin'|

* "The Times They Are a-Changin'"
* "Ballad of Hollis Brown"
* "With God on Our Side"
* "One Too Many Mornings"
* "North Country Blues"
* "Only a Pawn in Their Game"
* "Boots of Spanish Leather"
* "When the Ship Comes In"
* "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll"
* "Restless Farewell"

Another Side of
Bob Dylan|

* "All I Really Want to Do"
* "Black Crow Blues"
* "Spanish Harlem Incident"
* "Chimes of Freedom"
* "I Shall Be Free No. 10"
* "To Ramona"
* "Motorpsycho Nitemare"
* "My Back Pages"
* "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)"
* "Ballad in Plain D"
* "It Ain't Me Babe"

Bringing It All
Back Home|

* "Subterranean Homesick Blues"
* "She Belongs to Me"
* "Maggie's Farm"
* "Love Minus Zero/No Limit"
* "Outlaw Blues"
* "On the Road Again"
* "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream"
* "Mr. Tambourine Man"
* "Gates of Eden"
* "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"
* "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"

Highway 61
Revisited|

* "Like a Rolling Stone"
* "Tombstone Blues"
* "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry"
* "From a Buick 6"
* "Ballad of a Thin Man"
* "Queen Jane Approximately"
* "Highway 61 Revisited"
* "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"
* "Desolation Row"

Blonde on
Blonde|

* "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35"
* "Pledging My Time"
* "Visions of Johanna"
* "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)"
* "I Want You"
* "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again"
* "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat"
* "Just Like a Woman"
* "Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine"
* "Temporary Like Achilles"
* "Absolutely Sweet Marie"
* "4th Time Around"
* "Obviously 5 Believers"
* "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"

John Wesley
Harding|

* "John Wesley Harding"
* "As I Went Out One Morning"
* "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine"
* "All Along the Watchtower"
* "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest"
* "Drifter's Escape"
* "Dear Landlord"
* "I Am a Lonesome Hobo"
* "I Pity the Poor Immigrant"
* "The Wicked Messenger"
* "Down Along the Cove"
* "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"

Nashville
Skyline|

* "Girl from the North Country"
* "To Be Alone with You"
* "I Threw It All Away"
* "Lay Lady Lay"
* "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You"

Other|

* "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues"
* "Mixed-Up Confusion"
* "Positively 4th Street"
* "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?"
* "If You Gotta Go, Go Now"

Lists|

* Songs written by Dylan

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Anti-war and peace movement

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Ideologies|

* Ahimsa
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Media and cultural|

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* Women in Black

Slogans and tactics|

* Bed-In
* Central Park be-ins
* Draft evasion
* Die-in
* Flower power
* Human Be-In
* "Make love, not war"
* Peace walk
* "Soldiers are murderers"
* Teach-in
* "The whole world is watching"
* War tax resisters

Opposition to specific
wars or their aspects|

* War of 1812 (UK; US)
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* Second Boer War
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* list of protests
* War on Terror
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* 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
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Countries|

* Canada
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* Category

Authority control databases |

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