Lyric Analysis: Ring Them Bells

This time we're doing something a little different -- instead of analysing a song from a writer's perspective, we're going to look at the "meaning" -- kind of a little devotional based off the Bob Dylan song "Ring Them Bells" (as we continue our countdown to the Bob Dylan/ Willie Nelson/ Greencards show in Louisville on the 29th.) Here are the lyrics:

Ring them bells, ye heathen
From the city that dreams,
Ring them bells from the sanctuaries
Cross the valleys and streams,
For they're deep and they're wide
And the world's on its side
And time is running backwards
And so is the bride.

Ring them bells St. Peter
Where the four winds blow,
Ring them bells with an iron hand
So the people will know.
Oh it's rush hour now
On the wheel and the plow
And the sun is going down
Upon the sacred cow.

Ring them bells Sweet Martha,
For the poor man's son,
Ring them bells so the world will know
That God is one.
Oh the shepherd is asleep
Where the willows weep
And the mountains are filled
With lost sheep.

Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf,
Ring them bells for all of us who are left,
Ring them bells for the chosen few
Who will judge the many when the game is through.
Ring them bells, for the time that flies,
For the child that cries
When innocence dies.

Ring them bells St. Catherine
From the top of the room,
Ring them from the fortress
For the lilies that bloom.
Oh the lines are long
And the fighting is strong
And they're breaking down the distance
Between right and wrong.


Copyright © 1989 Special Rider Music

This is one of the more obvious (though by no means few) of Dylan's apocalyptic songs. It is essentially a "call to arms," or "call to worship," which is heard in the title itself -- bell ringing is historically a summons.

Why the need for apocalyptic warning? Because "the world's on its side" and "time is running backwards, and so is the bride." Contextually (and with knowledge of Dylan's religious persuasion) the bride can be seen as "the Bride of Christ". Dylan often critiques from within. He sees himself as part of the Bride, a Bride that is running backwards, shirking her duties -- moving away from, rather than towards, her impending nuptuals.

Peter, Martha, and Catherine each bring meaning to the song.
Peter: A lead apostle and close friend of Jesus, given the charge to "feed the sheep."
Martha: Also a friend of Jesus, sister to Lazarus and Mary. Known during the Dark Ages as the Patron Saint of Housewives, as well as being known for her faith in Christ's resurrecting powers.
Catherine: St. Catherine of Alexandria, a 4th century saint persecuted for her faith (she had refused to marry the Emperor, claiming to be only the "Bride of Christ," and broken on the wheel. Legend has it that the wheel itself broke, so she was beheaded instead. Milk, rather than blood, flowed out. Her body was then supposedly transported, by angels or monks, to Mt. Sinai ("the top of the room"). She was held as a protectress of the dying and a skilled advocate (having successfully debated 50 philosophers).

The reference to the "four winds" is itself apocalyptic, coming from, among other places, Matthew, where "... he shall send his angels ... they shall gather together his elect from the four winds ..." (Matt 24:31)

"It's rush hour now on the wheel and the plow" tells us that "the time is at hand," and the reference to the sun going down upon the sacred cow echoes the prophecy (Zeph. 2:8-11) that God would "famish the gods of the earth" (the cow of course is considered sacred in Hinduism).

The "shepherd is asleep" while the mountains are "filled with lost sheep." This ties in with the declaration that the bride is running backwards. The shepherd should be seen in general as the bride, and more specifically as the ministry. The song was written at the close of a decade filled with news of one minister after another being caught in financial or sexual sin, while others succumbed to the temptation to become primarily political, rather than religious, leaders. (It should also be noticed that "the hills are filled with lost sheep" plays off a William Blake poem, "Nurse's Song," where it is written "And the hills are all cover'd with sheep.")

The "chosen few who will judge the many when the game is through" (Matt. 22:14; Rev. 20:4) also refers to the Bride of Christ, who will by then (at the closing of the game) have shed itself of "sleeping" members and will be a co-regent with Christ.

"Breaking down the distance between right and wrong" is an indictment of moral relativism and existentialist ennui. It is the sort of philosophy that is seen everywhere in society. Consider the latest Star Wars, where Obi Wan declares "only a Sith deals in absolutes," which is itself as absolute a statement as one could make.

"Ring Them Bells" was released on Dylan's "Oh Mercy" album, considered by many to be a return to form after a decade of dissapointing records. It was the first Dylan record to be produced by Daniel Lanois (who had been recommended to Dylan by U2's Bono). The production on this song is crips and minimalist, featuring slow piano chops and Dylan's husky voice. It is sung with a sense of urgency, yet the vocals never outrun the piano.