THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN' - chords and comments

At the bottom you'll find a link to the complete lyrics.

In 1964, a young and angry Dylan wrote this, and made it the title song for his third studio album. 4 years later, a much older artist reflected his own career, releasing an album with the same title; pulling up this song as the last one, not the first. The artist was Burl Ives, and the producer was Bob Johnston. I expect HIM to have caught the idea, and been picking out the material, which not only were written by younger folk singers, but singers Johnston himself had been working with. However, this album was the first one nailing me to the songwriter "Dylan". First 5 years later I bought my first Dylan album, and started digging backwards, where I regard this song as the ultimate Dylan. It has the moral that no person with ongoing senility should make decisions for the future. I'm now approaching my 7th decade, and willing to step backwards. Anyway; I've never been there. Forwards I mean. I've just been living and singing.

The song has since -64 been covered, adapted, translated and rewritten into so many versions and languages I haven't bothered to keep track on them. The lyrics I've brought you, are Dylan's original, and the chords are a bit modified. I don't beg your pardon for that.

...   A            F#m       E7        A
come gather round people wherever you roam
                    C#m     Bsus4           E
and admit that the waters around you have grown
       A            F#m             E7             A
and accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone
         A      C#m           G ... E
if your time to you is worth savin'
          E/E          E7/D              C#m/C#       E/B
then you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone
         A         Bm   Esus4  A
for the times they are a-changin'