Temporary Like Achilles by Bob Dylan Lyrics Meaning – Navigating the Labyrinth of Desire and Defiance
Lyrics
Yes, I’ve been here before
Feeling so harmless, I’m looking at your second door
How come you don’t send me no regards?
You know I want your lovin’
Honey, why are you so hard?
Kneeling ‘neath your ceiling
Yes, I guess I’ll be here for a while
I’m tryin’ to read your portrait
But i’m helpless, like a rich man’s child
How come you send someone out to have me barred?
You know I want your lovin’
Honey, why are you so hard?
Like a poor fool in his prime
Yes, I know you can hear me walk
But is your heart made out of stone, or is it lime
Or is it just solid rock?
Well, I lean into your hallway
Lean against your velvet door
I watch upon your scorpion
Who crawls across your circus floor
Just what do you think you have to guard?
You know I want your lovin’
Honey, but you’re so hard
Achilles is in your alleyway
He don’t want me here, he does brag
He’s pointing to the sky
And he’s hungry, like a man in drag
How come you get someone like him to be your guard?
You know I want your lovin’
Honey, but you’re so hard
Delving into the labyrinthine layers of Bob Dylan’s ‘Temporary Like Achilles,’ listeners find themselves traversing the corridors of unrequited love and unyielding resistance. An exercise in profound simplicity, the song is a deft blend of poetic lyricism and the raw emotional blues, where every verse is a brushstroke on the complex canvas of human relationships.
The enigmatic nature of Dylan’s writing style often allows for multiple interpretations, making the exploration of his songs an introspective journey for the listener. ‘Temporary Like Achilles,’ from his iconic album ‘Blonde on Blonde,’ provides a rich tapestry of imagery and metaphor that invites a deeper pondering on the transient yet formidable emotions that characterize yearning and rejection.
Yearning at the Threshold: The Lover’s Sisyphean Task
The image of the lover ‘standing on your window’ and ‘kneeling ’neath your ceiling’ poignantly captures the essence of longing. This repeated arrival and departure at the beloved’s doorstep suggests a Sisyphean cycle of seeking and yet never attaining, underscored by the refrain questioning the recipient’s hardness and distance. Dylan’s masterful use of place situates the narrative in a space that is as much physical as it is emotional; a threshold where hope and resignation meet.
The act of ‘looking at your second door’ and ‘tryin’ to read your portrait’ can also be seen as attempts to understand the beloved, to gain an insight into a soul that remains impenetrable. The frustration of being ‘helpless, like a rich man’s child’
