“Caribbean Wind” is a song by Bob Dylan that was written in 1981 but wasn’t officially released until 2021, when it was included in the deluxe edition of his album “Shot of Love.” The song has a complex history, as it was recorded during the sessions for the “Shot of Love” album but was ultimately left off the final tracklist. It gained notoriety among Dylan fans as an unreleased gem before its eventual official release.
The meaning of Bob Dylan’s song “Caribbean Wind” is open to interpretation, but it can be seen as a meditation on the nature of love, loss, and redemption. The song begins with the narrator meeting a woman in Miami who tells him about the jungle where her brothers were slain. This suggests that she has experienced great pain and suffering in her life. The narrator is drawn to her, but he is also aware of the danger she represents. He sings, “Could I been used and played as a pawn? It certainly was possible as the gay night wore on.”
The song then shifts to a more abstract meditation on the forces of good and evil. The narrator sings about the “Caribbean winds” that “still blow from Nassau to Mexico,” fanning the flames of desire. He also sees “distant ships of liberty” on the “iron waves so bold and free.” These images suggest that there is a constant struggle between good and evil, but that the forces of good ultimately prevail.
The song ends with the narrator returning to Atlantic City, where he hears a voice crying, “Daddy.” This suggests that he is still haunted by the pain of his past. However, he also sings, “Every new messenger brings evil report ‘Bout armies on the march and time that is short.” This suggests that he is determined to face the challenges of the future.
Ultimately, the meaning of “Caribbean Wind” is up to the listener to decide. However, it is a song that explores the complex and often contradictory nature of love, loss, and redemption.
Here are some additional possible interpretations of the song:
- The song could be about the intersection of faith and desire. The Caribbean wind could represent the breath of God, while the distant ships of liberty could represent the human spirit. The song could be asking the question of whether it is possible to have both faith and desire without being consumed by either one.
- The song could be about the dangers of love. The woman in the song is described as both beautiful and dangerous. She could represent the temptation of sin or the destructive power of love. The song could be warning the listener about the risks of giving in to temptation.
- The song could be about the journey of life. The narrator travels from Miami to Atlantic City, a journey that could represent the journey from innocence to experience. The song could be about the challenges and triumphs of life, and the importance of never giving up.
Lyrics
She was the rose of Sharon from paradise lost
From the city of seven hills near the place of the cross
I was playing a show in Miami in the theater of divine comedy
Told about Jesus, told about the rain
She told me about the jungle where her brothers were slain
By the man who had been dyin’, who disappeared so mysteriously
Was she a child or a woman, did we go too far?
Were we sniper bait, did we follow a star?
Through a hole in the wall to where the long arm of the law cannot not reach
Could I been used and played as a pawn?
It certainly was possible as the gay night wore on
Where men bathed in perfume and practiced the hoax of free speech
And them Caribbean winds still blow from Nassau to Mexico
Fanning the flames in the furnace of desire
And them distant ships of liberty on them iron waves so bold and free
Bringing everything that’s near to me nearer to the fire
Sea breeze blowin’, there’s a hellhound loose
Redeemed men, who have escaped from the noose
Preaching faith and salvation, waiting for the night to arrive
He was well connected, but her heart was a snare
And she had left him to die in there
He was goin’ down slow, just barely staying alive
The cry of the peacock, flies buzz my head
Ceiling fan broken, there’s a heat in my bed
Street band playing “Nearer My God to Thee”
We met at the station where the mission bells ring
She said, “I know what you’re thinking, but there ain’t a thing
You can do about it, so let us just agree to agree”
And them Caribbean winds still blow from Nassau to Mexico
Fanning the flames in the furnace of desire
And them distant ships of liberty on them iron waves so bold and free
Bringing everything that’s near to me nearer to the fire
Atlantic City by the cold grey sea
Hear a voice crying, “Daddy, ” I always think it’s for me
But it’s only the silence in the buttermilk hills that call
Every new messenger brings evil report
‘Bout armies on the march and time that is short
And famines and earthquakes and train wrecks and the tearin’ down of the wall
Did you ever have a dream, that you couldn’t explain?
Ever meet your accusers, face to face in the rain?
She had chrome brown eyes that I won’t forget as long as she’s gone
I see the screws breakin’ loose, see the devil pounding on tin
I see a house in the country being torn apart from within
I can hear my ancestors calling from the land far beyond
And them Caribbean winds still blow from Nassau to Mexico
Fanning the flames in the furnace of desire
And them distant ships of liberty on them iron waves so bold and free
Bringing everything that’s near to me nearer to the fire