A shifting tide, from an outsider’s perspective, speaks of momentum in political or at least sociological spheres. Maybe music can have a soul? Like a living organism? It does respond to stimuli and is seen to reproduce.
What if the song were free to breathe? Can it at the very least spur others on to dream of freedom? And Jimi Hendrix breathed life on his generation and those to come by singing “All Along the Watchtower”
When listening to this music, I wear a hopeful expectation. I’m left with thoughts of momentous upheavals brought along not by a politician but by someone who sits outside this sphere. The twangs of the guitar take me to this momentous feeling from the start.
“There’s too much confusion.”
Maybe it’s all a mindgame, and music is the perfect catalyst for bringing freedom to the masses.
“The hours getting late.”
But every generation has this deep distrust of future events—the same dread that we all so warmly embrace.
In “All Along the Watchtower,” he may be painting the perfect picture for his day and age, or he could be speaking prophetically about the perpetual questioning of society that individuals go through when faced with daunting realities. I wonder if there was ever a day when people were not all along a watchtower, seeing and reading the signs of our time. It’s what every upstanding citizen should partake in.
But as Jimi had stated, “There’s too much confusion.”
So where does that leave us? Are we forever at the watchtower, or in other words, are we forever watching the signs of our time? But what if music carries a soul? What if it could set people free?
Even though Bob Dylan originally wrote the song, Jimi is a blazing star in this constellation. For one thing, he’s politically conscious. For another, he brings a prophetic voice of reason to the forefront of social consciousness.
But is all he’s after really an escape? Could this be prophetic too? In other words, can this be peering into the hearts and minds of not only his generation but also the following generations to come?
I believe he did all this, and he did it with all the style of a star. So he stands on time’s belt, an immemorial spirit with a shifting perspective, a perspective of freedom, a perspective where each is seated on thrones, where the lofty are daily humbled. By the changing currents, we also stand on the cusp of eternity as it comes with shifting tides.
Even though Bob Dylan originally wrote the song, Jimi is a blazing star in this constellation.
It’s all very theatrical is it not? The Joker and the Thief paint the perfect picture of those seated on the cusp of society. Jimi was an outsider from birth who was a symbol of all that could stand apart and paint the ideal picture.
Isn’t it odd that we decorate our homes as if a life is lived for enjoyment? Like one big show. A comfortable place is a happy place.
And it’s as if we live our lives as if they were purposely driven to attainment of satisfaction. It’s as if the purpose of the machine is to produce a satisfactory state of being. In other words, a utopia.
This essay was written by Bryan Montijo, who primarily focuses on music, spirituality, and psychedelics. Bryan has written a few novels, which can be found at wattpad@CraftedTales. He also has his own blog, where he discusses everything he loves, from music to nature and writing. You can find it here at medium@bmontijo555.
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