A study of the famous Bob Dylan song "Mr.Tamborine Man".

Why Mr. Tambourine Man is A Modern Classic The most obvious and popular interpretation of Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man is that the song is about drugs. This makes sense, as it was against the law to write songs about drugs in the 1960s when 'Mr. Tambourine Man' was composed. The metaphors are simple: 'Mr. Tambourine Man' is the drug-dealer. "Take me on a trip upon your magic swirling ship..." is asking the drug-dealer for …

…basic example being Mr. Tambourine Man, who can be seen as anything from a drug-dealer to a religious man to Bob Dylan himself. Another reason that the song has such a hallucinogenic feeling is the structure of the song. The verses are made up of what appears to be many individual concepts put together, like a dream, giving a surreal effect. The reference to Ozymandius and crumbling empires furthers the dream-like quality of the words.