"The Sky isn't Yellow, its CHICKEN!" - - Bob Dylan

[Taverner]

I dunno why, but I just love that line

I have no idea what he's trying to say, but it sounds cool

[arbusto_baboso]

1. Dylan did a lot of drugs.

Just sayin'.

[Taverner]

3. As Lennon once said "Was Dylan Thomas a great writer because he was on beer?"

[arbusto_baboso]

4. Not saying Dylan wasn't/isn't a great songwriter.

I'm just saying that some of his lyrics are better understood when realizing he was looking through the prism of a drug-induced haze.

[SteppingRazor]

2. That one and, in a similar vein: "Money doesn't talk, it swears!" n/t

[mulsh]

5. He also said, "all my records are comedy records"

and as a person who'd been buying them since the early 60's I'd have to agree; the guy's got a way with words

[cbdo2007]

6. What song is this line from anyways?

[Taverner]

7. Tombstone Blues, I believe...

[cbdo2007]

9. Oh....sorry, your quote is wrong. "The sun's not yellow, it's chicken."

The poster blow clarified. Not trying to be an asshole.

I think the poster below is correct in his description also.

The "Commander in Chief" he's talking about is Jesus because in the stanza before he's referencing John The Baptist looking up to his Commander In Chief. Jesus is claiming to be so strong he can take on anyone or anything so he's calling the Sun chicken to try to intimadate it, though he's all just full of talk.

Then again, with Dylan there are pretty much always double meanings...maybe he's the "Son" and is referring to himself, saying that he himself is not chicken, though of course Bob cleverly uses "Sun" and "yellow" to make us assume it's about the sun in the sky.

Damn, I love Bob.

[abq e streeter]

8. my take on it:

The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly
Saying, "Death to all those who would whimper and cry"
And dropping a bar bell he points to the sky
Saving, "The sun's not yellow it's chicken"


Comment on the hyper-macho attitudes of political/military leaders : kill all the weak and/or sensitive ones...interrupts his weightlifting and says "yellow" and "chicken"; being slang for cowardly etc...sort of a silly pun to restate the "commander in chief's" condescending view of the weak and cowardly ( us effete intellectual liberals of course)