You hear a lot about God these days: God, the beneficent; God, the all-great; God, the Almighty; God, the most powerful; God, the giver of life; God, the creator of death. I mean, we're hearing about God all the time, so we better learn how to deal with it. But if we know anything about God, God is arbitrary.

The land created me. I'm wild and lonesome. Even as I travel the cities, I'm more at home in the vacant lots.

My songs were influenced not so much by poetry on the page but by poetry being recited by the poets who recited poems with jazz bands.

Masters of the bluff and masters of the proposition, but the enemy I see wears a cloak of decency.

Abe said, where do you want this killing done? God said, out on highway 61.

Along with some of the worst music of Bob Dylan's career ("Self-Portrait," 1970), this period produced some gems - including many songs recorded with The Band in '67 but not released until years later.

Once you think you know the song, then you have go and see how other people have done it.