Masters of War by Bob Dylan

Bob wrote this song in 1963 and it was released on his "Freewheelin" album, probably one of the most influential albums of all time. It was created in the shadow of the virtual mushroom cloud that had almost arisen from the Cuba Missile Crisis where Russia and the USA had gone eyeball to eyeball. But according to Dylan himself, the genesis of the song was earlier, Eisenhower's resignation speech, where he referred to the disproportionate amount of power exerted on US foreign policy by the Miltary/Industrial complex, and its potential for violent confrontation around the world. This is evident in the first two verses

Come you masters of warYou that build all the gunsYou that build the death planesYou that build the big bombsYou that hide behind wallsYou that hide behind desksI just want you to knowI can see through your masksYou that never done nothin'But build to destroyYou play with my worldLike it's your little toyYou put a gun in my handAnd you hide from my eyesAnd you turn and run fartherWhen the fast bullets fly

The line, "You play with my world like its your little toy" is as relevant today as it was then, given the war in Iraq and the hawkish interest in regime change in Iran. This would be for the second time ,because in 1953, the combined forces of US and British Intelligence had removed the democratically elected Iranian Government of Mossadegh from power, as he was a threat to our oil interests in the region. In conclusion the song has reached iconic status because of ts relevance today but the world still desperately needs a new protest singer for a new generation.

Please feel free to post coments about his song or suggest others. And if you have the time visit my website, www.playitagainunclesam.com