Mr. Narrator, This Is Bob Dylan To Me

The lyrics to The Minutemen's "History Lesson - Part II" represent some of my favorite lines in music. From San Pedro, D. and Watt playing guitars, and yes, that band that could be your life, I guess this isn't really a "punk rock" Minutemen song, but to me, it sure feels punk rock. And then D. Boon sings, "Mr. Narrator, this is Bob Dylan to me. My story could be his songs" and I think of the songs that have shaped my world. To my ears and core, many of my favorite songwriters are Bob Dylan to me, just as D. said. And every single time I hear that line I think of the enormous list of songwriters who may not hit the masses, but write songs that indeed have changed my life. Soon I will begin writing about these songwriters in a little feature I'll call "Bob Dylan To Me."

our band could be your life

real names'd be proof

me and mike watt played for years

punk rock changed our lives

we learned punk rock in hollywood

drove up from pedro

we were fucking corndogs

we'd go drink and pogo

mr. narrator

this is bob dylan to me

my story could be his songs

i'm his soldier child

our band is scientist rock

but i was e. bloom and richard hell,

joe strummer, and john doe

me and mike watt, playing guitar