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This is not a “best from 1971” list, just 5 Great songs Bob Dylan recorded in 1971.

Previous in this series:

• Bob Dylan: 5 great songs recorded in 1961

George Jackson

Columbia Studio B
New York City, New York
4 November 1971
Produced by Bob Dylan

Released on single, 12 November 1971

I woke up this mornin’
There were tears in my bed
They killed a man I really loved
Shot him through the head
Lord, Lord
They cut George Jackson down
Lord, Lord
They laid him in the ground

You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere

Studio B
Columbia Recording Studios
New York City, New York
24 September 1971

Released on BOB DYLAN’S GREATEST HITS, VOL. 2, 17 November 1971.

Clouds so swift
Rain won’t lift
Gate won’t close
Railings froze
Get your mind off wintertime
You ain’t goin’ nowhere
Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrow’s the day
My bride’s gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair!

I Shall Be Released

Studio B
Columbia Recording Studios
New York City, New York
24 September 1971

Released on BOB DYLAN’S GREATEST HITS, VOL. 2, 17 November 1971.

They say ev’rything can be replaced
Yet ev’ry distance is not near
So I remember ev’ry face
Of ev’ry man who put me here
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east
Any day now, any day now
I shall be released

–

When I Paint My Masterpiece

Blue Rock Studios
New York City, New York
16–19 March 1971
Produced by Bob Johnston and Leon Russell

Released on BOB DYLAN’S GREATEST HITS, VOL. 2, 17 November 1971.

Oh, the streets of Rome are filled with rubble
Ancient footprints are everywhere
You can almost think that you’re seein’ double
On a cold, dark night on the Spanish Stairs
Got to hurry on back to my hotel room
Where I’ve got me a date with Botticelli’s niece
She promised that she’d be right there with me
When I paint my masterpiece

–

Watching The River Flow

Blue Rock Studios
New York City, New York
16–19 March 1971
Produced by Bob Johnston and Leon Russell

Released on BOB DYLAN’S GREATEST HITS, VOL. 2, 17 November 1971.

What’s the matter with me
I don’t have much to say
Daylight sneakin’ through the window
And I’m still in this all-night café
Walkin’ to and fro beneath the moon
Out to where the trucks are rollin’ slow
To sit down on this bank of sand
And watch the river flow

-Egil