Everything is Broken

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President Obama tweeted out his reading recommendations for the summer. He also included his summer listening favorites and one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs is on it:

Everything is Broken

“Broken lines, broken strings

Broken threads, broken springs 

Broken idols, broken heads

People sleeping in broken beds.

Ain’t no use jiving, ain’t no use joking

Everything is Broken.

Broken bottles, broken plates

Broken switches, broken gates

Broken dishes, broken parts

The streets are filled with broken hearts

Broken words, never meant to be spoken

Everything is broken.

Seems like every time you stop and turn around and something else just hit the ground.

Broken cutters, broken saws

Broken buckles, broken laws

Broken bodies, broken bones

Broken voices on broken phones

Take a deep breath, feel like you’re choking

Everything is broken.

Broken hands on broken ploughs

Broken treaties, broken vows

Broken pipes, broken tools

People bending broken rules

Hound dog howling

Bull frog croaking

Everything is broken.”

It’s funny to me because I heard that song about a week before President Obama’s list came out and I thought:

“Perfect song for the mess we’re in.”

Dylan always had a way to capture a feeling and it’s timeless.

It’s a great song.

Wish it didn’t apply to our freaking Democracy.


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