NAME- TIASA BANERJEE

ROLL NO.- 450

SEC- A
BRANCH- ECE

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
LYRICS
[Intro]
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh

[Verse 1]
Mama, take this badge off of me
I can’t use it anymore
It’s getting dark, too dark to see
I feel I’m knockin' upon heaven’s door

[Chorus]
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door

[Verse 2]
Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can’t shoot them anymore
That long black cloud is coming down
I feel I’m knockin' on heaven’s door

[Chorus]
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door

[Outro]
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
 SIGNIFICANCE
Dylan was masterful as a lyricist who could parallel basic mythological
experiences of being a person and enshroud these experiences in a basic
literal struggle. The song “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” was originally written
and sung by Bob Dylan for the soundtrack of the film Pat Garrett and Billy the
Kid in 1973. Though written from the perspective of a dying sheriff, the song
may resonate with those who have lost loved ones to war or in the line of duty
for law enforcement. The tone of “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” encapsulates
a certain sense of desperation; it captures that deeply embedded fear we may
feel in the moment before unanticipated, certain death. There is also an
element of acceptance in the lyrics; acceptance regarding what the speaker
thinks may be the end [of this world] and beginning of another [Heaven].  Part
of this acceptance can be extrapolated from the lyrics, “that a long black cloud
is coming down,” indicating that darkness — commonly associated with death
— is coming. The idea of “knocking on Heaven’s door,” as expressed in the
chorus, has a spark of optimism in it; it suggests a positive view of “the end”
by embracing whatever comes next. Thus, the speaker relieves himself from
the responsibilities of life by coming to terms with death.Mama, take this
badge off of me I can't use it anymore.It's gettin' dark, too dark for me to seeI
feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door,(There is nothing more profoundly
psychological/physiological than the life bond a mother has for her child and
vice-versa. In times of war, it is common to hear men shout out the names of
their mothers before they charge into battle, before they die. When things are
their worst we tend to want to go back home. For the lawman, things are at
their worst. His old ways (or identity structure) of moving through the world
have long ceased to work for him. His persona and emotional shields, his
"badge" is timeworn, archaic and useless. It is how one would feel after losing
everything--the darkening accompanying complete world collapse--everything
that once provided meaning, reference points and a will to live. And now "it's
too dark to see"--the helplessness and despair is blinding his ability to see or
feel hope. The lyrics are not "I am" but "I feel" I'm knockin on heaven's door.
He feels he is dying. The two parallels of the song are on one hand literal,
physical death, and on the other hand the psychological death of one's
identity. Metaphorically, Heaven is a return to the pre-anxious ego-eden state,
expansive, luminous, non-conceptual, peaceful).Mama, put my guns in the
groundI can't shoot them anymore.That long black cloud is comin' downI feel
like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.(Guns are symbols of power, and the loss
of them, powerlessness. An identity is a structure that is conditioned, relative
to time, culture, family, religion, friends and so on. Threats to identity power
include aging, loss, illness etc. Burying one's guns in this sense means the
murderous killing of parts of self that are no longer functional. Examples might
include beliefs such as "the world is a dangerous place," "everyone is out to
get me," or "I suck at everything." And yet, the "I" that speaks to the discarded
aspects of self is separate from them, indicating a deeper knowledge, wisdom
and peace is at work. A person is much more than their small ego allows them
to believe. The sun is life, black clouds are the absence of life. Here comes
"the dark night of the soul" in other words).Mama wipe the blood from my
faceI'm sick and tired of the warGot a lone black feelin', and it's hard to
traceFeel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door(this stanza included in live
versions gives us more clues. Identity death is a murderous process, involving
blood and guts, primal fear and panic. It is the closest one can feel to actual
physical death. The war, the fight, or the will to live is challenged during this
time in a person's life. Again, Dylan describes blackness (clouds, trains etc)
as a feeling, this time as an untraceable feeling. It is untraceable because it is
a mythological experience that can only be expressed symbolically, in the
metaphorical language of dreams, the unconscious and the art form known as
song.