Introduction

In spite of the many twists and turns in his career, including reinventions of his public personae and many changes in his songwriting style, Bob Dylan still commands considerable influence as a cultural broker with the generation that has grown up with his music. He is undoubtedly one of the most influential recording artists of the last four decades. This influence is not confined to other artists but extends to fans, aficionados, music critics, scholars, as well as so-called “Dylanologists” who are fixated with everything he does. His albums sell well and there are thousands of internet sites devoted to his music and lyrics. Whatever he does is still treated as a high-profile media event. Indeed, Dylan's iconic status is second to none in popular culture.

Dylan's repertoire is rich in symbolism and his songs have a universal provenance that connects with audiences. Many of his songs reflect important concerns; one such is the expectation, or in some cases fear, that we are living in the “last days”. It is not only the current generation of fundamentalist American Christians that believes that it is the last (C, 1997: 124, 189), but a broad cross-section of the general public does too. Many anticipate or await the apocalypse.