Far between sundown's finish an' midnight's broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
An' for each an' ev'ry underdog soldier in the night
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
In the city's melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched
With faces hidden while the walls were tightening
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin' rain
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an' forsaked
Tolling for the outcast, burnin' constantly at stake
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail
The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder
That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze
Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
An' the unpawned painter behind beyond his rightful time
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Its a Shame!!!! not only to the city which gave me my first payment cheque to survive my livelihood but also to my motherland where I first saw the light of life 27 years back. When Dylan wrote the song he seemed to be a foreseer...each one of the word was screaming in my ears with each hour passing by in helplessness in the Mumbai Carnage.Do we really need this anymore??....nobody knows the answer!!!!How much will a city or rather a country will show resilience.And why do we need to be resilient on what cost.The incompetent octogenarian politicians really doesn't deserve any support from the civilian.Why do we Vote ??? to elect whom???Why are our heroes the commandos not armed with abled ammunition to fight the terrorist??? All these questions pour in the mind space as I keep hearing this song.I'm tired!! sad but still hopeful.
As a Homage to the heroes who sacrificed their lives to save us, lesser mortals and hundreds of people who lost their lives in the massacre, this post is for them. I SALUTE our ARMY/NSG and RAF. I end this with the rest of the song which are equally meaningful at this situation.
Starry-eyed an' laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an' we watched with one last look
Spellbound an' swallowed 'til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an' worse
An' for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
