Neighborhood Bully Lyrics
His enemies say he's on their land
They got him outnumbered about a million to one
He got no place to escape to, no place to run
He's the neighborhood bully.
He's criticized and condemned for being alive
He's not supposed to fight back, he's supposed to have thick skin
He's supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in
He's the neighborhood bully.
He's wandered the earth an exiled man
Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn
He's always on trial for just being born
He's the neighborhood bully.
Old women condemned him, said he could apologize
Then he destroyed a bomb factory, nobody was glad
The bombs were meant for him. He was supposed to feel bad
He's the neighborhood bully.
That he'll live by the rules that the world makes for him
'Cause there's a noose at his neck and a gun at his back
And a licence to kill him is given out to every maniac
He's the neighborhood bully.
What he gets he must pay for, he don't get it out of love
He buys obsolete weapons and he won't be denied
But no one sends flesh and blood to fight by his side
He's the neighborhood bully.
They pray for it nightly that the bloodshed must cease
Now, they wouldn't hurt a fly. To hurt one they would weep
They lay and they wait for this bully to fall asleep
He's the neighborhood bully.
Every empire that's enslaved him is gone
Egypt and Rome, even the great Babylon
He's made a garden of paradise in the desert sand
In bed with nobody, under no one's command
He's the neighborhood bully.
No contract that he signed was worth that what it was written on
He took the crumbs of the world and he turned it into wealth
Took sickness and disease and he turned it into health
He's the neighborhood bully.
Nothing, they say. He just likes to cause war
Pride and prejudice and superstition indeed
They wait for this bully like a dog waits to feed
He's the neighborhood bully.
Does he change the course of rivers ? Does he pollute the moon and stars ?
Neighborhood bully, standing on the hill
Running out the clock, time standing still
Neighborhood bully.
Excelent song. One of Bob Dylans' most astute political songs. It speaks eloquently about the racist demonization of Israel so fashionable. As some of the comments here reveal, people are hostile to a proud Jew. Well done robert Zimmerman!
Yes he transcends all stereotypical categories which we mediocre humans love to put people in. Love this intractableness!!
Yes he transcends all stereotypical categories which we mediocre humans love to put people in. Love this intractableness!!
Beautiful. This song is about Jews, and Israel; always being hated for being different than everybody else, with all societies they were part of projecting their own hate and violence on them (hateful people would describe Israel as the neighborhood bully, while it's actually a peaceful victim in almost every situation...)
The people that contributed most to world culture, science, art, medicine (Dylan himself is Jewish; the cell phones and computer processors you are using were engineered by Israelis), and are being hated and demonized for racial and cultural reasons - scapegoating at its best.
This song depicts it very well. Everybody else take their anger out on him, and he's considered a bully...
No, this song is not about Israel or Jews. When he wrote this song, he was referring to Moammar Gadhafi and all the glamour and crap swirling around him at the time. He wasn't praising Gadhafi, per se; he was being ironic, condemning, sarcastic, and, in an oblique way, admiring. I remember when I heard this song for the first time, I was instantly transported to the Middle East and have come to believe there will NEVER be peace in the Middle East. This song from the INFIDELS album is really my all time very most favorite Dylan.
No, this song is not about Israel or Jews. When he wrote this song, he was referring to Moammar Gadhafi and all the glamour and crap swirling around him at the time. He wasn't praising Gadhafi, per se; he was being ironic, condemning, sarcastic, and, in an oblique way, admiring. I remember when I heard this song for the first time, I was instantly transported to the Middle East and have come to believe there will NEVER be peace in the Middle East. This song from the INFIDELS album is really my all time very most favorite Dylan.
um, no. The song is a quite transparent apologia for Israel. Dylan's nutty Semitic chauvinism is at its peak here. As distasteful as I find that, I must say this song really rocks.
Reading this lyric makes me think that the 3 Billion a year that the US send a year in Military aid is not really appreciated or acknowledged
"Well, he got no allies to really speak of What he gets he must pay for, he don't get it out of love He buys obsolete weapons and he won't be denied"
The 3 billion is not charity - most of it is loan guarantees that Israel spends on AMERICAN products. It is more like a coupon that a company gives out to a customer than charity. And Israel, by the way, provides a lot of benefits to the US - technological and economic cooperation that outpaces many other countries, quality intelligence, etc. Israel is a very valuable ally to any of its allies.
The 3 billion is not charity - most of it is loan guarantees that Israel spends on AMERICAN products. It is more like a coupon that a company gives out to a customer than charity. And Israel, by the way, provides a lot of benefits to the US - technological and economic cooperation that outpaces many other countries, quality intelligence, etc. Israel is a very valuable ally to any of its allies.
You misread the lyrics. If you read the phrase afterwards, he says: 'but no one sends flesh and blood to fight by his side', which is very true, not even the americans ever sent troops to help Israel in combat. I'm not downplaying the 3 billion dollars in aid, in fact I and my country are very grateful for it, but you do know that that money is supposed to buy weapons from the US again, so indirectly the money returns to them...
You misread the lyrics. If you read the phrase afterwards, he says: 'but no one sends flesh and blood to fight by his side', which is very true, not even the americans ever sent troops to help Israel in combat. I'm not downplaying the 3 billion dollars in aid, in fact I and my country are very grateful for it, but you do know that that money is supposed to buy weapons from the US again, so indirectly the money returns to them...
@sansworld What kind of rubbish is that? The US has sent huge forces to the Mid East on behalf of Israel who want Iraq and Syria knocked out. Israel is a racist state. Stop your Jew run mainstream media lies. People are waking up to this shameful charade Israel plays.
@sansworld What kind of rubbish is that? The US has sent huge forces to the Mid East on behalf of Israel who want Iraq and Syria knocked out. Israel is a racist state. Stop your Jew run mainstream media lies. People are waking up to this shameful charade Israel plays.
The song is brilliant. Someone above said it is one sided, but it's making a clear and valid point. It would be too much to ask a song to throw in some subtleties like saying the Israelis should stop creating settlements in the West Bank.
Almost all my posts here are 'my interpretation' because it is more valuable to me. I tend to think that music is one of those unique areas that what it means to a person personally is sometimes as or more important than what the musician meant.
In truth, it probably is a Jews interpretation of Israels trials (too many exact references like 'desert sand'). But, for me, when I play this song and think about it I like to have some emotional connection to it. Also, Dylan tried to say this song is not political. So what else could it be?
To me then, it could be the working class in general. While various governments like to tell them how to behave, with an attitude very much like the antagonists in this song. It's the feeling of being scapegoated by hypocrites. Always the ones having to pay more tax. While Bono tells you to give more to Africa.
That would also be more relevant to "every empire that enslaved him has gone". Rome, Babylon were famous for treating their working classes terrible and having it come back to bite them.
I just read that. What a lame lyric. I'm not criticizing his one-sided point of view, I'm criticizing his complete lack of ...wit...depth...originality...it doesn't seem a song written by the genious of Dylan. We could be talking about his worst lyrics here - well, maybe God gave name to all the animals is even worse
@cavern it may have taken me 16 years to reply, but for all future readers - what a load of rubbish. Man gave name to all the animals is a true dylan brilliance. Sometimes you have to listen to the subtext... with Dylan, it's a must. Btw, Townes Van Zandt's cover is a gem (for those who are interested).
@cavern it may have taken me 16 years to reply, but for all future readers - what a load of rubbish. Man gave name to all the animals is a true dylan brilliance. Sometimes you have to listen to the subtext... with Dylan, it's a must. Btw, Townes Van Zandt's cover is a gem (for those who are interested).
@cavern You don't like it because it's meaning is unquestionable and you are just another hater. The fact that you made this comment says to me that all is not lost, maybe you are unaware of your epigenetic leanings. Have another listen, soften your glare, we all choke on the truth.
@cavern You don't like it because it's meaning is unquestionable and you are just another hater. The fact that you made this comment says to me that all is not lost, maybe you are unaware of your epigenetic leanings. Have another listen, soften your glare, we all choke on the truth.
Yeah... neighborhood bully= the state of Israel. Say whatever you will, the music and words are incredibly powerful.
To me, it brings back days of being a political college student in the days of Reaganomics... young, liberal, & full of idealism. (Hey, wait a minute... I'm still in school [grad... getting my MSW], I'm still verrrry liberal, and STILL filled with idealistic hope & plans... but I now have a daughter almost as old as I was when this album was a big part of my life. And Israel & Palestine are still in the same positions they were 20 years ago. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
It is about Israel, the lyrics are ironic.
Not just the state of Israel but Israel meaning the Jews as well..