Knockin' on Heaven's Door

geez. no one pays attention to the real history of a song anymore. This movie is NOT an anti-war song, or anything like that. This was a song written FOR A MOVIE, thus, to tie in with the script. In the movie, entitled Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (i thinkthats the right title), the song is about Pat Garrett, and outlaw who is made into a sheriff and ordered to hunt down his old friend billy the kid. "Mama, take this badge off of me, I can't use it anymore." It's the sheriff's badge, he has no desire to be one when it becomes clear that he must help kill the lifestyle he truly loves. Those are the facts, but in a specific sense I take the knockin' on heaven's door to be about how close Garret is to being an outlaw again, his heaven. In the non-movie related sense of the song, I think it's about a man deciding to be killed rather than fight back, and he's going to die, but he thinks his decision puts him at heaven's door.

This song just begs to be taken non-literally, and I have a hard time believing Dylan meant it as anything but. However, he did write it for the movie "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kidd", so maybe, just maybe...nope!.

Dylan was masterful as a lyricist who could parallel basic mythological experiences of being a person (e.g. trapped in a helpless situation, such as an innocent person in prison--see "I Shall be Released.") and enshroud these experiences in a basic literal struggle.

Mama, take this badge off of me I can't use it anymore. It's gettin' dark, too dark for me to see I 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 ground I can't shoot them anymore. That long black cloud is comin' down I 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 face I'm sick and tired of the war Got a lone black feelin', and it's hard to trace Feel 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. Of course, like those two crazy hippies that accosted John Lennon about the deep meaning of his songs, Dylan's reply might be the same: "They're just songs, man!"

bob dylan is a genius.

^^ he's not sick of life. He's guilty. From the war and all the killing - He's knockin' on heavens door and waiting to be let in.

i love this song, it's really short but it's really good

a badge is a symbol of authority. authority figures can use power as a weapon just as much as a gun.

Why do Bob Dylan fans have to relate everything to an anti-war statement? Dylan himself said that he stopped writting anti-war and protest songs after his first four or so albums. This is a well written song that can take on so many feelings and meanings.

I read this song and make a very different and personal connection then others. Anyone who says there is one meaning to a song needs to sit down and not just go through the notions, but really experience the large number of mixed emotions written into every song.

To my this song is talking about how no matter hard I try to please my parents I will never be the apple of their eyes because I am not the ideal christian they want me to be. It may sound cheesy to you all, but the first verse and its talk of badges and darkness represent vengeful siner I am. The darkess represents my journey to the valley of shadows and death.

The second stanza, for some strange reason, sums up my struggle with drugs, and more importantly my Meth usage.
"Mama please put my guns in the ground" A common way to dispose of a chryspipe is to burry it, so it can not be used as evidence. "I can't shoot them anymore." A simple line that explains itself. "That long black cloud is commin down" This means so many different things to me. One of the reasons people smoke meth is because of the cloud they hit from the pipes. It sometimes means comming down and realizing there is another universe besides my own private speed land. Another way it strikes me is the guilt and punishment placed on me by my parents excpectations and beliefs. No matter what, if I don't become who they want me to be, I'll always be "Knockin on heaven's door."

Again, i don't think that's what the song is about, but I felt led to show you guys my personal connection to the song. Who can say one interpritations are incorect? It's a good song that has ad will be able to stir up all sorts of different feelings. HIndsight

thats wht dylan songs are all about mate-connecting to the songs your self and being able to relate to them--how ever i agree with i think it was judge-i believe this song is about life- i belive that its about some one who's depressed--some ones who's upset--and some one whos given up-i beleive that putting his guns in the ground shows this-as he's basically had enough of trying 'he cant fire them any more'-and the fact that the dark cloud is coming down shows hes just accepting it- and the idea of not being able to see any more i think is to do with being confused , a side effect often linked with depression-and because of this he feels like hes knocking on heavens door because hes just had enough and isnt attempting to get up and sort himself out -how ever i dont know if any of you have his mtv unplugged album or dvd-he sings this and adds about 2 new verses-one being hes got a 'bad feeling and its hard to trace' as in hes not sure exactly whats up setting him- hes just generally run down--he also adds to the chorus 'knocking on heavens door just like so many times before' as in hes felt like this before and he knows he gonna pull through-just he feels like he wants to knock on heavens door because we all get to the point ,sometimes, where we feel we cant go on any more.

I disagree with Dunehermit, I'm not sure what hes referring to but its implied that he's not giving up whatever whatever it is through choice "I CANT shoot them anymore," I think implies somethings stoped working and so he's given up and is now resined to the bleak outcome.

This song is about depression. The badge is a sign of honor, something he is respected for and should be proud of, but he no longer cares. To him, respect and honor have no meaning. The guns represent the bad that he does, the things he is not proud of. He can not even bring himself to do these things anymore. He is on the threshold of redemption; he is knocking on heaven's door, but he is not let in. Instead he is left out in the cold. He wants to get out of the cold dark place he is in, but it is too late. He sees the long black cloud coming down, and he knows he will drown.