Mr. Tambourine Man: Who/what was/is he?

...and what was his function?

Comments and opinions, please.

The Byrds-"Mr. Tambourine Man" - Frankie Avalon-5/11/65

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPqAvgN6Tyw

Mr. Tambourine Man

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship,
My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip,
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin'.
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way,
I promise to go under it.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Though you might hear laughin', spinnin', swingin' madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone, it's just escapin' on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin'.
And if you hear vague traces of skippin' reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it's just a ragged clown behind,
I wouldn't pay it any mind, it's just a shadow you're
Seein' that he's chasing.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind,
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.

 

Mr. Tambourine Man is an artist.

 

There are many guesses and I think Dylan left it ambiguous on purpose. Personally, I feel like Mr. Tambourine man is Music, itself.

 

When I read Into The Wild, there was a part in there where he talked about how to alert a plane overhead if you're in the wilderness that you don't need rescuing. He said to wave one hand in the air. If you wave two hands, that's the signal for S.O.S. The last verse reminds me of that when Dylan sings, "Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free..." To be alone and at peace in the wild.

I also see a lot of Chist's characteristics in the Tambourine Man reminiscent of his representation in Godspell.

 

"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a cleverly worded drug song.It's funny how they thought "Puff the magic dragon" was a drug song(it's not)and this one flew right over their heads.

 

Yes, some say Mr. Tambourine Man is code for drug dealer and play a song for me means get me high.

 

I have always read and mantained that Mr. Tambourine Man was his drug dealer and the song was his drug for sale.

May or may not be right but I think when applied to the song and the person singing it seems correct.

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