Five fantastic and ridiculously underrated Bob Dylan love songs

“NETTIE MOORE” (2006)

One of the things that has become obvious about Bob Dylan in the 21st century, is that he may be the greatest proponent of classic folk music – borrowing from and reinterpreting songs that have haunted the public consciousness for centuries. Here, he borrows his heroin and part of his chorus from a pre-Civil War era folk tune.

That chorus – “Well, I miss you Nettie Moore – And my happiness is o’er – Winter’s gone, the river’s on the rise – I loved you then and ever shall – But there’s no one left here to tell – The world has gone black before my eyes.” – spells out the wistful yearning for a long-lost love as well as anyone ever has. Dylan was well past sixty when he recorded “Nettie Moore,” and there is a gravitas that comes with age.

This is not the bitterness of “Don’t Think Twice…” (though he does quote that exact phrase here). This is sad, but refuses to be maudlin. You can almost hear him laughing in the final verse when he admits “Everything I’ve ever known to be right – Has been proven wrong – I’ll be drifting along.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• “All I Really Want to Do” (1964)
• "Tonight I'll Be Stay Here with You" (1964)
• "Shelter from the Storm" (1975)
• "Simple Twist of Fate" (1975)
• "Most of the Time" (1989)

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