Bob Dylan, Only a pawn in their game 1964
“
A South politician preaches to the poor white man/“You got more than the blacks, don’t complain/You’re better than them, you been born with white skin,” they explain/And the Negro’s name/Is used it is plain/For the politician’s gain/As he rises to fame/And the poor white remains/On the caboose of the train/But it ain't him to blame/He’s only a pawn in their game/
— Bob Dylan on Southern United States
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "A South politician preaches to the poor white man/“You got more than the blacks, don’t complain/You’re better than them, you been born with white skin,” they explain/And the Negro’s name/Is used it is plain/For the politician’s gain/As he rises to fame/And the poor white remains/On the caboose of the train/But it ain't him to blame/He’s only a pawn in their game/" in the context of "Bob Dylan, Only a pawn in their game 1964" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Southern United States" (Quotes)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941) is an American folk and rock singer-songwriter, born in Duluth, Minnesota. In 2016 Dylan received the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".
About Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941) is an American folk and rock singer-songwriter, born in Duluth, Minnesota. In 2016 Dylan received the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".
View all quotes →