Oh, Sister

Album: Desire (1976)
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  • Oh, sister, when I come to lie in your arms
    You should not treat me like a stranger
    Our Father would not like the way that you act
    And you must realize the danger

    Oh, sister, am I not a brother to you
    And one deserving of affection
    And is our purpose not the same on this earth
    To love and follow his direction

    We grew up together
    From the cradle to the grave
    We died and were reborn
    And then mysteriously saved

    Oh, sister, when I come to knock on your door
    Don't turn away, you'll create sorrow
    Time is an ocean but it ends at the shore
    You may not see me tomorrow Writer/s: Bob Dylan, Jacques Levy
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 6

  • Terryfielding from 72901I see it as an anthem against sibling rivalry, by habit, carried into adulthood just because continuing it is easier than opening-up to the larger realities of our persons and about how petty we were as squabbling's.
  • Tanja from The NetherlandsJoan Baez definitely thought it was about her. On her LP GulfWinds you find the song 'Oh, Brother', which is an answer to this Dylan song. In it, she sings at a certain point: "How, in the name of the Father and the Son, did I come to be your sister?". That is a clear reference to the Dylan song. 'Oh, brother' is much more acerbic in her comments on Dylan than 'Diamonds and Rust' was.
  • Cher326 from Philadelphia, PaI love seeing the many levels of meaning in Dylan’s songs. It’s almost impossible to just passively listen. It’s never just background music!
  • Mark Overton from Costa Del SolMaybe it´s about the two religions. Judaism and Christianity which have the same father and should be connected because of this but have produced animosity over the years. No doubt he could see the pointlessness of such rigid ideology. It´s just my take on it.
  • Andrew from Philadelphia Who plays drums? I love the fills on the album version.
  • Lana from Austin TxI adore this song. The melody, harmonica, violin. Perfection!
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