All Along the Watchtower

This song is about changing established society, starting in the middle of a conversation between two people (the Joker and the Thief). The Thief sympathizes with the Joker, who wants to escape his position in life and hates the values of society. The third verse suddenly shifts the scene, changing from a conversation to an almost unrelated verse filled with imagery of princes, women, and barefoot servants guarding a castle, establishing a place in the past. These figures are said to represent established society. "Somewhere in the distance, a wildcat does growl" suggests danger is approaching, then suddenly "Two riders are approaching" links us back to the first two verses. The riders are the Joker and the Thief, coming to establish a different set of values. The guarded castle suggests there will be confrontation.

While Bob Dylan did the original version of the song, it wasn't well known until Jimi Hendrix released a transformative cover. Dylan liked Hendrix' version so much, he began playing the song in that style. Jimi Hendrix replaced the harmonica parts with guitar and sped up the song.

Dylan has performed this song more than any other in his career. According to The Sun November 1, 2013, he had performed it 2,160 times, with runner up "Like A Rolling Stone" rendered 2,009 times in concert.