She Belongs to Me

Contrary to the title, the lady in this song belongs to no one. "She's nobody's child" and "the Law can't touch her at all." The song paints the picture of a powerful, independent, and creative artist, so in control of herself and her surroundings that "she never stumbles." Some of her powers are downright mystical, with lines like: She wears an Egyptian ring It sparkles before she speaks Taken as a whole, the song suggests that the title is ironic, because if anyone belongs to anyone it seems that Dylan belongs to the woman, as he winds up in a state of supplication. You will start out standing Proud to steal her anything she sees But you will wind up peeking through her keyhole Down upon your knees

As the second track on the Bringing It All Back Home album, the song's gentle softness contrasts sharply with the opening tune, "Subterranean Homesick Blues." This gentleness and sweetness is generally taken to be sincere, and the song is normally seen as a declaration of admiration and affection. There are some indications that there may be something else going on, though. The woman seems to bring gloom to Dylan's life, as he sings, "She can take the dark out of the nighttime and paint the daytime black." The idea of someone reducing you to kneeling doesn't seem very romantic or appealing, either. There may be bitterness of this song hidden under the sweet veneer.

In both of Dylan's official lyrics collections and on his website, the word "Law" is capitalized in the line "the Law can't touch her at all." As used in common parlance, "law" should be lowercased. The capitalization of the word suggests that it may refer to the biblical law, which isn't much of a stretch because Dylan has been peppering his music with biblical allusions since Day One. If true, this elevates the woman in question to even greater heights, as she's immune even to God.