Poor Boy Beneath the Stars That Shine

Today is Bob Dylan's 68th(!) birthday. He is one of America's most misunderstood cultural heroes. For many, he is still nothing more than a "protest singer," even though his protest era lasted for maybe 18 months. The complexity and depth of his songs lend themselves to endless analysis and 5-starred Rolling Stone reviews, yet the reams of analysis never fail to miss the humor and pathos in many of his songs.

Unlike virtually all of his contemporaries, Dylan continues to add to his canon. Here's a good version of "Po' Boy," a deceptively simple song from 2001 (released on 9/11, in fact) full of humor, sadness, and an old-timey swing. Po' Boy (2004). Louis Armstrong should have lived long enough to sing it...