An Exegesis by Stu Levitan In late January and early February, 1964, when the number one song in America was “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” here’s what Bob Dylan was writing: Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind For the poets and the painters who reflect their given time An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing