"Blowin' in the Wind," Bob Dylan's classic 1962 protest song, has had a long, rich life as an anthem for causes from civil rights to nuclear disarmament. In this song, the speaker poses a series of huge questions about the persistence of war and oppression, and then responds with one repeated, cryptic reply: "The answer, my friends, is blowin' in the wind." Finding an end to human cruelty, the song suggests, is a matter of understanding a truth that's all around—but paradoxically impossible to grasp.

• Read the full text of “Blowin’ in the Wind”

• “Blowin’ in the Wind” Summary

• “Blowin’ in the Wind” Themes

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    The Senselessness of War and Oppression

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-24

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Blowin’ in the Wind”

  • Lines 1-6

    How many roads ...
    ... they’re forever banned?

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 7-8

    The answer, my ...
    ... in the wind

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 9-12

    How many years ...
    ... to be free?

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 13-16

    Yes, ’n’ how ...
    ... in the wind

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 17-20

    How many times ...
    ... hear people cry?

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 21-24

    Yes, ’n’ how ...
    ... in the wind

    

    

    

    

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• “Blowin’ in the Wind” Symbols

  • 

    Roads

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “How many roads must a man walk down / Before you call him a man?”
  • 

    The Dove

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 3-4: “Yes, ’n’ how many seas must a white dove sail / Before she sleeps in the sand?”
  • 

    The Mountain and the Sea

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 9-10: “How many years can a mountain exist / Before it’s washed to the sea?”
  • 

    Cannonballs

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 5-6: “Yes, ’n’ how many times must the cannonballs fly / Before they’re forever banned?”
  • 

    The Wind

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 7-8: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind”
    • Lines 15-16: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind”
    • Lines 23-24: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind”

• “Blowin’ in the Wind” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “many,” “must,” “man”
    • Line 2: “man”
    • Line 3: “many,” “must,” “sail”
    • Line 4: “sleeps,” “sand”
    • Line 5: “many,” “must,” “fly”
    • Line 6: “Before,” “forever,” “banned”
    • Line 9: “many,” “mountain”
    • Line 13: “many,” “times,” “man,” “turn”
    • Line 17: “many,” “must,” “man”
    • Line 18: “see,” “sky”
    • Line 19: “many,” “must,” “man”
    • Line 21: “take till”
    • Line 22: “too”

  • Allusion

    

    

    

    

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    Where allusion appears in the poem:

    • Lines 3-4: “Yes, ’n’ how many seas must a white dove sail / Before she sleeps in the sand?”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 3: “seas”
    • Line 4: “she sleeps”
    • Line 5: “times,” “cannonballs,” “fly”
    • Line 6: “Before,” “forever,” “banned”
    • Line 18: “Before he,” “see”
    • Line 19: “ears”
    • Line 20: “Before he,” “hear people”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “How many roads must a man walk down / Before you call him a man?”
    • Lines 3-4: “Yes, ’n’ how many seas must a white dove sail / Before she sleeps in the sand?”
    • Lines 7-8: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind”
    • Lines 9-10: “How many years can a mountain exist / Before it’s washed to the sea?”
    • Lines 23-24: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind”

  • Paradox

    

    

    

    

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    Where paradox appears in the poem:

    • Lines 7-8: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind”

  • Refrain

    

    

    

    

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    Where refrain appears in the poem:

    • Lines 7-8: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind”
    • Lines 15-16: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind”
    • Lines 23-24: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind”

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “How many,” “man”
    • Line 2: “Before,” “man”
    • Line 3: “Yes, ’n’ how many”
    • Line 4: “Before”
    • Line 5: “Yes, ’n’ how many”
    • Line 6: “Before”
    • Lines 7-8: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind”
    • Line 9: “How many years can,” “exist”
    • Line 10: “Before”
    • Line 11: “Yes, ’n’ how many years can,” “exist”
    • Line 12: “Before”
    • Line 13: “Yes, ’n’ how many times can”
    • Lines 15-16: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind”
    • Line 17: “How many times must”
    • Line 18: “Before”
    • Line 19: “Yes, ’n’ how many”
    • Line 20: “Before”
    • Line 21: “Yes, ’n’ how many,” “deaths”
    • Line 22: “died”
    • Lines 23-24: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind”

  • Rhetorical Question

    

    

    

    

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    Where rhetorical question appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-6
    • Lines 9-14
    • Lines 17-22

  • Sibilance

    

    

    

    

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    Where sibilance appears in the poem:

    • Line 3: “seas must,” “sail”
    • Line 4: “she sleeps,” “sand”
    • Line 10: “it’s washed,” “sea”
    • Line 18: “see,” “sky”

• “Blowin’ in the Wind” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Blowin' in the wind
  • (Location in poem: Line 7: “blowin’ in the wind”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Blowin’ in the Wind”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Blowin’ in the Wind” Speaker

• “Blowin’ in the Wind” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Blowin’ in the Wind”

• More “Blowin’ in the Wind” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Bob Dylan's Official Website — Check out Bob Dylan's current website.

    • A Historical Interpretation — This page from History.com interprets the song as an important moment in political as well as artistic history.

    • A Times Profile of Dylan — A recent New York Times article on Dylan's artistic life and legacy.

    • A Short Biography — The Poetry Foundation's brief biography of Bob Dylan.

    • Bob Dylan Performs the Song — Watch a video of Bob Dylan singing this song in 1963, not long after he wrote it.

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