Talk:Ballad of a Thin Man

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Ben Folds

I wonder if the Ben Folds song "Fred Jones, Part 2" is an allusion to the Dylan song? The Mr. Jones in here could be a reporter, Fred Jones is a retiring reporter who still doesn't have a feeling for the real world all around him, as in the lyrics:

fred gets his paints out and goes to the basement
projecting some slides onto a plain white canvas
and traces it
fills in the spaces
he turns off the slides
and it doesn't look right

Mystery Song

I heard a song on the radio the other day, which wasn't a cover of BOATM, but featured a line about "checks to tax deductible charity organisations". Anyone know what this may be?

UPDATE: It's a Cold War Kids song.

"and you don't know what's happening do you Mr. Jones"

Years ago, I discovered a left oriented news weekly called The Masses in a college library. It had a large socialist/communist following and was an early social justice medium published from about 1915-1925. In perhaps a 1918 edition I found a political cartoon depicting a suited, fat industrialist in his office looking out a large window at a scene of environmental devastation of polluting smoke stacks and ugliness. The caption was "And you don't know what is happening do you Mr. Jones." Can not be a coincidence. I'm sure either Dylan saw that cartoon or the phrase goes back even farther and he picked it up there. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.47.214.8 (talk) 03:19, 18 October 2010 (UTC)

Animal Farm connection?

Has anyone seen an animal farm connection? the song does seem like its about unexpected change and socialist reform, and the farmer in animal farm was a mr jones. just wondering. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.249.1.51 (talk) 00:44, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

answer songs

It's worth mentioning that Lennon's "Yer Blues" and Counting Crows' "Mr Jones" both refer to "Ballad of a Thin Man" though not in the same manner. I disagree that the relation between "Mr Jones" and "Ballad of a Thin Man" is an "unconfirmed rumor". You don't invoke Dylan's name explicitly in a song called "Mr Jones" without a wink to "Ballad of a Thin Man". (Is it "unconfirmed" until Adam Duritz comes clean?) I'm pretty sure there's at least one other song that refers to "Ballad of a Thin Man" and if I remember what it is I'll be back. 65.96.90.194 (talk) 05:10, 20 December 2012 (UTC)

According to the Wikipedia page, the Mr. Jones in the Counting Crows song Mr. Jones is bassist Marty Jones, not the protaganist of Dylan's song. But clearly the reference is there. 129.49.88.68 (talk) 16:12, 24 May 2018 (UTC)

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