Pay in Blood

"Pay in Blood" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan that appears as the fifth track on his 2012 studio album Tempest. Like much of Dylan's 21st-century output, he produced the song himself using the pseudonym Jack Frost.

"Pay in Blood"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album Tempest
ReleasedSeptember 10, 2012
GenreFolk rock, Rock and roll
Length5:09
LabelColumbia Records
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)Jack Frost (Bob Dylan)

Reception

Many critics have cited "Pay in Blood" as the high point of Tempest. The uptempo rocker has earned musical comparisons to the work of The Rolling Stones[1] and Warren Zevon[2] while the vengeful lyrics, featuring the memorable refrain "I pay in blood but not my own", have been appraised as among the darkest and most violent that Dylan has ever composed.[3]

Rolling Stone ranked it as the ninth best song of 2012[4] and placed it sixth on a 2020 list of "The 25 Best Bob Dylan Songs of the 21st Century".[5] An article accompanying the former list called it "one of his most vicious songs ever", noting that "Dylan conjures a demonic figure – military brass, politician, CEO, pick your poison – while guitars glint like a switchblade."

Some Dylan scholars have analyzed it as a "religious song" that evokes Old Testament wrath[6] while others see it as more specifically relating to the phenomenon of American slavery.[7] This latter interpretation has been bolstered by some in part because Dylan pointedly spoke about slavery in a Rolling Stone interview with journalist Mikal Gilmore to promote the album at the time of its release.[8]

Cultural references

The line "Nothing more wretched than what I must endure" is a close paraphrase from a line in Book V of Tristia by the ancient Roman poet Ovid.[9] Dylan also quoted Ovid in his previous two albums of original material, Together Through Life and Modern Times.

The line "I came to bury not to praise" is a paraphrase of a famous line from a speech by Mark Antony in Act III, Scene II of the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare.[10]

Live performances

Between 2012 and 2019 Dylan performed the song 549 times in concert. This makes it the second most frequently performed song from Tempest (behind only "Early Roman Kings").[11]

References
  1. Miller, Mike (2020-06-29). "Bob Dylan: Latest Recordings". Ticket 2 Ride. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  2. "Bob Dylan, 'Tempest': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  3. "Pay in Blood | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  4. Rolling Stone (2012-12-05). "50 Best Songs of 2012". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  5. Vozick-Levinson, Jon Dolan,Patrick Doyle,Andy Greene,Brian Hiatt,Angie Martoccio,Rob Sheffield,Hank Shteamer,Simon; Dolan, Jon; Doyle, Patrick; Greene, Andy; Hiatt, Brian; Martoccio, Angie; Sheffield, Rob; Shteamer, Hank; Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2020-06-18). "The 25 Best Bob Dylan Songs of the 21st Century". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  6. "Pay in Blood: the meaning of the music and the lyrics | Untold Dylan". Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  7. Hallgeir (2016-07-10). "Great song: Pay in Blood by Bob Dylan – A land built on slavery". All Dylan - A Bob Dylan blog. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  8. Gilmore, Mikal (2012-09-27). "Bob Dylan Unleashed". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  9. Hallgeir (2016-07-10). "Great song: Pay in Blood by Bob Dylan – A land built on slavery". All Dylan - A Bob Dylan blog. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  10. TonyAttwood. "Bob Dylan And Plutarch | Untold Dylan". Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  11. "Bob Dylan Tour Statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
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