I just returned from teaching a homonym workshop to students learning English here in Canada, and as I looked at the title of my latest blog entry, it occurred to me that I didn't know what "a changing" meant....
When Bob Dylan penned his song: "...times they are a-changin'," does he mean:
1. "achanging [as in awaking]?"
2. "eh [pause] changing"?
3. "uh [surprise] changing"?
4. "ah [contentment] changing"?
Mmmmmm, maybe we need a vote?!
I vote for #4.
ReplyDeleteIs this an official plebiscite?
As far as I'm concerned, it's official... so the only one with a vote is #4! It's in the lead! Thanks for voting!
ReplyDeleteHere's another thought, Marlene. It has to do with rhyme and meter and fitting it to a melody. He has taken a statement - times change, or times are changing (and yes, I know they mean 2 different things), and made them fit the melody. We often express things differently in poetry and in song because of the constraints, or need to make it fit a pre-determined form.
ReplyDeleteJust my 2 cents.
It definitely sounds more musical.
ReplyDelete