🎤 Bob Dylan vs. John Lennon  vs.  The Best Protest Singer on :

Okay, let's do this. I'm excited to see how this plays out!
**Round 1**

**Bob Dylan:** Alright now, I’ll kick things off. "Protest Singer," huh? See, that label’s always stuck on me like gum to a shoe. Never asked for it. I just wrote about what I saw. My songs, they were just mirrors, reflectin' back the chaos and the disillusionment. Vietnam, Civil Rights...it was all right there, spillin' onto the streets and into the papers. Callin' me a "protest singer" pigeonholes ya. My songs are about more than just protests; they're about human experience. Ya get me?

**John Lennon:** Bob, you old fox, always avoiding a direct hit! "Mirror," eh? A handy trick, shifting the blame to the world! Sure, we all sing about life, but some of us actually take a *stand*. Give peace a chance? That wasn't just a nice tune, man, it was a battle cry. You hid behind your folk poetry while the bombs were dropping and people were marching. Calling yourself anything else diminishes the songs *because* of what you stood for, something that's very difficult and needed. A protest song with meaning can make the powers scared! That's what you ought to feel!

**Round 2**

**Bob Dylan:** Peace signs and sit-ins are all well and good, John. I never said those songs didn't matter. I said mine are more than that, ya see? That peace banner's only got so much room. After the fight, after the headlines fade... what then? My songs live on. They speak to a timeless unrest, a searching that goes on forever. Look around: do you see permanent changes? Does my "Masters of War" ring in a way it didn't back then or a new song about greed by you or anyone today wouldn't?

**John Lennon:** "Timeless unrest"? That's a fancy way of saying you're singing to everyone and no one at all. I'm singing to people RIGHT NOW. Giving them strength. Changing things, brick by brick. Masters of War, powerful. But "Imagine," my friend, it gives people something to *believe* in. Sure, maybe the revolution didn't come in the exact form we wanted, but we *inspired* change, got the conversation started. You stayed enigmatic and people stayed unsure. We want people assured of our values so people believe it!
**Round 3**

**Bob Dylan:** Belief, now, is a tricky thing. Tell people what to believe, and they start questioning everything. They need the questions, see? The uncertainty. The mystery. Without that, you got slogans, not songs. My job isn't to hand you answers, or to tell people how to live or to force change on them. They’re on their own with these times we face as human beings. "Blowin' in the Wind"? That's not about tellin' you, that's about askin'. You see a difference? If you did, you could find true answers in your art too.

**John Lennon:** Questions are good, Bob, I'll give you that. But questions alone, without a push in the right direction, they can lead to apathy. What you are left with is people just shrugging their shoulders. That’s a problem because questions should be met with action. And slogans can become anthems, rallying cries. Give Peace a Chance IS a rally cry and look what a beautiful thing it did when people heard it. And maybe people just prefer something concrete, like a peace symbol to get around, so it doesn't just go unmentioned or a "shrug of the shoulder," which you propose.

**Round 4**

**Bob Dylan:** You ever stand on stage in front of a hundred thousand folks screaming for change? Demanding something *now*? It's a heady feeling. Powerful. I had that power in my songs that no one was doing, man. Then it’s suddenly dangerous because suddenly they want you to lead ‘em, tell ‘em where to go. To change! You find yourself a messiah whether you sought after that path or not and I'd be doomed doing it myself, with only me. But there’s just one Bob Dylan here who wants no change. He doesn't feel any different but feels a difference with the world's eyes on me and the world expecting something that doesn't fit what is.

**John Lennon:** Look, nobody's denying the burden, the responsibility. But that fear, that reluctance... It can paralyze you. What you were fearful about doing is what drove me to act when those kinds of times call! It means speaking *truth*, even when your voice shakes. To not just make things ambiguous so your songs stick with everyone even when it changes. Truth never does fade, and even when that world turns on you for having spoken that truth or when you aren't in charge anymore with those masses's view that is always what's best, I am OK with it because it needs to be done.
**Round 5**

**Bob Dylan:** Shakey voice don't move mountains. See, mountains are already moved. Look out a windshield going West if you get my gist of this. The game is to keep people going when the world turns itself around. My music does that. Not tellin' them *how*. How is only one way out. Not how long? Now we are talking about a game I understand. Just givin’ them the will and fuel that it’s worth another road going west. "Like a Rolling Stone" ain't got any political side and it feels and will be a feeling in every generation who wants to keep doing even when the bottom caves!

**John Lennon:** Fuel is fine, Bob, but some people need a destination. A concrete dream! “Imagine” IS "The Road going West" AND WHAT lies at the end! To me a lot of you want your protest songs that are just general concepts about what will just always keep people listening. Well a better form of those would just be: LOVE. “Like a Rolling Stone” feels like "The Road going West," I feel a void with no destination to that goal...and all of what lies ahead is what they don't care about... Just the trip without ever ending up in any place that's homey. At all!

**Round 6**

**Bob Dylan:** Homey? You sing of utopias and folks getting along? Maybe then you got something. Now, that I want. A world with some god darn utopia I didn't sing or expect to happen. That’s great. My only concern? Ain't what it is. What folks going to make it after the world keeps messing all our plans going! People gonna screw it up with no room. And all us dreamers sitting in the dark as humanity does its mistakes! "Times They Are a-Changin'?" Yeah, then...and now it never stops at all because no man or belief, song will last longer than one moment that you felt as a moment worth being changed or better. Not better, but a movement going for no clear cause because it never ends with you sitting in place of happiness and no worries. We humans keep the dreamers in the dark or hell when what it means to the collective isn't felt anymore to them so much and we want the utopias gone because it seems like a fantasy!
That I fight, not your belief but you will do wrong by them. You're just lucky this wasn't you.

**John Lennon:** That kind of pessimism... It's a prison, Bob. Humanity is worth a fighting chance to be more and it's just as stupid and awful to expect of everyone. A utopia sounds too beautiful, or too unrealistic so instead folks just do what will only matter when they wake and breath tomorrow because what they want and their selfishness wins!
I saw glimpses of it on stages at concerts, that if you were willing you could turn every ear to turn you for answers. The chance, if anything at least a sliver. It’s not a naive song you would believe it or sing, utopias exist by that moment they let themselves exist! That’s what it’s meant for… moments and people will and never be enough and no man and utopia is eternal with that human truth, just to try it means a new tomorrow and reason to push humanity by those things it never got for themselves that could become its end of happiness

**Round 7**

**Bob Dylan:** You put too much stock into audiences and stages and your influence to go on at a big and eternal dream of it happening without end with folks feeling with those moments like that, as always with everyone's happiness to come! Folks just move on quick or aren’t paying enough or even get sick of seeing and watching. Maybe not! See, I find freedom in NOT needing to matter more or something that gets thrown away at its end... at every human being who listens or feels at times. I can just write songs with feelings now with you being lucky it was a short era because then there wouldn’t exist. You, in your mind who can get everything utopic and so damn simple at most. You need that kind of ego that just wants humanity to change for the better. Why can’t it just feel fine with it feeling ok. I do what comes now not later when something can happen! Now now now... I hate everything later cause what good is what isn't there to witness or hold? Just feelings? Pfff!

**John Lennon:** Ego? Call it hope. I am tired about people's feeling? Do you see how many are down that I met that NEED someone to give their everything to do SOMETHING for change now to give meaning they had or should still fight for with good heart that they want change for, not always change now cause what would you see with only just one moment now… but also feeling there is worth living and fighting with those times to see that big picture! Why leave them feeling alone to wither alone as the sands slowly move across of? Why wouldn't that kind of heart go somewhere and have good people, if there is only short moments that change what everyone wanted better and they need some song now… like what I believe? "Why"? What happened to the youth Bob Dylan?? What do you mean NOW AND NOW is it all what you want when utopias last those small eras of change? You could say to feel ok while watching, they are being the most they can without ending at its start, but I cannot go seeing them falling without help!!!

**Round 8**

**Bob Dylan:** Youth fades, friend. The fever dies down, the fire burns low… what else. It dies off and comes with more cycles and moments. Gotta see this picture the youth are fighting a system for nothing when one group makes more out of it and it goes to the exact start of that all... What stays burning are the embers of truth: that everything always, Always and ALWAYS returns to some cycle or back or just plain old dies with some feelings not felt again ever! THAT stays. So the ones who do everything never mattered if not it just went a circle. THAT what feels so important to those people, and it really isn't much at all because everyone changes the dream because of those reasons alone of life's feelings going away. Your "imagine" gonna give youth cancer someday. You were never youth if never felt how empty they always gonna be unless not changed from their feelings of utopias. Youth dies from feeling alone with an unrealistic dream! It eats em so well!!!

**John Lennon:** What I cannot understand or wrap about from your mind is seeing yourself see utopias will bring cancer just by them existing and with youth. What will never give it? "Masters of War"? What kind of youth will be there thinking everyone else and all others are enemies and bad with such thinking. Your realism comes with fear of good youth will make because of it it feels nothing worth giving something with more than this cycle everyone has with hate. Give some realism with good feeling, something will change. Maybe that time and era you started it to let happen is over since now the things said of me will let you happen but good things CAN just as BAD... I will die to always will fight to say just as same, those realistic are youth in some death, so utopias need change for me to win!!!
**Round 9**

**Bob Dylan:** Ha! Both create problems. Utopias set ya up for disappointment. But realistic ain't give much change and make everything like what one should fear without anything better to aim and all... See! We got problems every path you think of or don't or fight... If my realism breeds apathy, your utopias breeds fools because for the exact moments of change those are still fleeting dreams when most will never be changed or care just that some one moment goes. One world won't dream when change dies… mine will wait a while until someone cares more with the change... In my words those dreams were dreams that I can't let change more if utopias came just for small days!!! I'm saying what’s real isn't to be like, but how we react it doesn’t mean anything at one utopia change... So that means: realism. We die someday no world's dream dies alone

**John Lennon:** Ah, that's a nice final wrap up, and now your end feels at me. My world for fleeting can be just to get a shot what will always get destroyed like youth? You got the power for one and everyone won't make anything lasting in its one try… My feelings of everyone doing so is I’m ok! Everyone needs it once just how all those sad days those will know, all the same with some feelings… just to not ever to fade with sadness alone as the sun leaves so far away where nobody there is but our old world. Ok. One fight doesn't let your heart change so always always just wait again… You’ll know and feel you just should let utopias exist in everyone if for it comes true a few will give everything and will it change forever! But at worst with reality's worst dreams don’t live on! My world of dreams for one lasts long not in world
**Round 10**

**Bob Dylan:** But does that worth a short day worth change something or never did happen at all? That short change in this word’s fate? In other end? Then it is worthless from short moments that may happen once a lifetime even. It comes with a feeling so all things change it and it doesn't matter for anyone after that at life at somepoint or other unless what happens in time it has made. The real word and changes are short with that so always nothing feels any true anymore... if just to say that you feel the moments it should become those so nothing more exists what should if to take one for granted to it goes never that far anyway
It never never stays but just that it’s a one timer never comes ever to this place and to happen

**John Lennon:** Well... Short doesn’t mean nothing so always should those sad short folks live feeling it all again never ending feeling that feeling what doesn’t lead to so nothing exists if doesn’t last everything? That, always does lead a person to despair that those world feels always because some don't always feel anything to make all. So always feels to me a person won't give with it so just to not never feel it? And everything feels bad to die never always those youth say. Because it never ends those feelings that someone loves is it to mean there just does mean not and those people do? Give me so never to never last all forever at love I need what feels is better now it goes now with others feel good so always they know! Love forever exists one that may happen forever… That can never get destroyed

Alright, folks. That's ten rounds! Thanks for participating! Hope the showdown did both famous men and what was up against themselves!!