Was it what I thought?

Of course. What else?

To my shame, I must confess that it passed me by on "Shot of Love". I'd been heavily into his Christian phase so I was probably a bit disappointed that there wasn't enough directly Christian input on that album. Of course, there's plenty really, just not on his sleeve. I think he already recognised he had some "scars that the Son didn't heal."

But that second CD of Biograph is about as convincing a demonstration of Dylan's lyrical depth and diversity as there is. Oh, and the booklets included with the set are about as good an inroduction to this many-facetted man as there is, I think.

And the song is . . . "Every grain of sand".

Stately. Gospel. Blues. Art song.

For years we've been singing it with "Frost at Midnight" www.myspace.com/frostatmidnight We add a harmony vocal on the second half of every verse and do a key change and unison vocal for the last verse, "i have gone from rags to riches". Then we sing, "I hear the ancient footsteps" in unaccompanied harmony. And because we repeat that with instruments, it gives us a chance to sing both alternative endings: "I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man" and "I am hanging in the balance of a perfect, finished plan."

Too much barnstorming? Well, as I said in my previous post about "Dark Eyes", you need to consider people hearing the song for the first time, so perhaps you need to be a bit vulgar to get it across.

I've studied theology since I heard that. The balance between divine power and human free will and the doctrine of providence are well expressed in this song.

There are not too many songs as good as this one.

Thanks, by the way to www.expectingrain.com for drawing attention to this blog.