Shelter From The Storm is the fourth song to be presented here from one of Bob Dylan’s most highly regarded albums Blood on the Tracks. I also mentioned it recently in my post about Bruce Springsteen’s Secret Garden because both songs serve as a couplet in Cameron Crowe’s movie Jerry Maguire where the woman is presented as a symbol of safety and comfort. In Shelter from the Storm: The woman is a literal shelter, providing the narrator with protection from the chaos outside. It’s worth mentioning here the song was written during Dylan’s separation and divorce with first wife, Sara Dylan. Also the album is often regarded as his most personal and introspective.

Over the years Dylan has transfigured the song from the studio acoustic folk ballad to other music genres such as an electric, uptempo rock edge arrangement seen in the ’76 version below. This version felt more urgent, almost combative, as if the storm had grown fiercer, and the shelter was harder to find. No two performances were ever quite the same, keeping the song fresh and enigmatic. Over the years, Dylan has modified verses, swapped lines, or emphasized different parts of the lyrics depending on the mood of the performance. Dylan’s chameleon-like approach ensured that Shelter from the Storm remained a living, evolving piece of art rather than a static historical record, much like the rest of his catalogue.

Shelter from the Storm was recorded on September 17, 1974, and released on his 15th studio album, Blood on the Tracks. He recorded five takes for the album with the last one selected for the album. People often cite the song in their top lists of Dylan songs from the 1970’s decade. It sits well into my “50 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs” list. According to his official website, Dylan played the song 376 times between 1976 and 2015. As alluded to above, critics universally hail Blood on the Tracks as one of his finest albums and Shelter From The Storm one of their most beloved songs from it.

[Verse 1]
‘Twas in another lifetime
One of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue
The road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness
A creature void of form
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give ya
Shelter from the storm”

[Verse 2]
And if I pass this way again
You can rest assured
I’ll always do my best for her
On that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death and men
Who are fighting to be warm
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give ya
Shelter from the storm”

[Verse 3]
Not a word was spoke between us
There was little risk involved
Everything up to that point
Had been left unresolved
Try imagining a place
Where it’s always safe and warm
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give ya
Shelter from the storm”

[Verse 4]
I was burned out from exhaustion
Buried in the hail
Poisoned in the bushes
And blown out on the trail
Hunted like a crocodile
Ravaged in the corn
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give ya
Shelter from the storm”

[Verse 5]
Suddenly I turned around
And she was standing there
With silver bracelets on her wrists
And flowers in her hair
She walked up to me so gracefully
And took my crown of thorns
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give ya
Shelter from the storm”

[Verse 6]
Now there’s a wall between us
Something there’s been lost
I took too much for granted
I got my signals crossed
Just to think that it all began
On an uneventful morn
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give ya
Shelter from the storm”

[Verse 7]
Well, the deputy walks on hard nails
And the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much
It’s doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker
He blows a futile horn
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give ya
Shelter from the storm

[Verse 8]
I’ve heard newborn babies wailing
Like a mourning dove
And old men with broken teeth
Stranded without love
Do I understand your question, then
Is it hopeless and forlorn
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give ya
Shelter from the storm”

[Verse 9]
In a little hilltop village
They gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation
And she gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence
And I got repaid with scorn
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give ya
Shelter from the storm”

[Verse 10]
Well, I’m living in a foreign country
But I’m bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor’s edge
Someday I’ll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock
To when God and her were born
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give ya
Shelter from the storm”

References:
1. Shelter From The Storm – Wikipedia