Do I have a tag for “complete nerd-out”? No, I don’t think so. Regardless, this is it. I’m gonna slice up the lyrics to the Bob Dylan song*** and analyse them against the Battlestar Galactica story. Why? Because it’s Monday. That’s why.
There must be some way out of here
It’s the search for Earth and the hope that Earth implies. The “here” is most probably the constant and tiring vacuum of space.
said the Joker to the Thief
I believe that The Joker is the human faction, and The Thief is the Cylon faction. I’m still betting on the fact that The 4/5ths are not Cylons per se, but a unification force.
There’s too much confusion
Isn’t everyone confused? The last two seasons have built a muddle where bad and good meld into a mess.
I can’t get no relief
Well, clearly that’s obvious. Both fleets are on an exhausting space journey that seems to have no end.
Businessmen, they drink my wine
Wine is a universal symbol for the spirit of life–ask anyone who’s taken communion. This line talks about how the day-to-day struggle saps the spirit of the humans. (After all, it is the Human Faction who is speaking here, in the guise of The Joker.)
plowmen dig my earth
Again the Joker (Human faction) is complaining about the feeling of rape at the hands of everyman. Earlier in the episode Lee Adama said the Humans had become a gang. This is more expression of that.
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth
Clearly the rag-tag fleet of humans is still mired in the pettiness of everyday life and are not entirely grasping the larger concepts of life and freedom. That was obvious in the trial and at the way the gallery was so easily led.
“No reason to get excited” the Thief, he kindly spoke
Now we’re to the Cylon portion of the song, assuming that The Thief is the Cylon faction–which I believe he is. The Cylons have already been shown to be the monotheistic and more faith-based culture of the two. This line is typical of the Cylons trying to impart their god on the humans. (Think Leoben and Six)
“There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke”
Look! Brother Cavill has his own line of the song! Of course this could apply to many in the human fleet as well.
But you and I, we’ve been through that and this is not our fate
Once again, the song can be taken to prove out my theory of the 4/5ths being unifiers. They’ve been through the vacillations of the joke of life and are pursuing a higher truth.
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late
The two factions have been chasing around the vastness of space for awhile. The time has come to get serious about going to Earth. The hour IS getting late as they run out of fuel, patience and the dream of civilisation.
All along the watchtower, princes kept the view while all the women came and went, barefoot servants too.
There are some (princes) on earth who are waiting for the approaching fleets. The women and servants are the generations who have lived and died during the 13th colony’s vigil.
Outside in the distance, a wildcat did growl
The war between the Cylons and humans that set this whole thing in motion.
Two riders were approaching
The Humans and Cylons are at last approaching earth
The wind began to howl
Winds of change are blowing, man. The answer is blowing in that wind.
——
So there you have it.
***I’m so tired of reading various blogs and articles that call AATW a Hendrix song, a U2 Song, a Dave Matthews song. There was even one joker who referred to it as a Dave Matthews cover of a Hendrix song. AAACK!!!!
Just Another Pretty Farce 
[…] nerd update I decided to go ahead and hammer out my lyrics analysis. Who said all these years of literary criticism were wasted? Well, yeah, they are. But it’s […]
You have given me flashbacks to my ex who was a HUGE Bob Dylan fan. After hours of listening to every possible song, version and permutation of every Bob Dylan song ever recorded at the time, I came to the conclusion that he is a brilliant writer and poet, but that no one ever told him that he sucks as a singer.
I have found that I like the performances in most of the cover versions of his songs much better. But not Dave Matthews.
Nooooo, Saraclark. He doesn’t have a good voice,* but he’s a brilliant singer. Phrasing, emotional impact, intelligence, he’s got ’em all. Dude knows how to sing.
*Although I’d like to go on record as saying that about 1973–1975 his voice was gorgeous, too.
I’m with nm. He is brilliant singer. One listen to a live performance of “Tangled Up In Blue” seals the deal on that.
KC, you have good taste.
It’s amazing how often people say that.
Especially when I agree with them on something. ;-p
Gee, that happens to me, too. What a coincidence!
I agree with you on the 4/5ths not being cylons. I already figured two of them can’t be — Tyrol has a child with a woman I’m not really sure he really loves and I’m pretty sure Tigh fought in the first Cylon war. I figured ithe music was some sort of weird Cylon trick, and I still can’t figure out why in the world the four would just jump to the conclusion that they were Cylons just because they hear music.
I also think next season is the last. I think that’s why they got a 22-ep order (rather than their usual 20). Ron Moore said in his podcast for the ep where Starbuck dies that he felt the show was naturally moving into the third act of the story — while also careful to explain he doesn’t know how long that third act will take (leaving himself open to more than one more season if he can get it; and it was recorded before the announcement that they got the back 9 order). So what we saw Sunday night was the end of the second act and the catalyst driving us into the third.
i just want to know where i can get the exact cover of AATWT from the finale (including maybe the snippets of song the final 4 were hearing) online.
who did the cover? anyone got the 411?
****
also, moore verified the final 4 are indeed cylons (tigh, tyrol, tory and sam – but not starbuck, oddly enough). but who’s to say they’re on the side of the other 7? they’re definitely separate, as the 7 don’t know who they are, and therefore are obviously not in their fleet.
so are they special cylons, perhaps who branched off from the 7 at some point because they felt for humanity, and didn’t want to harm them?
perhaps they went to earth to oversee that the 13th tribe survives, and that’s why kara has been to earth (assuming she is cylon, despite moore’s non-disclosure). let’s say she rezzed there, came back to the vicinity of the fleet, and planted the obviously earthy song of “AATWT” in the final 4’s heads? to ease them into recognizing their true nature?
just a theory..
I can’t get AATW song out of head. I, too, have been searching the web for the BSG version. Anyone got the 411 on who sang it? For now, I getting by on U2’s version (good but that frakkin great)!
It was done by Brenden McCreary with guitar by Steve Bartek
More info at Bear McCreary’s Blog.
also, moore verified the final 4 are indeed cylons (tigh, tyrol, tory and sam – but not starbuck, oddly enough). but who’s to say they’re on the side of the other 7? they’re definitely separate, as the 7 don’t know who they are, and therefore are obviously not in their fleet.
telene, I said this in the other post, but in reading back over this one I realised I wasn’t clear here.
I think that the 4/5ths (and whoever the fifth is) are a sort of next-generation Cylon whose mission is unification of the earlier Cylon models and the human factions.
I think they seeded themselves in key positions in the human world in order to bring about the unification.
Tigh–XO of the fleet
Tyrol–chief mechanic and architect of the human union
Anders–leader of the resistence
Tory–aide to the president
the fact that the 4 new Cylons uncovered here are at key positions is obvious. Butt how will it play?…
As for your analysis, quite interesting and accurate, I would just like broaden what you said about the last verses :
“Two riders were approaching
The wind began to howl”
We can hear those lyrics as we see Starbuck and Appolo in their Vipers: two riders? And the (absence of) wind is pretty much howling around them.
The synch between images and lyrics was really nicely done for the whole song.
Another question : when did you recognise the song?
I confess I completely missed Anders’ “No need to get excited”, and the repeated ” There must be some kind of way outta here” line.
Am I thick or is it well hidden?
I think it is significant that, if memory serves, all of the four were involved in fighting against the cylons in the resistance. (At least I think Tory was involved, though not in physical fighting.) They aren’t just cylons who think they’re humans, they’re cylons who are willing to stand up and fight for humanity even at the risk of everything else they hold dear (their lives, their loved ones, so on.)
This kind of goes along with what was being said about being a uniting force, if these are cylons that care about humanity that may be their purpose.
The other thing is Tigh, he fought against the Cylons in the first Cylon war, meaning that our understanding of when the Cylons became like people has to be drastically changed. He could have been an early prototype, or they could have all been in production much sooner, or certain models could be much older than the others, or something else.
The real question this brings up is, “Why?” Why, durring the first Cylon War, would they create a human form Cylon, send him infiltrate the colonial army and fight against them, and then wait 40 years to activate him?
Was he forgotten, or abandoned, or left in place just in case, or was there simply a completely different longer running plan in place?
Time may, or may not, tell.
“you and I, we’ve been through that” … again taking this as being “said” by the “Cylon,” this could also be a reference to the BSG scriptural mantra, “All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again.”
Excellent analysis and discussion, everyone. Good work!
Why do the 4 (actually the 5) have to be recently created Cylons?
What precipitated the original Cylon uprising?
Were there original human form Cylons created secretly long ago in a human lab somewhere? Decades before the first Cylon War? (Too bad Caprica got shelved.)
Did they “get out” and start railing against opression of intelligent machines by humanity?
Did this get out of hand and turn into the uprising? The first war? And creation of the remaining human form Cylons following the war?
Did the original 5 feel guilty about their failure causing a war and generate a plan of how to try to rectify the situation? A plan that necessitated going so deep undercover that they deceived themselves?
A deception and guilt that tore at Tigh’s Cylon soul so pervasively he turned to drink?
This point in the series is the first time all four recently revealed Cylons have been in constant close proximity (on Galactica during the trial). It could be that they generated feedback amongst each other triggering their re-awakening which was pre-programmed for when they see an opportunity to redeem themselves and end the war between a flawed humanity and it’s immature children?
I have read the article where Ron Moore said that they were Cylons, but I still don’t buy it. Chief having a baby isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility- the Cylons haven’t been able to reproduce on their own, but maybe 1/2 will work. But what about the Chief’s finding the temple of the 5? He was lead to it. It was something like a vision- more like the president. She felt something right before the power went out, while the others were gathering. So why isn’t anyone jumping to the conclusion that she is the 5th? Starbuck has been told she was special since she was young. The drawing of the eye makes her something special, but not necessarily Cylon. Why can’t the others be the same? Chief’s father was a priest- maybe he has some connection to the tribe that left for earth.
As for the option that they are Cylons- Saul was in the war 40 years ago, but he was also in prison on New Caprica. They could have swapped him out at that point. And Sam was left behind on Caprica originally. He could have been planted by the Cylons then. If Starbuck was important, they put him in place to get close to her. Why else did he stick around so long when she was going crazy?
Just one more point before my brain explodes with all this- the other cylons revealed themselves by doing something. When Athena started to turn she was doing things she didn’t even know. She had a feeling that she was one of them, but didn’t hear music, and didn’t know for sure until she saw the copies of herself on the rezzy ship. If they are going for a different style of Cylon- they are way different.
By the way- I love the thought that has gone into analysis of the AATW meaning. It was a good choice, for controversy if nothing else.
For those wanting to hear the broadcast version of the song — it’s on YouTube at several places. Here’s one:
Im sorry but I think you got it all wrong, Im muslim but I think this is song abot Jessus and way of life we take and live, but your interrpretation is very interesting 🙂 , P.S. this is the greatest song of all time :))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) no mather what it means, maybe that is reason why is o good, peace
I’m really quite amazed that I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere else, so I might as well throw it out here…
Tory: a cylon, through and through. Why? Because she showed up out of nowhere.
The others? Not a chance. Not happening. Human as human can be.
“But then how did they all hear that song?” you are rightly asking…
Two words: radio waves.
We all saw Kara’s return. She’s been to earth. And here she shows up, right in the middle of the nebula that is supposed to lead our interstellar brethren home to us. So, we are safe in assuming that the striking space phenomenon is somehow, through warps, space tunnels, wormholes, whathaveyou connected to us. I don’t recall *exactly* if the tune (though if it was, I’d bet it was Jimi Hendrix’ cover) was included in any Voyager or similar space missions, but I am sure that many a high-powered stereo of the day were blasting the song loud enough to achieve the same effect, but there went our earstwhile song through space…
…and there sits our beloved Galactica: a big, honkin’ radio antenna, receiving the waves and channelling them through her weighty, weathered structures until, at some level, some finely-tuned ears picked up on the vibrations and instantly knew them to be the anthem we all hail.
I offer these observations to support my theory: note that one of the first encounters with the haunting music was actually over a radio (Saul Tigh at the bar), a device that would be best natively able to handle the waves; remember that the song was barely perceived while the Galactica was still a few jumps away from the nebula, and intensified as they came closer and evenually arrived there…
I don’t know… Maybe this is all just denial on my part. I just don’t want to believe that Sam, Galen or Saul are cylons. I’m still holding out hope that Ellen Tigh was actually a cylon and that we’ll see her again soon enough.
I hope all enjoy my two cents…
Came here for the BSG/AATW analysis, but am commenting about the song itself. I wouldn’t get too pissy at folks who are calling it a Hendrix song; though the writing credits certainly should go to Dylan, Jimi Hendrix is the one who recorded the definitive version and blasted the song to the huge recognition it’s achieved. Even Dylan thinks so; from Wikipedia: “Overwhelmed by the reinterpretation, Dylan himself has since based his own performances of the song on Hendrix’ version.”
As much as I hate to shatter your theories on the 4/5, Ronald D Moore confirmed in an interview shortly after the episode aired that yes, they are in fact cylons.
how about this? is it possable that these four have been swapped out at various points in the story, tigh was captured and tortured (or at least given the memories of being tortured) as might have been anders. or for that matter starbuck when she was in the hospital. were all the other models of cylons based on real people, perhaps captured PoW’s in the first war? could they have the technology to copy human memory’s and implant them into new models of cylon so that the new cylons themselves might not know?
Dylan wrote the song. End of story. All us Hendrix fans can console ourselves that his interpretation is masterful, but in the end the melody and the lyrics are Bob’s.
The influence of emotion on judgement is quite remarkable, especially when looking at the comments on this post. Lee was right about that.
So many refuse to accept that these four are Cylons. The four have NO QUESTION about it. I JUST watched the episode for the first time not an hour ago – a friend has the TIVO with the dvd burner.
Do you think that Saul would admit this to himself or anyone else unless he KNEW it was true? When Chief walked into that room and said “so thats how it is, a switch goes off” I knew exactly what was coming.
Denial is more than a river in Egypt, folks…
[…] a lyrical analysis of the song which I pretty much entirely disagree with. I’m guessing if the writers are drawing any […]
“There must be some way out of here” has to do with the vacuum of space?
No no no no no no no no no.
The Cylons have mentioned more than once that the cycle – the human-Cylon war, the quest for Earth, everything in the show, basically – has happened before.
THAT’s what they want/need a way out of. The cycle of hate and destruction (and presumably the futile search for a place where they can all live in peace, that they think of as Earth).
The endless repetition of a destructive history where the two halves (human/cylon) are forever divided and unfulfilled.
Got it?
You can download the BSG full MP3 from the upcoming album here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/63818526/21_-_All_Along_the_Watchtower.mp3.html
the cylon that went to kobol with baltar said “i never knew” . so they wouldn’t neccasarily swap any of the possible 4/5. fact is the people we think are in charge, don’t know. They also lie, and say whatever’s needed to accomplish their aims. adama asked athena if she’d reveal the final 4 or 5 on the ship (in season 2), she refused, and that was his reason for distrust. You can quote ron moore as much as you like, he wants you to be interested.
Also, Gaius is so obvious, we’re all trying to discard it. So howcome him and 6 share … projecting? And although they lie, she did (the version in his head, not some sloppy skinjob) tell him that he indeed was the chosen 1. the fact is there’s 13 tribes. there could well be a very special 13th cylon.
In the original 70’s showings, adama had “powers” similar to count iblis, well much weaker, but a start, he could move stuff with his mind. pretty impressive. doesn’t fit to well with the newer character of Bill Adama though, but just remindin you guys. (plus iblis was the voice of the cylon leaders in the original.)i know the original series cylons weren’t created by humans (least that’s what we were told).
Point is there’s a lot more storyline they could go into, and probably will, if this is the fourth and final season coming. Either way, trust in the writers so far, we’ve had some great twists, and i was initially hard to convert from the old BSG (starbuck’s a chick? and kain’s no longer the dude from hot shots?) but i’m sure whatever plot they’ver chosen to go down, it’ll be well scripted, will have been obvious all along, and we’ll all be happy.
Great song too, gotta be said the electric sitar was a great choice, gave it an edge no other cover’s used. Old ron’s only admitted using the song for the feel and tempo, buildin the close in a great way. it works too. but clearly after this discussion there’s at least reason for choosin the song, with the lyrics and all. so….despite him saying the lyrics had no bearing whatsoever…i don’t believe him :p and i seriously half expect them to not be cylons. It’s all good either way. Cheerio
bit more thought. any1 actually seen the xo in the razor flashbacks yet? more i think about it the more i think they will be cyclons. lot of modern philosophy has moved to how similar organic engines like humans are to mechanical machines (and the differences). maybe saul showed up in the first war, since we know they had hybrids. maybe they had fleshy jobs that weren’t quite in tune with the cylon way of thinking. (too close to humans? thinkin for themselves etc.) only thing that puzzles me is that the others call them “the FINAL five”. final usually means last or later productions. so i’m none the wiser really. hundreds of theories spinning round, and i’m sure that’s what they wanted :p really can’t wait for season 4…. no i really can’t, time to send hate mail to the writers for their lack of speed, and for not saving the puppies on caprica. Helo coulda given his spot for at least 10 puppies. just want answers, explanations! season 4 hurry up
Tory didn’t show up out of nowhere – she replaced Billy when he kicked the bucket late in season 2, and it had always been clear that there were more than the two of them and the pilots on Colonial One – Laura had staff, but they didn’t need screen time unless there was a reason to call attention to them. Depending on why the actor left, it’s possible that he would have been the Cylon if he’ld stayed. When you’re doing TV, you always have to be prepared to adapt the story to the effects of real-life on your actors.
And they do have composers available – they could get “feel and tempo” without lyrics, and they have writers so I’m sure someone could have given them some customised lyrics if they wanted. Memorising the song may be unnecessary for understanding the plot, but in storytelling a gun on the wall in act 1 is fired by act 3, and lyrics in season 3 are rarely entirely random. And only an idiot would pick random lyrics and then be surprised when people assume they mean something.
Also, they’re not numerically the final five, or the first five – how could they be, with there being model 8 and a model 3 running around already?
Thanks for the breakdown. Just watched the “Crossroads” episodes a few days ago after getting them off iTunes.
Also, glad to see the Paul ’08 sticker in your sidebar.
Hi, great interpretation. I originally thought that AATW was symbolic of the clash of human values against the establishment which has been apparent throught all the series and in another way the impending storm or showdown that was coming. Either way it was a great choice for the show.
The Cylons mention several times that they do not speak of the final five, perhaps this is because the 5 decided against the original rebellion and have been working for the humans since day 1 as a sort of subconscious imperative placed in their brains when they hid their self knowledge.
I thought the most interesting thing about the 5 was what Tigh said, as he straightened his shoulders and stood tall, “Whatever else I may be, I’m an officer in the Colonial Fleet.”
I saw a man who had been at war with himself all his life and trying to numb the confusion in his mind with booze, who suddenly understood who he was, and realized that maybe his life had a greater purpose. I expect to see Tigh and the others move forward, leaving the baggage of the past behind.
The 5 are unique in that they are both human and Cylon. They have experienced the full range of what it means to be human and now they begin the Cylon experience. Thus they will be able to understand both. In this they become Messianic figures, some to live, some to die, but all to bring peace.
Great analysis Katherine, I agree with most of your points.
Season 4 in 4 days 🙂
Great discussion board KC and to all contributors – my employer has lost at least 2 hours of my productivity today!
Well done everyone – you’ve certainly given me heaps to think about.
Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in.
I believe the 4 are cylons. But they are cylons who have been sent back in time from another point in the future, which takes care of any of the linear discrepencies discussed above.
As for the 5th? Regardless of the end at the new season 4 episode 1 where Starbuck holds the gun to Laura’s head, I still believe she is not a cylon. I reckon she is gonna say – “Hey I trusted you with the arrow Rosslyn, now it’s time for you to trust me with getting us to Earth…”
The 5th I have several theories on. Either it’s Baltar or – a more far fetched idea – it could possibly be Hera if we take the time travel thing into account. However – I’m not sure how this works with Deanna’s recognition of said 5th cylon…
Hmmmmmmm… Food for thought.
Agree with the whole unification theory too for the 4/5ths.
Again – cheers to everyone for great insights and a great read!
Good Hunting…
Analyzing the song was a great idea. The contributors of triskelos.blogspot.com are also huge BSG fans. I plugged your article in a recent comment thread discussing the photo using BSG characters in DaVinci’s Last Supper. Enjoy season 4
HH
Ok, two things. 1. It is a Bob Dylan/Dave Matthews Band/Jimi Hendrix Song (check any and all lyrics sites. 2. Your analysis is spot when applied to BSG (which I worship and am currently watching) but is incorrect in the original purpose of the song. It’s all good though. I adore the BSG version, as it blows away all of the other versions and is played in BSG Season 3 Finale!!
Oh yeah, and Paladin and Starbuck have great points. If Starbuck could explain the time travel theories…
The Fifth Cylon is totally Laura Roslin.
Why else would she be leading them AWAY from Earth? And why she hates Baltar SO much. It actually explains a lot, if you think about it a while.
No way is it Laura. what are the chances the final cylon is the leader of this ragtag fleet? already too many cylons just happened to be “in” the fleet.
Its the guy doing the laundry since Salix got her wings.
Seelix, I mean.
It is always a little intimidating to put yourself out into the Limelight. You have to be concerned about the responses that may come. People can misunderstand you and take what you mean out of context. Humans have a tendency to hurt each other. This is just a blog I tell myself.
No reason to get excited.
Confused about what I need to say…..
Read the Very First Post from the HotConflict.com website.
http://www.hotconflict.com/blog/2007/04/jihad_between_i.html
[…] my last set of analysis proved to be so on the money I feel good about going with my gut on this […]
[…] fifty hits a day from that one. Then there’s the dozen or so hits a day I get on the whole Battlestar Galactica / Bob Dylan mashup. And the Harry Potter’s Penis thing. Other posts, though, surprise me. I don’t know if […]
[…] March 26, 2007 by Katherine Coble […]
Hi there,
Awesome find.
Have a nice day
Charlie
This article isn’t really true…
This is a great breakdown…I’m glad that I am not the only one that knew there was a big significance to this song in the show.
I really enjoyed your take on BSG! Try reading it alongside this interpretation of the original Dylan version of All Along the Watchtower.
perfectly sound
is there any download link?
great thanks
teşekkür ederim harika bir oyun sitesi ekledim (thankyou admin)
teşekkürler harika olmuş ellerinize sağlık
[…] gefunden hier:mycropht.wordpress.com […]
thans admin very very good
The Cylons have already been shown to be the monotheistic and more faith-based culture of the two.
Cool write up. Although I always think of AATW as sounding best when done by Hendrix – it was originally written by Bob Dylan I believe. The thing that struck me and made me want to look up something like this was the “There are many here among us” line. I thought it seemed that the song was handpicked for the story – think “There are many copies.” Anyway – glad to know I’m not the only one who was thinking like this but you took it many steps further xD I’m still working through the first half of the 4th season and dying to know who the heck the 5th cylon is >_> and what the heck the deal is with Kara.
Just wish to say your article is as astounding. The clarity in your post is simply great and i could assume you’re an expert on this subject. Well with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please continue the rewarding work.
very well put! love this post! thank you for sharing it!
[…] como trilha para o final da terceira temporada da série Battlestar Galactica. Há até quem esteja analisando a letra da música e fazendo links com a história contada pelo […]