Bob Dylan / 5:02
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Tony Brown: bass
Recording Studio
A&R Recording (Studio A), New York: September 17, 1974
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Dylan
Sound Engineers: Phil Ramone and Glenn Berger
In this song, Dylan was probably inspired by the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament, which, according to Christian believers, announces the coming of the Messiah. In fact, the experience of the character in the song, being offered shelter from a storm by a benevolent woman, takes on a special dimension: “‘Come in,’ she said, ‘I’ll give you shelter from the storm.’” The reference is even more explicit in the fifth verse: “She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns.” Dylan creates this Christ-like figure in an undeniable Western atmosphere, with open spaces, the deputy sheriff, the preacher, and the one-eyed undertaker.
This “Christ” who bargains for salvation and offers his innocence but receives only scorn asks the right question: is it all only despair? His only desire is “turn back the clock to when God and her were born.” In this interpretation, the song appears to be a metaphor: love as an act of redemption, eternal love beyond the rapture, which is only ephemeral. This can still be a metaphor for rebirth. Thus, the kindness and sense of mercy of a woman allow the “rebirth” of the narrator. “Shelter from the Storm” included an eleventh verse that was removed from the final version.
Although “Shelter from the Storm” has only three chords, the open tuning used by Dylan gives an impression of greater harmonic richness. The excellent bass player Tony Brown offers subtle and melodic playing. Recorded in five takes, the day after the first session for the album (the unfortunate session for Weissberg and his musicians), the last take was selected. Dylan oscillates between intimacy and declamation, and his performance is excellent, including his short harmonica playing (in E). Contrary to what he recorded in Minneapolis, the New York tessituras are lower, giving more intimacy and emotion to his interpretation. This song has been played nearly four hundred times since its debut on April 18, 1976, at the Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida.