Released: September 18, 1989

Songwriter: Bob Dylan

Producer: Daniel Lanois

[Verse 1]
We live in a political world
Love don’t have any place
We’re living in times where men commit crimes
And crime don’t have a face

[Verse 2]
We live in a political world
Icicles hanging down
Wedding bells ring and angels sing
Clouds cover up the ground

[Verse 3]
We live in a political world
Wisdom is thrown into jail
It rots in a cell, is misguided as hell
Leaving no one to pick up a trail

[Verse 4]
We live in a political world
Where mercy walks the plank
Life is in mirrors, death disappears
Up the steps into the nearest bank

[Verse 5]
We live in a political world
Where courage is a thing of the past
Houses are haunted, children are unwanted
The next day could be your last

[Verse 6]
We live in a political world
The one we can see and can feel
But there’s no one to check, it’s all a stacked deck
We all know for sure that it’s real

[Verse 7]
We live in a political world
In the cities of lonesome fear
Little by little you turn in the middle
But you’re never sure why you’re here

[Verse 8]
We live in a political world
Under the microscope
You can travel anywhere and hang yourself there
You always got more than enough rope

[Verse 9]
We live in a political world
Turning and a-thrashing about
As soon as you’re awake, you’re trained to take
What looks like the easy way out

[Verse 10]
We live in a political world
Where peace is not welcome at all
It’s turned away from the door to wander some more
Or put up against the wall

[Verse 11]
We live in a political world
Everything is hers or his
Climb into the frame and shout God’s name
But you’re never sure what it is

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman May 24, 1941), is an American singer-songwriter, writer, and artist who has influenced popular music and culture for more than five decades. Dylan has especially played a critical role in the American folk music revival.

Dylan’s songs are built from myriad political, social, philosophical and literary influences. Many of his anti-war and civil-rights-influenced songs set social unrest, as journalists widely named him the “spokesman for his generation” in the 1960s.

The musician has a signature change in voice and style in many different albums of his throughout the decades. He has notably explored and experimented with the genres of folk, rap, blues, and rock.