BOB DYLAN, "Masters Of War," 1963

By Aaron Brophy 10/18/16 | www.samaritanmag.com

Legendary folk-rock musician Bob Dylan was recently awarded the Nobel prize in literature "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition." While "The Times They Are a-Changin'" and a "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" may be better known protest songs, it's Dylan's "Masters Of War" from the 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan which might have the most timeless pro-peace application. A blunt, sometimes strident condemnation of the military-industrial complex, Dylan wrote the song about the Cold War arms race, but many of its tenets are still relevant today. Listen to the song here. — Aaron Brophy