What happens when “The Times They Are A-Changin’” meets a world where nothing changes at all? In this episode of Hitchhiking Highway 61, we leave behind Bob Dylan’s anthem of progress and step into the bleak, haunting story of “Ballad of Hollis Brown.”
Dylan paints the picture of a desperate farmer on the edge of survival — and forces us to wrestle with timeless questions: poverty, despair, choice, and the cycles of history that never seem to end. Is Hollis a victim? A villain? Both? And what does his story reveal about the struggles we still face today?
Join us as host Kevin Fallon explores Dylan’s storytelling, the relentless rhythm of the song, and the uncomfortable empathy it creates. Along the way, we’ll reflect on why Dylan’s music still matters, why “nothing new under the sun” feels truer than ever, and what it means to notice the Hollis Browns around us before it’s too late.
