http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LKqiTHia2M

“Blowin’ in the Wind” was written by Bob Dylan and is considered a protest song, but there has been debates on whether it was a song about peace, war or freedom. The song came out in 1963 and was the anthem for the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam Peace Movement. In fact, “Blowin’ in the Wind” captured the frustrations and ambitions of black people that the song was played for civil rights activities.

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man ?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand ?
Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they’re forever banned ?
The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

Yes, how many years can a mountain exist
Before it’s washed to the sea ?
Yes, how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free ?
Yes, how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn’t see ?
The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

Yes, how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky ?
Yes, how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry ?
Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died ?
The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

I believe with the majority that this song was about social protest, because it stresses out how many people don’t realize that there are people who want to free, but are ignorant about it. For many people black, it might have been a surprise because a white man was singing about freedom, but the song was their voice and strength in trying to fight for equal rights. I suspect there was total shock and then applause and celebration. This song perfectly describes the call for freedom. Many white folks were ignorant to slaves and the slaves thought it was unfair, but they could not speak out for themselves or they’ll risk beating. This is the song that goes against oppression and the restraint of freedom. The refrain “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind” is open up for interpretation because it either means that the answer is so obvious that the answer blows in your face or that the answer is imperceptible, as it it lost in the wind. Overall, this song was so true to words that it became the staple to every protest during the Civil Rights Movement.