Bob Dylan’s vast and enigmatic catalog is filled with songs that defy easy categorization, and “Motorpsycho Nightmare” is a prime example. Written and recorded in 1964, this track from the album Another Side of Bob Dylan is a curious blend of humor, surrealism, and cultural commentary, all wrapped within a seemingly lighthearted narrative. While not as overtly famous as some of his protest anthems or introspective ballads, “Motorpsycho Nightmare” offers a fascinating glimpse into Dylan’s evolving songwriting style and his engagement with the popular culture of the era, particularly the iconic Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho.
To understand “Motorpsycho Nightmare,” it’s crucial to place it within the context of Dylan’s 1964 output. Another Side of Bob Dylan was a departure from his earlier, more overtly topical songwriting. Recorded in a single session, the album showcased a more personal and introspective Dylan, exploring themes of love, societal observations, and stream-of-consciousness narratives. “Motorpsycho Nightmare” fits perfectly within this album’s landscape, embodying its whimsical and often absurdist approach. It’s a song that feels both spontaneous and carefully constructed, a hallmark of Dylan’s genius.
One of the most striking aspects of “Motorpsycho Nightmare” is its clear inspiration from Hitchcock’s Psycho. Released in 1960, Psycho was a cinematic phenomenon, revolutionizing the horror genre and deeply impacting popular culture. The film’s themes of hidden madness, rural isolation, and shocking violence clearly resonated with Dylan, finding their way into the song’s narrative. The title itself, “Motorpsycho Nightmare,” is a direct nod to the film, suggesting a chaotic and unsettling journey into a disturbed psyche.
The song unfolds as a first-person narrative, recounting a traveler’s bizarre encounter at a farmhouse. Seeking shelter for the night, the narrator stumbles into a situation that quickly escalates into a comical yet slightly menacing ordeal. The farmer, initially portrayed as hostile and gun-wielding, embodies a caricature of rural conservatism. This is immediately juxtaposed with Dylan’s earlier, more sympathetic portrayals of farmers in songs like “Hollis Brown,” highlighting the satirical and playful tone of “Motorpsycho Nightmare.”
I pounded on a farmhouse
Lookin’ for a place to stay
I was mighty, mighty tired
I had come a long, long way
I said, “Hey, hey, in there
Is there anybody home?”
I was standin’ on the steps
Feelin’ most alone
Well, out comes a farmer
He must have thought that I was nuts
He immediately looked at me
And stuck a gun into my guts
The humor is amplified by the narrator’s exaggerated reactions and absurd claims. Declaring himself a doctor and a college graduate to avoid being shot further underscores the song’s comedic and non-realistic nature. These are not meant to be taken literally but rather as playful exaggerations to drive the narrative and create humorous situations.
I fell down
To my bended knees
Saying, “I dig farmers
Don’t shoot me, please!”
He cocked his rifle
And began to shout
“You’re that travelin’ salesman
That I have heard about”
I said, “No! No! No!
I’m a doctor and it’s true
I’m a clean-cut kid
And I been to college, too”
The introduction of Rita, the farmer’s daughter, brings in another layer of cultural reference. Described as stepping “out of La Dolce Vita,” she evokes the glamorous and slightly decadent world of Federico Fellini’s iconic Italian film. This seemingly random reference adds to the song’s surreal and dreamlike quality, juxtaposing rural American stereotypes with European art-house cinema. It’s a testament to Dylan’s wide-ranging cultural awareness and his ability to blend seemingly disparate elements into his songwriting.
Then in comes his daughter
Whose name was Rita
She looked like she stepped out of
La Dolce Vita
I immediately tried to cool it
With her dad
And told him what a
Nice, pretty farm he had
He said, “What do doctors
Know about farms, pray tell?”
I said, “I was born
At the bottom of a wishing well”
The escalating absurdity continues as the farmer offers the narrator a bed under the stove in exchange for milking the cow in the morning. This sets the stage for the Psycho-inspired sequence. The description of Rita looking “just like Tony Perkins,” the actor who played Norman Bates in Psycho, directly links the farmhouse to the film’s unsettling atmosphere. The offer of a shower, a clear reference to the infamous shower scene in Psycho, heightens the tension and comedic horror.
Well, by the dirt ’neath my nails
I guess he knew I wouldn’t lie
“I guess you’re tired”
He said, kinda sly
I said, “Yes, ten thousand miles
Today I drove”
He said, “I got a bed for you
Underneath the stove
Just one condition
And you go to sleep right now
That you don’t touch my daughter
And in the morning, milk the cow”
I was sleepin’ like a rat
When I heard something jerkin’
There stood Rita
Lookin’ just like Tony Perkins
She said, “Would you like to take a shower?
I’ll show you up to the door”
I said, “Oh, no! no!
I’ve been through this movie before”
I knew I had to split
But I didn’t know how
When she said
“Would you like to take that shower, now?”
To escape the increasingly bizarre and potentially dangerous situation, the narrator resorts to an outlandish tactic: declaring his admiration for Fidel Castro. This sudden political statement, completely out of left field, is designed to shock and offend the conservative farmer, providing a chaotic exit strategy. The farmer’s reaction, calling the narrator an “unpatriotic rotten doctor Commie rat,” further emphasizes the satirical portrayal of ideological clashes.
Well, I couldn’t leave
Unless the old man chased me out
’Cause I’d already promised
That I’d milk his cows
I had to say something
To strike him very weird
So I yelled out
“I like Fidel Castro and his beard”
Rita looked offended
But she got out of the way
As he came charging down the stairs
Sayin’, “What’s that I heard you say?”
I said, “I like Fidel Castro
I think you heard me right”
And ducked as he swung
At me with all his might
Rita mumbled something
’Bout her mother on the hill
As his fist hit the icebox
He said he’s going to kill me
If I don’t get out the door
In two seconds flat
“You unpatriotic
Rotten doctor Commie rat”
The chaotic escape culminates in the narrator crashing through a window, landing in the garden, and fleeing down the road. The final verses bring the Psycho references full circle. The fear of being turned in to the FBI and the concluding line, “Without freedom of speech, I might be in the swamp,” directly allude to the ending of Psycho, where Norman Bates’s car, containing the body of Marion Crane, is sunk in a swamp.
Well, he threw a Reader’s Digest
At my head and I did run
I did a somersault
As I seen him get his gun
And crashed through the window
At a hundred miles an hour
And landed fully blast
In his garden flowers
Rita said, “Come back!”
As he started to load
The sun was comin’ up
And I was runnin’ down the road
Well, I don’t figure I’ll be back
There for a spell
Even though Rita moved away
And got a job in a motel
He still waits for me
Constant, on the sly
He wants to turn me in
To the F.B.I.
Me, I romp and stomp
Thankful as I romp
Without freedom of speech
I might be in the swamp
“Motorpsycho Nightmare” is not a song to be dissected for profound meaning in the same way as Dylan’s more overtly serious works. Instead, it’s a playful and experimental piece, showcasing his burgeoning lyrical dexterity and his willingness to incorporate diverse cultural references into his songwriting. It’s a song that thrives on its absurdity and its unexpected juxtapositions, creating a unique and memorable listening experience. While Dylan himself may not have performed it live, “Motorpsycho Nightmare” remains a significant track in understanding his artistic evolution, bridging his earlier folk style with the more surreal and electric directions he would soon explore, culminating in masterpieces like “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” It stands as a testament to Dylan’s ability to find inspiration in unexpected places, even within the shadows of a “psycho” movie.
