Hey, Mr. Tambourine man, play a song for me Bob Dylan 1965 Part I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPqAvgN6Tyw

click here to hear the main Song–sang by the Byrds—Plus other 1965 music

Hey, Mr. Tambourine man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to

Was it a prophecy of the year to come that marked the wreck of the Catala a Canadian Ship that went aground on the coast of Washington State on the first day of the year? But alas that is how the year got off to its start.

The first half of 1965 brought us the wrath, if not of God then at least of nature for on Palm Sunday an outbreak of tornadoes hit the Midwest with at least 47 funnels confirmed and another four reported in 6 states….and when it was all over there were 271 dead and 1,500 injured and millions of dollars in damages across the land—in May 13 more would die and 685 injured in similar storms in the twin cities of Minnesota.

It was the year that the two killers immortalized by Truman Copote in his novel IN COLD BLOOD, were hung for their murder of 4.

Hey, Mr. Tambourine man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come following you

In the Straights of Mackinac the 3rd largest (The 2nd largest was the Edmond Fitzgerald made famous in the Gordon Lightfoot song) ship to sink in the area the SS Cedarville, sank after colliding with a Norwegian vessel killing 25.

In California a 16-year-old starts shooting at cars and goes on to kill 3 and wound others before killing himself when the police closed in.

No the beginning of 1965 did not bode well.

Though I know that evening’s empire has returned into sand
Vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping

At the first of the new year President Johnson announced his “Great Society” a grand and great vision that would eventually die an untimely death, but Johnson was at the height of his time and a few day later he was sworn in for his first elected term, as he had been completing the term for the murdered President Kennedy before this.

Before half the year is over he would send 3,500 Marines to put the first boots on the ground as combatants in Viet Nam. He would also send troops to the Dominican Republic intervening in a Civil War there in the name of democracy.

He also sends a bill to Congress that forms the basis of the Voting Rights Act of 1965—this passed the Senate on 5/26 and by July the House becoming law on August 6.

My weariness amazes me, I’m branded on my feet
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street’s too dead for dreaming

In London, former Prime Minister Winston Churchhill, truly a Man For All Seasons, who helped England stand on its little Island against one of the worst tyrants and monsters the world has ever known, was laid to rest with the funeral being the largest assembly of statesmen the world had seen up to this point (it was topped in 2005 at Pope John Paul II’s funeral).

India saw much turmoil and blood shed–first in strife over the decision on a national language, on which consensus could not be made and so they continued with 23 different ones. By March they had worse issues when the Indo-Pakistani War commenced.

While the Canadians had made a decision and adopted the maple leaf flag which they continue to fly to this day.

Take me on a trip upon your magic swirling ship
My senses have been stripped
May hands can’t feel to grip

In Spain the body of the Portuguese opposition politician Humberto Delgado and his secretary were found in Spain. And while West Germany kept prosecution of the Nazi War Crimes open, they also established diplomatic relations with Israel.

In Morrocco a large student protest was met with violent police military action. In Algeria an unusual bloodless coup occurred but protestors hit the streets the next day in favor of the disposed president.

In the orient China kept busy dealing with the non-communists in Taiwan at the May battle of Dong Yin. In June a coal mine in Japan exploded killing 237–and there was also a mine disaster in Bosnia that killed 128. And Japan and the Republic of Korea signed a treaty of Basic Relations

My toes too numb to step
Wait only for my boot heels to be wandering
I’m ready to go anywhere,

Civil rights continue to be anything but Civil: Malcom X was assassinated in February at a rally in NYC.

In March (7th) some 200 Alabama State Troopers attached a group of 525 Civil Right Demonstrators in Selma, when they tried to march on Montgomery to protest for voting rights, in a day that would go down as “Bloody Sunday”. Reports vary, but between 17 and 50 people were injured and hospitalized with one woman, Amelia Boynton, nearly beaten to death. On the 9th of March a second march led by Dr. King was carried out as far as the bridge where the previous march ended and then they returned to Selma in obedience of a court order. On the 17th, 16,000 demonstrated in Montgomery. .

It was the events, in Alabama, that prompted President Johnson to send the bill to Congress that resulted in the Voting Rights Act that would pass in August.

I’m ready for to fade
Into my own parade
Cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it

In January Gemini one and then Ranger 6 were launched. Gemini one was an unmanned vehicle preparing for a manned launch while Ranger photographed and later crashed on the moon. And the Russians beat us again when their Cosmonaut Alerery Leonon became the first person to walk in space.

But we pushed on and with Gemini 3 we placed a 2 person crew (Gus Grissom and John Young) in earth’s orbit. To be followed shortly by Gemini 4 where Edward Higgins becomes the second person—but first American–to walk in space….made the Commies look.

But 1965 was also the year that we put a nuclear reactor in space—it was our first and hopefully our last–it only worked for 43 days due to a problem with its electrical components—and is still floating around up there in orbit..Now that is scary–what happens when it falls out of Orbit—we just won’t have a section of the world it hits anymore?…on a happier note the first communication satellite also up in May and was working by June and heaven knows how many of those we’ve put up since.

Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun
It’s not aimed at anyone
It’s just a escaping on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facing
And if you hear vague traces of skipping reels of rhyme

By March Operation Thunder had started with The US Air Force, US Navy and the Vietnam Air Force carrying out aerial bombardment against North Viet Nam

Meanwhile the Australians in response to a Vietnam request sends their first troops an infinity battalion to the south in June.

And despite all our activity the Viet Cong mounts a mortar attack against Don Xoai and overrun its headquarters and military compound.

To your tambourine in time
It’s just a ragged clown behind
I wouldn’t pay it any mind
It’s just a shadow you’re seeing that he’s chasing

In April The SDS (soon to become one of the most infamous groups to march, not so peacefully, for peace) made their first march against the war when 25,000 protestor made them self noticed in Washington DC.

Berkley was a hot bed of resistance to the war but in 1965 things were still peaceful–in May 40 men burned their draft cards and then continued on with other students to the Berkley Draft Board. Later the same month the school held the largest anti-war teach in to date–attended by 30,000 and the next day they marched back to the draft board and burned 19 more cards and hung an effigy of Lyndon Johnson.

Back in Washington, this time at the Pentagon an anti-war protest became a teach-in with 50,000 leaflets distributed.

And take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind
Down the foggy ruins of time
Far past the frozen leaves
The haunted frightened trees
Out to the windy beach
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow

And what did we have to get us through all this: Leslie Ann Warren in a new color version of Cinderella (well it did become an annual event but most of my circle were not exactly enamoured.) The Sound of Music premiered as well. It was a year of musicals at the Academy Awards as well, with My Fair Lady (8 awards including Rex Harrison best Actor) and Mary Poppins (5 awards with Julie Andrews best Actress) taking the largest share of the statues.

And in a year of prominent ship wrecks drivers discovering the wreck of the SS Georgiana, a Confederate cruiser exactly 100 years after she was sunk during the Civil War seemed very appropriate.

And it was a year of firsts:

Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang on the cover of Time.

May 22 the first Skateboard Championship was held

Muhammad Ali knocked down Sonny Liston in the first round of their rematch

and in June the Stones (as in Rolling) released their first Number 1 hit single in the US–Satisfaction.

Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky
With one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea
Circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate
Driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow