Shelter from the Storm was published in 1975 on the great Blood on the Tracks album, alongside other great songs like Tangled Up in Blue, Simple Twist of Fate and Idiot Wind. To me, it highlights the contrast between the material world with all its struggles and suffering, and the realm of the immortal soul. The latter invites us constantly to enter.
Here’s a suggestion about an interpretation of the song from a spiritual perspective.
Aspects the video covers:
- The border crosser marked by life
- Making contact with the immortal soul
- The contrast between the realm of the soul and the visible world sharpens
- Following Jesus – Salvation and Farewell to earthly worries
- A reference to Percivals search for the Holy Grail
- Crossing the Border
- Bill Murrays tribute to Bob Dylan
We have written about the song in more detail here.
In its soberness regarding the spiritual path (“it all began on an uneventful morn”) the song reminds me of Isis, which I regard as a song about initiation.
With regard to the soul speaking to the human, it reminds me of Love in Vain.
How do you feel about Shelter from the Storm?
This is how Bill Murray paid tribute to the song:
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