Vietnamese Government Approved Bob Dylan Lyrics

In a memorandum from the ministry of communications, the Bob Dylan show scheduled for April 10 has been approved, but with revisions to some of Mr. Dylan's original lyrics. This has caused great consternation amongst many long and loyal Dylan fans in Vietnam as many of the songs were popular during a time of great national struggle. In response to these concerns, the Ministry has issued the following statement and approved lyric:

"The appearance of Mr. Robert Zimmerman (AKA: Bob Dylan) and his band will indeed be a watershed event in Vietnamese history. Some of Mr. Zimmerman's early songs played an important part in Vietnam's struggle for independence but the passing of 50 years has made many of his lyrics difficult for young Vietnamese people to understand. Working with top Ph.D.s from our most prestigious universities, we have carefully re-crafted and updated his lyrics to be more like what a Vietnamese student may have actually learned in school. Understanding also, that many of Mr. Zimmerman's lyrics are intended to employ 'poetic license' we have either left phrases alone, or substituted more contemporary American idioms from a bunch of idiom books we had lying around the office. We believe these lyrics accurately depict the author's feelings to today's Vietnamese audience and will be pleased to hear them sung in a contemporary socialist context." - The Ministry

Don't Think Twice, It's Alright


It ain’t no usto sit and wonder why, babe


It is of no value to sit and be confused about the circumstances, young lady


It don’t matter, anyhow


It is not of any importance in any case.


An’ it ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe


And it is no longer of any purpose to sit and ponder things that already are, adolescent female


If you don’t know by now


If you are not already aware of this fact


When your rooster crows at the break of dawn


When your male chicken sings as the sun comes up


Look out your window and I’ll be gone


Look out your window and I will have vacated the premises.


You’re the reason I’m trav’lin’ on


Because of you I am now in transit


Don’t think twice, it’s all right


Do not consider this two times, there are no anomalies here.


It ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe


It is of no purpose to turn on your torch, young female


That light I never knowed


That torch I have never been familiar with.


An’ it ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe


And it is of no purpose to turn on your torch, young female


I’m on the dark side of the road


I am on the side of the road that has less light than the other side


Still I wish there was somethin’ you would do or say


Still I wish that you would do something or say something


To try and make me change my mind and stay


To try and make me change my mind and hang around for a bit


We never did too much talkin’ anyway


You and I were never very conversational in the first place


So don’t think twice, it’s all right


So do not consider this two times, there are no anomalies here.


It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal


It is of no purpose to call out my name, young woman.


Like you never did before


As if you had ever done that previously


It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal


It is of no purpose to call out my name, young woman.


I can’t hear you anymore


I can't hear you anymore.


I’m a-thinkin’ and a-wond’rin’ all the way down the road


I am thinking and wondering all the way down the road


I once loved a woman, a child I’m told


I once had improper sexual relations with an underage female I am told


I give her my heart but she wanted my soul


I gave her a lot of money but she wanted a house in America and a credit card and many, many things


But don’t think twice, it’s all right


But do not consider this two times, there are no anomalies here


I’m walkin’ down that long, lonesome road, babe


I am walking down a road that does not have any other people on it, young lady.


Where I’m bound, I can’t tell


I do not have any f*&@#$% idea where I am going.


But goodbye’s too good a word, gal


But the word 'goodbye' is a much better word than I should use here, young woman.


So I’ll just say fare thee well


So I will just say goodbye anyway because that's the only English word I know that means goodbye.


I ain’t sayin’ you treated me unkind


I have not said that you treated me poorly.


You could have done better but I don’t mind


You screwed me over pretty badly but I do not care in any case.


You just kinda wasted my precious time


But I thought you were extremely time consuming and generally high maintenance.


But don’t think twice, it’s all right


But do not consider this two times, there are no anomalies here.


(additional suggestion)


With sincere thanks,


Robert

D a v i d E v e r i t t - C a r l s o n

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Find me on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Read my blog: The Wild Wild East Dailies and keep up on our efforts with aSaigon/CreativeMorning.

Vietnamese Govt Approved Bob Dylan Lyrics: "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright"

On 10 April, Bob Dylan will play Vietnam for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City at RMIT University. In preparation for his visit, the Vietnamese Censorship Authority has asked the RMIT English department to revise the lyrics to be linguistically, and grammatically correct for Vietnamese students. Below are the party approved lyrics for Mr.Dylan to sing to his song "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright":

It is of no use whatsoever to sit and question the circumstances, young lady.
It has now become a moot point.
And it is also futile, to sit and be curious about what already is so, miss mature adolescent female,
if you had not been aware of this previously.
When your male chicken sings as the sun comes up,
look out your window and I will have abandoned the premises.
It is because of you that I am now in transit.
Don't think the same thought double the number of times one might ordinarily think. 
There are no anomalies here.


Click above for full original lyrics.

D a v i d E v e r i t t - C a r l s o n

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Interpersonal Neurobiology: Yes, the mind can change.

IPNB: The idea that our personal relationships shape our brain and in turn our reactions and impressions in life. Positive reinforcement and relationships in life actually grow new neural pathways over old ones that may have been damaged by negative influences earlier in life, thus changing our perceptions from negative to positive.

"Interpersonal Neurobiology, a term coined by Dr. Dan Siegel, studies the way the brain grows and is influenced by personal relationships. Interpersonal Neurobiology studies what occurs in the brain as a result of significant life experiences and how the therapeutic relationship can be used to actually change the brain and neurological system. . It was once believed that neurological development ceased by late adolescence, but Dr Sigiel's research has determined that neurogenesis and neuroplasticity--the creation of new neurons and new neuronal connections--continue throughout our life spans. Whenever we learn something new, including new attitudes, perspectives, or behaviors, we are changing the physical structure of the brain."

I have been blessed, in general, with pretty good bosses, but along the way there have been a few asses as well, so for as long as I can remember, I have had a simple tutorial for all of them. "The better you treat me, the more you will get - many times beyond any idea of average. But treat me poorly and you'll get complete shit, and eventually defiance". And then I became a boss - and I can tell you, the whole office behaves exactly how you behave when you walk in the door in the morning. Crap mood? Crap service from staff. Good mood? Good things follow.

I worked for a man recently at a very small magazine who had open tirades, about all kinds of things, in the middle of the office of a company he owned. You could hear him through the stairwell for three levels. Disgraceful I thought - and honestly, in my 30+ years working had never seen such behaviour from a company owner. What kind of message did it send to staff? Did they respect him for it? Did it make them better? I can assure you not. His employ was a place of fear, no imagination and for certain, no fun. 

Want to get the best out of your staff? Be clear about your directives, treat them with respect and even humour when appropriate, deal with mistakes seriously but fairly - and pay them properly. I once had a staff at Leo Burnett in Korea remark, "David, we can never tell when you're mad". Because I never was. Unhappy maybe, but never mad. Positive influences grow the brain. Negative influences atrophy the brain. Now it's been scientifically proven.

D a v i d E v e r i t t - C a r l s o n

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Overheard in Vietnam: A question of what is believed to be disbelieved?

Below was found when looking at the blog one of my new Twitter followers, @QuynhGiao - and it illuminates the idea that to suspend one's disbelief, one must first believe in something. What do Vietnamese youth believe in? What they are being taught, or the life they are living?

• You don't know this -ism, Socialism? It's on your passport.

So startling a question, isn't it?

Socialism is in my thinking, when I read about it. Socialism is in my heart, when I love and hate it. But only when I overheard that question did I realize it's on my face!

Some days ago, they again mentioned Socialism. A girl said, "It's not Socialist. It's about Communism." That's what I'm pretty preoccupied with. Is what Dr Long Le*** argues, that most young Vietnamese are apolitical, true? Vietnamese youth are fed up with political education to the extent that they've ignored politics altogether? Or are they enjoying so many Western values that they'll fight against anything Vietnamese whatsoever? Or are they, like me, not sure if they're loyal kids or dissidents?


It has been said that when a tourist lands at the airport here in Ho Chi Minh City, that he will instantly look out at the beautiful new building and acres of neon advertising outside and immediately surmise that "America has finally won the war". Walking around either here in Saigon or in Hanoi, but much less so in the smaller cities of Hue or Hoi An or Dalat I am continually impressed by the suspension of disbelief with which the government continues promotion of a doctrine and ideal that seems, well, very 1960s to a foreign national. But it is interesting to see that the urban young Vietnamese national feels precisely the same way. All that government teaching lead you to Prada? Even fake Prada. It's all the same.

The language of brands has taken over the conversation and it's communicating loud and clear. And the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a brand - a brand badly in need of a makeover. It's almost as if the government and the people are of two different imaginary ideations. The government believing that they are running a socialist utopia, whilst living in a shopping mall with a string of new motorbike dealers outside, and the people believing that they are living in a shopping mall whilst plaster busts of past leaders and banners proclaiming dated symbolism beg for their compliance. Each group suspends disbelief in the other's belief because that's what's necessary to maintain harmony.

D a v i d E v e r i t t - C a r l s o n

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Polymath: A Person Who Knows a Lot About a Lot of Things

I was reminded this week of the term polymath - and how society will either worship or vilify such persons or both, simultaneously usually. Einstein was disregarded by his professors for his questioning and argumentative nature - then banished to a life as a lowly patent clerk  where he did his best work in his spare time - what he would be remembered for. Abraham Lincoln is credited with abolishing slavery, but was also despised and highly criticized in office and eventually shot. He was a statesman, but also wrote this:

Whatever Spiteful fools may Say 

— Each jealous, ranting yelper 

— No woman ever played the whore 

Unless She had a man to help her.

Could Jesus sing or dance or paint? Funny he was treated the same as polymaths hence - a dilettante possibly - that water to wine trick?. A 'jack of many trades', yet master of none? DaVinci made money designing stage sets for royalty's entertainment - yet also conceived the helicopter and did a few small paintings. Shen Kuo was a polymathic scientist and statesman - as was Thomas Jefferson.

"Oh. they're much too much for me. Let's put them down. Make them down, lest they make me lower. I am not thus so I cannot accept. I will listen when they die - but only when they die. When their din is gone. When I can speak to simple people in simple ways, I say. When I can have my say. Without the interference of multiple intelligences", says society.

Oh the gifts we burn to let another generation resurrect their ashes for study, never fully knowing the full measure of their impact, alive - those polymaths.

D a v i d E v e r i t t - C a r l s o n

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In life, perception IS reality

From Seth Godin again today, the following illustration:

"Do you have an opinion about nuclear power? About the relative safety of one form of power over another? How did you come to this opinion? Here are the stats, and here's the image. A non-exaggerated but simple version of his data:

For every person killed by nuclear power generation, 4,000 die due to coal, adjusted for the same amount of power produced. You might very well have excellent reasons to argue for one form over another. Not the point of this post. The question is: did you know about this chart? 

This last week has seen a fair lambasting of the media over the nuclear non-meltdown in Japan. The sky was not falling - but it gave plenty of Americans cause to pound the stump for or against nuclear power. And how about Libya? America and France are now bombing against the regime. Do we really know what's going on? No, not at all. And don't expect the western media to go down there and start digging for the real story. Won't happen. Too many vested interests at stake. But we'll plunder away, at whatever our day jobs are. All that other stuff is far away. So we'll just continue making the reality we want to perceive, because we can. Reality is just terribly subjective. Perception is almost fact.

D a v i d E v e r i t t - C a r l s o n

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Find me on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Read my blog: The Wild Wild East Dailies and keep up on our efforts with aSaigon/CreativeMorning.

"We Blog The World" Welcomes A Suspension of Disbeliefs

This week A Suspension of Disbeliefs was picked up by We Blog The World, a blog aggregating venture out of Silicon Valley founded by Renee Blodgett. Renee's assembled a list of top worldwide bloggers to provide a media source we can believe in instead of having to suspend our disbelief by watching TV.

Last night however I did watch an excellent National Geographic feature with a group of 'embedded' reporters who traveled with an American Green Beret force in Afghanistan. Two men were lost in that series and it was truly touching and many times, too real. But if National Geographic were called International Geographic we would have gotten embedded reports from the Taliban side as well. As it stood, no mention was made that the Taliban not only frown on but prosecute the cultivation of poppies used to produce heroin - and that under American rule, poppy cultivation is at an all-time high. But I'm sure Myth Busters will tackle that one and tell us all we're full of shit once that episode is finished.

Look for alternative stories on We Blog The World. We're happy to be part of the family.

D a v i d E v e r i t t - C a r l s o n

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Find me on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Read my blog: The Wild Wild East Dailies and keep up on our efforts with aSaigon/CreativeMorning.