Ok so this is my interpretation of the song, and feel free to correct or comment on it: this isn't one love story, but an assembly of multiple ones with a different character in each stanza. each stanza describes a unique kind of love, but generally outline all the beauty and longing of love, in ALL of its manuerisms, not just a man for a woman. here is the breakdown
1st - pretty obvious that it is a person at the funeral of their partner, most likely the spouse. this is given away by the "I wasn't born to lose you" which is the opposite of the common phrase said between lovers "it was like i was born to be with you". All these instruments that would be seen at the lenghty process of burying someone are telling him to let go, but he cant, as they scorn him and he feels turned against the world because his second half is gone. this is an intense longing that actually depresses the speaker, as most love does. so this is a man losing his wife and becoming a widow
2nd - first two lines signify pretty heavily a soldier that has been sent to a war that has little purpose, or even if it had purpose, is being ran irrationally (a heavy theme of the time), since the politician is drunk (foolish) and is playing w/ the hearts of the soldiers mothers. saviors as in the soldiers (so dylan differentiates between a soldier and the foolish person controlling the soldiers, even if he himself doesn't support soldiers, it is the speaker that does since they long for their sibling/son/any relative) are sleeping, hence dead. the speaker is a relative that is waiting for this soldier to return home, even though he slightly knows this wont happen, and ask him to "open the gate for mom" or something along those lines as she runs to her soldier son. another form of deep longing and love
3rd - cant quite place in context of the song, something to do w/ men not being able to love in the same manner as women, but its nonetheless still love
4th - one of the most classic examples of love, as both friendship and passion. a man returning to his "queen of spades" a figure that is heavily iconic of an arranged and loveless marriage or a hoity toity woman that doesn't deserve the man, but he is stuck, probably due to money (ill get into why this is important). so he returns to his chamber maid, someone who is a dear servant and always "good" to him. he describes her as what one thinks of as true love, "not afraid to look at her" means that he isn't afraid to look past her social labels to see who she REALLY is, even if society doesn't condone it. the social acceptance rings in again because she is obviously poor, and he cannot be with her because he, a noble, couldn't be with her. nonetheless she and him both know where he wants to be (deeply with her and not w/ his socalled queen) but it doesn't matter because he is socially stuck w/ someone else, who is implied to be the anithesis of this chambermaid, but he still cannot stop these feelings. like romeo and juliet if juliet was poor and romeo was married
5th - either aging jealousy or standard jealousy, resulting from an intense longing that like every other instance cannot be satiated. dancing child w/ his chinese suit probably doesnt mean child, but an insult to a woman that is dating someone who is younger and is not of her culture (some can think of this as he therefore is stealing her, but thats not what i get). took his flute > VERY symbolic of how in fables someone will play a flute and it will entrance them, as if he is hypnotizing this woman that he loves. he was mean to him ("not cute") because: he lied to his love, he is taking her on a ride (of emotion, so abuse, and leading her on, his intentions are not founded, and is thus NOT for the true love that he hold) and also once again that time was on his side, he was younger and more active/energetic/spirited etc. (here comes in the jealousy and hate, but it is still founded on good intentions), and once again because he "wants her"
So this is my interpretation, please comment on it. i pretty much think its about wanting someone so bad it hurts and brings negative emotions, but no matter what you do you cannot have them. what do you guys think? (jeez that took forever to write, and longer to think up!)
