(At his peak in 1966 with the classic Blonde on Blonde album)
His early (pre-’65) songs established he was, first and foremost, a poet:
(The Social Conscience/Protest Songs)
Blowin’ in the Wind
A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
Masters of War
With God on Our Side
When the Ship Comes In
The Times They Are A-Changin’
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
Chimes of Freedom
(The Beginning of His Personal Song Phase)
It Ain’t Me Babe
To Ramona
My Back Pages.
The three folk-rock albums (’65-’66) developed his personal lyrics more, but also spawned his more biting, critical social commentaries:
Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Mr. Tambourine Man
Gates of Eden
It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
It’s All Over Now Baby Blue
Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
Like a Rolling Stone
Tombstone Blues
Ballad of a Thin Man
Highway 61 Revisited
Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
Desolation Row
Blonde on Blonde (1966)
Visions of Johanna
One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)
Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
Just Like a Woman
Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands.
IMHO/ the early protest poetry gave way to a greater, more sophisticated and unforgettable high-gear ironic poetry. In these 2 masterpiece years, Dylan’s language and imagery were at their ultimate heights. Never again would he have such a remarkable continuous run of this level of truly poetic songs.
Having said all that, Dylan’s poetic powers would stand him in good stead later on John Wesley Harding, Blood on the Tracks, Slow Train Comin’, and with later songs like “Hurricane”, “I Shall Be Released”, “Tears of Rage”, and “Forever Young. But I’ll leave it for someone else to round up his best post-’60s poetic gems that he composed and that have rounded out his massive, impressive, outstanding catalogue.