Bob Dylan’s “Murder Most Foul” Lyrics Meaning

The lyrics of Bob Dylan’s “Murder Most Foul” focus primarily on the shocking 1963 assassination of America’s 35th President, John Kennedy. And in narrating the brutal assassination, Dylan makes a plethora of references to some of the most prominent songs, events and figures that happened after the assassination.

Songs Bob Dylan references in “Murder Most Foul”

Dylan references a total of 73 classic hits throughout “Murder Most Foul”. They are as follows:

1. The traditional nursery rhyme “Hush Little Baby
2. Another nursery rhyme titled “A Wise Old Owl”
3. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles
4. “Ferry Cross the Mersey” by Gerry & The Pacemakers
5. “Woodstock” by Joni Mitchell
6. “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” by The 5th Dimension
7. “Let The Good Times Roll” by Shirley & Lee
8. “There’s A Party Goin’ On” by Wanda Jackson
9. “Crossroads” by Robert Johnson
10. “Deep Ellum Blues” by The Grateful Dead
11. “Shotgun” by Jr. Walker & The All Stars
12. “The Wise Old Owl” by Kay Kyser
13. “Tommy Can You Hear Me?” By The Who
14. “The Acid Queen” by The Who
15. “Long Black Limousine” by Elvis Presley
16. “Backseat Blues” by Roomful of Blues
17. “On the Street Where You Live” by John Michael King
18. “Oh, Freedom” by Joan Baez
19. “Send Me Some Lovin'” by Little Richard
20. “Walk On By” by Burt Bacharach
21. “Wake up Little Susie” by The Everly Brothers
22. “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” by Larry Williams
23. “You Go To My Head” by Billie Holiday
24. “Crazy” by Patsy Cline “The New Frontier” by The Kingston Trio
25. “What’s New Pussycat” by Tom Jones
26.  “What’d I Say” by Ray Charles
27. “Dust My Broom” by Wolfman Jack
28. “Only the Good Die Young” by Billy Joel
29. “Tom Dooley” by The Kingston Trio
30. “St. James Infirmary” by Louis Armstrong
31. “Tell Mama” by Etta James
32. “Boom Boom” by John Lee Hooker
33. “Baby Scratch My Back” by Slim Harpo
34. “The Things That I Used To Do” by Guitar Slim
35. “I Wanna Be Loved By You” by Marilyn Monroe
36. “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by Nina Simone
37. “Desperados Under the Eaves” by Warren Zevon
38. “Take It to the Limit” by Eagles
39. “Mystery Train” by Elvis Presley
40. “Twilight Time” by The Platters
41. “Take Me Back To Tulsa” by Bob Wills
42. “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen
43. “The Old Rugged Cross” by Jo Stafford
44. “Look Down That Lonesome Road” by Gaither Carlton
45. “Stormy Weather” by Oscar Peterson
46. “The Girl From Ipanema” by Stan Getz
47. “Blue Sky” by Dickie Betts
48. “‘Round Midnight” by Thelonious Monk
49. “All The Things You Are” by Charlie Parker
50. “All That Jazz” by Chicago Cast
51. “Chaplin and Keaton Piano and Violin Duet” by Charlie Chaplin
52. “Blue Sky” by The Allman Brothers Band
53. “Pretty Boy Floyd” by Woody Guthrie
54. “Cry Me A River” by Ella Fitzgerald “Revolution 9” by The Beatles
55. “Nature Boy” by Nat King Cole
56. “Bang Bang” by Nancy Sinatra
57. “Rooms on Fire” by Stevie Nicks
58. “Down in the Boondocks” by Billy Joe Royal
59. “One Night Of Sin” by Elvis Presley
60. “Stella By Starlight” by Miles Davis
61. “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals
62. “Misty” by Erroll Garner
63. “That Old Devil Moon” by Miles Davis Quartet
64. “Anything Goes” by Eileen Rodgers
65. “King Porter Stomp” by Benny Goodman
66. “Lucille” by Little Richard
67. “Deep In A Dream” by Chet Baker
68. “Lonely at the Top” by Randy Newman
69. “Moonlight Sonata” by Ludwig van Beethoven
70. “Key to the Highway” by Little Walter
71. “Marching Through Georgia” by Tennessee Ernie Ford
72. “Dumbarton’s Drums” by The Corries
73. “Memphis In June” by Hoagy Carmichael
74. “Love Me or Leave Me” by Bud Powell

Interestingly enough, having mentioned all the classics above, Dylan concludes the entire song by referencing the song (“Murder Most Foul”) itself.

Meaning of “Murder Most Foul”

Dylan likely got the song’s title (“Murder Most Foul”) from Shakespeare’s famed tragedy “Hamlet“. 

Release Date of “Murder Most Foul”

Dylan released this song through Columbia Records on 27th March, 2020. Upon its release, “Murder Most Foul” became the first original tune Dylan released in 8 years.

A Gift to Fans

According to Bob Dylan, “Murder Most Foul” is a gift from himself to all his fans for constantly being by his side throughout the years.

It is believed that Dylan deliberately released this song in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic to distract fans from the pandemic and give them something positive to focus on.

Writing Credits

Bob Dylan is the only one credited with composing “Murder Most Foul”.