Who Bob Dylan Wrote About in ‘Ballad of a Thin Man’

While Bob Dylan writes deeply personal lyrics, he typically doesn’t use music to air out his dirty laundry. He has had feuds with people but doesn’t like going public with it. However, in “Ballad of a Thin Man,” he refers to somebody named Mr. Jones, who he directs this nasty song at. Many people like to speculate who Bob Dylan refers to in “Ballad of a Thin Man”. 

Bob Dylan said ‘Ballad of a Thin Man’ is about a real person, but he’s never confirmed who it is

“Ballad of a Thin Man” debuted in 1965 on Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited. It’s one of Dylan’s more malicious songs, as it insults and calls out a man referred to as Mr. Jones. Dylan spoke with journalists Nora Ephron and Susan Edmiston shortly after the song debuted. He confirmed that Mr. Jones is an actual person but didn’t reveal who it is. 

“He’s a real person,” Dylan said. “You know him, but not by that name… I saw him come into the room one night, and he looked like a camel. He proceeded to put his eyes in his pocket. I asked this guy who he was, and he said, ‘That’s Mr. Jones.’ Then I asked this cat, ‘Doesn’t he do anything but put his eyes in his pocket?’ And he told me, ‘He puts his nose on the ground.’ It’s all there, it’s a true story.”

In another press conference shared via Far Out, he provided clues about who Mr. Jones could be, saying he’s a “playboy” and “wears suspenders.” He later said Mr. Jones was about someone who wronged him while on tour in England, but he remained secretive about the person’s identity. 

He also said that most people can relate to “Ballad of a Thin Man” because everyone has a Mr. Jones in their life. So, he could be a vague manifestation of people who frustrate Dylan.

“I could tell you who Mr. Jones is in my life, but, like, everybody has got their Mr. Jones,” Dylan told biographer Robert Shelton.

Dylan also said the song is about anyone who asks him questions

Bob Dylan didn’t love answering questions, so “Ballad of a Thin Man” could also express his frustration with journalists. Mr. Jones could represent all journalists or anyone who tries to get answers from him. Before performing the song in Tokyo, Japan, he explained that this song was meant to put someone in their place. 

“This is a song I wrote a while back in response to people who ask me questions all the time,” Dylan shared. “You just get tired of that every once in a while. You just don’t want to answer no more questions. I figure a person’s life speaks for itself, right? So, every once in a while, you got to do this kind of thing. You got to put somebody in their place.” 

“So this is my response to something that happened over in England,” he continued. “I think it was about ’63, ’64. Anyway, the song still holds up. Seems to be people around still like that. So I still sing it. It’s called ‘Ballad Of A Thin Man’.”

There has been speculation that the reporter in question was a Rolling Stone journalist named Jeffrey Jones, who attempted to interview Dylan at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. When the singer and his entourage saw the reporter at the hotel later, Dylan yelled at him, “Mr. Jones! Gettin’ it all down, Mr. Jones!” However, Dylan later denied that this was the specific Mr. Jones he wrote the song about.