Bob Dylan's iconic 1962 song "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" stands at the crossroads of musical and literary traditions. Alessandro Portelli explores the power and resonance of the song, considering the meanings of history and memory in folk cultures and in Dylan's work.

Introduction: Memory, Voice, and the Global Bob Dylan
1. Songs of Innocence and Experience
2. The Text and the Voice
3. Talking Atomic Blues
4. Which Way History?
Appendix: History's Lessons Unlearned
Notes
Index of Names
Index of Albums
Index of Songs