Lovely - one of my favourites from you! Welcome back to music!

My understanding is that Bob Dylan was furious when he wrote it to vent out his anger... According to the Wikipedia article about the song: "Joan Baez states in the documentary film No Direction Home that the song was inspired by a hotel clerk who refused to allow Dylan a room due to his "unwashed" appearance (he was not famous outside of the folk movement at this time). The song then grew into a sprawling epic allegory about vanquishing the oppressive "powers that be"."