One of Bob Dylan's Greatest Musical Stories is Ranked Among His Most Overlooked Songs
With a discography as Bob Dylan's, there are bound to be some gems that a lot of people overlook. Each of his albums, however acclaimed or panned they may be still contain artistic gems that just take some digging to find. He has to have one of music's greatest collection of B sides.
Last year, a list of these songs was put together that chronicled underrated gems from the highest and lowest points of Dylan's discography, including one from what I feel is a bit of an underrated Dylan album. That song is "Black Diamond Bay" from "Desire."
"Desire" is full of these sweeping narratives. The shortest song on the album sits at three minutes and is one of two songs on the album below four. Each song is a narrative and musical journey. It's a great collection of tracks that showcases Dylan as storyteller, activist, and honest man, featuring songs like "Hurricane," a political epic about Ruben Carter's false conviction, and "Sara," a song about his tumultuous relationship with his wife that ended with divorce.
Settled within this album is "Black Diamond Bay," a song about a cast of characters and their eventual demise during a mythical disaster at the resort in Black Diamond Bay. We follow the unnamed woman, who serves as our observer through the chaotic resort as she meets a suicidal Greek man, a disgruntled soldier, and the disinterested front desk worker. We live in this setting, following the woman as she travels throughout the resort until a biblical concoction of natural disasters destroy the resort. The song ends as we move to Dylan's perspective, who is watching a news report of the disaster happening.
The Lyrics
The song occupies this great heightened reality that Dylan does so well. The story is both familiar, as well as completely outlandish. He has such a masterful control of verbal specificity that creates these amazing lyrical images. Some of my favorites lines include:
"Up on the white veranda, she wears a necktie and a Panama hat. Her passport shows a face from another time and place, she looks nothin' like that."
"A soldier sits beneath the fan doin' business with a tiny man who sells him a ring. Lightning strikes, the lights blow out, the desk clerk wakes and begins to shout: 'can you see anything?'"
"The loser finally broke the bank in gambling room. The dealer said: 'It's too late now. You can take your money but I don't know how you'll spend it in the tomb.'"
The song is incredibly visual and captivating. I find myself listening to it like an audiobook. For those of you who find yourself gravitating more to the musical side of things, the song sports an awesome violin as well as backing vocals from a young Emmylou Harris.
"Black Diamond Bay" is one of a hundred or so hidden gems from Dylan's discography. The more you listen to him, the more you'll find. It's one of the best parts of listening to him. You'll always discover something new.
Related: 1966 Classic Hit, Which Bob Dylan Never Performed, Is Ranked His No. 1 Best Song
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 4:00 PM.