When he (Dylan) was at his best he was as good as anybody,” Isbell said. “I think Dylan is a starting point that you will come back to a lot of times if you write songs for a living. I still find myself going back to his catalog and finding new things in it. … With Bob Dylan, I know I’m never going to wake up and not want to listen to Bob Dylan anymore.
–Jason Isbell (2015)
Michael Jason Isbell (born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a former member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell has won four Grammy Awards.
Isbell has a tattoo on his left arm bearing a quote from Dylan’s song “Boots of Spanish Leather” that goes: “Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled/ From across that lonesome ocean.”
The Man In Me
The man in me will do nearly any task
And as for compensation, there’s little he would ask
Take a woman like you
To get through to the man in me
Bristol 2013
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
You must leave, now take what you need
You think will last
But whatever you wish to keep
You better grab it fast
Dylan Fest 2016
Everything Is Broken
Broken lines, broken strings,
Broken threads, broken springs,
Broken idols, broken heads,
People sleeping in broken beds
Sheryl Crow & Jason Isbell – 2019
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
I’ve seen love go by my door
It’s never been this close before
Never been so easy or so slow
I been shootin’ in the dark too long
Amanda Shires & Jason Isbell- Dylan Fest 2013
Lay Lady Lay
Lay, lady, lay
Lay across my big brass bed
Lay, lady, lay
Lay across my big brass bed