Bob Dylan Lyric

Pamela_Courson · Post by **Pamela_Courson** » 20 Apr 2005 20:44

I was wondering if you can help me explaining the meaning of the sentence in bold:

Meanwhile, far away in another part of town
Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around.
Number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down
When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
Just like the time before and the time before that.
In Paterson that's just the way things go.
If you're black you might as well not show up on the street
'Less you wanna draw the heat.

The song is about a black guy who was arrested beacause he was black although he didn't kill the people...but I don't understand the exact meaning of these words...thank you very much.

ANTHOS · Post by **ANTHOS** » 20 Apr 2005 23:20

draw the heat = attirer des soucis/problèmes

'heat' est employé comme dans l'idiome 'if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen'

SubEspion · Post by **SubEspion** » 20 Apr 2005 23:59

I think she doesn't speak French, but Spanish

ANTHOS · Post by **ANTHOS** » 21 Apr 2005 00:59

Oh what a wally I am. In English:

draw the heat = attract trouble/problems

'heat' is being used as in the idiom 'if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen'

Pamela_Courson · Post by **Pamela_Courson** » 22 Apr 2005 21:55

Thanks!!! I was quite sure about it by the context, but I needed to ask

Laurithy60 · Post by **Laurithy60** » 24 Apr 2005 07:41

In the 60's the police were often referred to as "the heat". I've heard the term used in some other songs from that time as well.