Is “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine” a ballad or song?

“I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine” is a ballad in many ways.

“I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine” is a very interesting song to analyze and break down. It is a song that was written by Bob Dylan. By breaking down the song we are able to see that it is a literary ballad. It is a literary ballad because it tells a story. It tells the story of a man who dreamed that he saw St. Augustine.

I dreamed I saw St. Augustine,
Alive as you or me,
Tearing through these quarters
In the utmost misery

With a blanket underneath his arm
And a coat of solid gold,
Searching for the very souls
Whom already have been sold.

In the first two stanza’s we are able to see that the man is dreaming that he has seen St. Augustine. Here St. Augustine is looking for  the souls that have been “sold.” St. Augustine is trying to rescue the main character whose name we do not know.

“Arise, arise,” he cried so loud,
In a voice without restraint,
“Come out, ye gifted kings and queens
And hear my sad complaint.

No martyr is among ye now
Whom you can call your own,
So go on your way accordingly
But know you’re not alone.”

In the 3^rd and 4^th stanza’s St. Augustine tells the main character that he will tell his grief’s. A martyr is “somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce a belief or cause, usually religious” (Wikipedia). St. Augustine is telling the main character that he is not alone in the world.

I dreamed I saw St. Augustine,

Alive with fiery breath,

And I dreamed I was amongst the ones

That put him out to death.

Oh, I awoke in anger,

So alone and terrified,

I put my fingers against the glass

And bowed my head and cried

In the 5^th and 6^th stanza, we are able to see that St. Augustine is angry at the character because of him being “alive with fiery breath.” He dreamed that he was one of the ones who killed St. Augustine. It hurts the main character so much that he is “alone and terrified.” He even cries about this horrific dream.