If I weren’t writing my “Dear…” series this week on Mental Jukebox, I would’ve picked “All Along the Watchtower” over “Dear Landlord” without hesitation. Full disclosure: this isn’t my favorite Dylan song. But it’s intense and ambitious. Dylan’s John Wesley Harding album is full of religious themes—and “Dear Landlord” is no exception. You can’t help but notice that Dylan has some serious hang-ups about the man upstairs. We read it in his lyrics. We hear it in his voice.

“Dear landlord, please don't put a price on my soul. My burden is heavy. My dreams are beyond control.”