Bob Dylan wrote "Blowin' in the Wind" in two short stints in April 1962. He later claimed he composed the original two-verse version in about 10 minutes, with the middle verse coming a few weeks later. Bob Cohen of the New World Singers told RightWingBob.com the tune was based on a traditional spiritual — "No More Auction Block For Me" — that the group included in their repertoire.
When Dylan debuted the original two-verse version at Gerde's Folk City that month, he started out by trying to explain what the song wasn't about. "This here ain't a protest song or anything like that, 'cause I don't write protest songs," he said, per "Revolution in the Air." "I'm just writing it as something to be said, for somebody, by somebody." Yet, in the Sing Out! Interview, he said that "some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it's wrong. I'm only 21 and I know there's been too many wars."
