This book includes more than sixty essays focused on songs by other artists, ranging from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, passing through Hank Williams or Nina Simone. Dylan breaks down what he calls the easy rhyme trap, breaks down how a single syllable can ruin a song, and even explains the relationship between bluegrass and heavy metal. These essays, written in Dylan's unique prose, are mysterious and fickle, sharp and deep, often making us laugh out loud; and, although they are clearly about music, they are actually meditations and reflections on the human condition. Scattered throughout the book are nearly one hundred and fifty carefully selected photos, plus a series of texts as if from a dream that, together, resemble an epic poem and contribute to the transcendence of the whole.