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June 27, 2025
New York songwriter Steven Keene combines the lyrics of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen into the rollicking song 鈥淭hesaurus.鈥
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Steven Keene, a New York singer-songwriter, challenges fans of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen to identify as many of the creative giants鈥 lyrics as they can in his rollicking new song 鈥淭hesaurus.鈥
Just shy of four minutes, there鈥檚 nonetheless a lot to digest in Keene鈥檚 word-packed song, which he sells with his own Dylan-like delivery. Some references are easily identifiable to casual fans 鈥 he calls out 鈥淔irst We Take Manhattan鈥 and 鈥淗ighway 61鈥 in the first 30 seconds 鈥 but others, like 鈥淗e not busy being born is busy dying,鈥 from Dylan鈥檚 鈥淚t鈥檚 Alright, Ma (I鈥檓 Only Bleeding),鈥 require listeners to have more than a working knowledge of the songwriters.
The chorus, however, is all Keene鈥檚 and it provides a clever payoff: 鈥淭hey said how鈥檇 you write that song, we really love the chorus/I said I stole Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen鈥檚 thesaurus.鈥
Keene says he originally wrote 97 verses for 鈥淭hesaurus.鈥 鈥淒ylan and Cohen are master poets and master songwriters. True visionaries. They see the world through a different lens, observe the details others might miss, and have an unparalleled ability to write and tell stories that stir something deep within us,鈥 he says. 鈥淭heir words don鈥檛 just tell a story, they evoke emotion in a way that鈥檚 entirely their own. This song is my homage to them; a small wink, a quiet smile, and a heartfelt nod to their brilliant mastery and the profound impact they鈥檝e had on me and so many others.鈥
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鈥淭hesaurus鈥 is set to appear on Keene鈥檚 upcoming album Notice Me, due Aug. 1 on Noble Steed Records. And it isn鈥檛 the first time he鈥檚 taken on the weighty task of paying homage to songwriting legends. Last April, Keene released 鈥淭his World Is Your World,鈥 a reimagining of Woody Guthrie鈥檚 鈥淭his Land Is Your Land.鈥
Dylan himself is currently on tour with Willie Nelson on the Outlaw Music Festival tour. On Wednesday, during the tour鈥檚 stop in Franklin, Tennessee, he performed 鈥淭he Times They Are a-Changin’鈥 for the first time in 15 years.
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