“The Times They Are A-Changin’” was written by Bob Dylan in the fall of 1963. He recorded it that October, and it became the title track of his 1964 album.
The song is a deliberate anthem of change. Addressing parents, politicians, writers, and critics in turn, it warns that the old order is giving way and urges those who would resist it to step aside. Dylan drew on the cadence of old Irish and Scottish ballads to give the message its sweeping, prophetic feel.
The song has been recorded across many styles in the decades since.