When I heard that Bob Dylan had won the Nobel Prize for literature, I said to myself , “Yep, these times they are a changin’.”

Since that announcement, I’ve read a lot of commentary on this decision. And it seems the biggest debate involves the question: Is music/songwriting considered literature?

I’ll go ahead and say right up front that I think it is literature.  In the case of Dylan, I think the Nobel honors his career as a songwriter and performer that collectively defines a portion of our history.

Dylan is not a reknown guitar player nor a master with the harmonica. As well, his voice quality colors way outside the lines.  But he is good enough with those instruments to deliver three-chord essays and other melodic notations that are reminiscent of the troubadour of bygone days.

For the most part he is considered a folk artist. But by some definition, all music is folk music. No one has ever heard a fence post sing. But I’m not saying that no one ever thought he heard a fence post sing.

Now back to the argument about literature. I suppose there are purists with tight shorts who would strictly define literature as hard-bound compositions, either fiction or non-fiction of hundreds of pages.

And if someone wanted to counter such a tight definition, they might pose that all of Dylan’s songs bound in one volume would meet that criteria. In fact, it would comprise a great collection of short stories.

If a monkey can spray a canvas with an array of colors and it be called art, then I would think Dylan’s works would far surpass scrutiny as literature. Heck, Winston Churchhill received the same award for his speeches.

I’m sure I’m very biased on this issue. I grew up listening to folk and country music. Much like Saturday night and Sunday morning, there is a fine line between them. I love what I call “story telling” songs such as Tom T. Hall’s “Old Dogs Children and Watermelon Wine.”

Dylan often appeared to be a ragamuffin who stumbled across a guitar and became an American icon. One day he plugged in an electric guitar and shook the folk music scene to its core. For the most part, folk music had always embraced flat-top, acoustic guitars.

I don’t know the process for choosing a Nobel winner. But I would love to have been a fly on the wall when someone made that nomination.

Yes, our world needs great literature of the purist version. But equally, if not more, it needs music. It is said that music calms the savage beast. And it would appear that we have a lot more beasts than we once had.

Anthropologists have noted that regardless of how primitive a civilization, people early on learned how to do three things — reproduce, make some form of booze and make music.

I don’t think the literature purists have to worry about the Nobel committee going to Nashville and handing out Nobels willy nilly. My guess is, there will be a long dry spell before another singer/songwriter will be so honored.

The debate can go on many days or years. And my opinion on the matter plus five bucks might get you a fancy cup of coffee at Starbucks. But the fact remains,”These times they are a changin’.” Good job Nobel committee.