Bob Dylan's most poetic lyrics as US singer wins the Nobel Prize in literature

US musician Bob Dylan has received the highest honour for his lyrical talents after winning the Nobel Prize in literature. The American singer and songwriter's music has transcended the generations thanks to his quick-witted and compelling musings on love, life and politics.

The Swedish Academy awarded Dylan, 75, with the literary prize "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".

The academy's Sarah Danils added: "If you look back, far back, 2,500 years or so, you discover Homer and Sappho and they wrote poetic texts that were meant to be listened to, that were meant to be performed, often with instruments – and it's the same way with Bob Dylan."

Some have described Dylan's win as "bizarre" while others applauding the news believe it is well-deserved. Regardless, Dylan is one of the most influential musicians to have emerged over the last five decades.

His songs were especially prominent throughout the 1960s with some, like The Times They Are A-Changing and Blowin' In The Wind, becoming anti-war anthems.

As Dylan soaks in his Nobel Prize glory, IBTimes UK celebrates some of the singer's most poetic lyrics.

Blowin' in the Wind (1963)

"Yes, and how many times must a man look up before he can see the sky? Yes, and how many ears must one man have, before he can hear people cry?

"Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'till he knows, that too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind. The answer is blowin' in the wind."

A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall (1963)

"I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest. Where the people are many and their hands are all empty. Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters. Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison. And the executioner's face is always well hidden...It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall."

Masters of War (1963)

"You that build all the bombs. You that hide behind walls. You that hide behind desks. I just want you to know. I can see through your masks."

The Times They are a-Changin (1964)

"Come mothers and fathers throughout the land, and don't criticise what you can't understand. Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command. Your old road is rapidly ageing."

Mr Tambourine Man (1965)

"Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free, silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands, with all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves. Let me forget about today until tomorrow."

It's alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) (1965)

"Suicide remarks are torn from the fool's gold mouthpiece, the hollow horn plays wasted words, proves to warn that he not busy being born is busy dying."

Desolation Row (1965)

"They are spoon-feeding Casanova to get him to feel more assured, then they'll kill him with self-confidence after poisoning him with words."

Maggie's Farm

"Well, I try my best to be just like I am/ But everybody wants you to be just like them/ They say sing while you slave and I just get bored/ I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more"

Open the door Homer (1975)

"Take care of all your memories ... for you cannot relive them."

Idiot Wind (1975)

"Idiot wind, blowing through the buttons of our coats. Blowing through the letters that we wrote. Idiot wind, blowing through the dust upon our shelves. We're idiots babe. It's a wonder we can even feed ourselves."

Hurricane (1975)

"Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties. Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise. While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell. An innocent man in a living hell."

The Man in the Long Black Coat (1989)

"Every man's conscience is vile and depraved. You cannot depend on it to be your guide when it's you who must keep it satisfied."