That's right. Bob swears quite a bit in private conversation, but I've not seen or heard him do it onstage or in his songs (except for the phrase "wouldn't take shit from no one" in George Jackson...oh yeah, and one incident involving the famous "Judas shout" in England...he swears...but off the microphone, to the band...it's just audible). He has a very strong respect for the past, and for society in general, and he shows it.

The other thing that stands out about folk music (and Bob's songs) is that folk music is NOT written to satisfy a commercial market. It's written for its own sake, period. That's why folk festivals are an oasis of creativity and community, while commercial radio is a "desert of unexamined lives". - a quote from my own writings.