Tom Paxton's "Last Thing on My Mind" and Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" are always my all-time favorite songs by these two of the greatest songwriters ever lived.

I first came across Tom's song, and later when I heard Bob's, a strong feeling struck me that these two songs are somehow related. They show opposite feelings - one is determined to leave, the other begged "Please don't go". The two songs also shared related lines which seems to be a reply to the other. For example:

"I could have loved you better, didn't mean to be unkind" - "I ain't saying you treated me unkind, you could have done better but I don't mind"

"As we walk, all my thoughts are a-tumbling" - "Don't think twice, it's alright"

"Are you going away with no word of farewell?" - "Goodbye's too good a word, so I'll just say, fare thee well"

In addition, If I'm not mistaken, these two songs were both written in 1962, when Bob and Tom shared an apartment together at Gaslight Cafe on MacDougal Street. As Tom recalls in a TV Special, Bob wrote "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" in his room that year.

So, any idea if these two songs are really related? Or is it merely a coincidence?

Jason from China