Ricks' analysis of Dylan's songs is organized around the Christian theological categories of the seven deadly sins, four virtues, and three graces.

[1] Ricks writes: Dylan's is an art in which sins are laid bare (and resisted), virtues are valued (and manifested), and the graces brought home.

At various points he compares Mr. Dylan to Marvell, Marlowe, Keats, Tennyson, Hardy, Yeats and Marlon Brando, to cite just a few of his references.

"[4] McGrath goes on to suggest that some passages in Dylan's Visions of Sin may strike some readers as over the top, as when Mr. Ricks devotes four pages (and four footnotes) to the lyrics of "All the Tired Horses," a song that is only two lines long—or maybe three, if you count the long "hmmmm" at the end.

The reviewer notes that "[l]iterally hundreds of books have been written about Bob Dylan and his music, but very few have considered his lyrics as works of literature.