Joan Baez states in the documentary film No Direction Home that the song was inspired by a hotel clerk who refused to allow Dylan a room due to his "unwashed" appearance (he was not famous outside of the folk movement at this time).
"[1] The lyrics and meter are remarkably similar to the first six stanzas of the Egyptian Great Hymn to the Aten[2] written around 1500 BC, which celebrates the rising sun.
The lyrics include Biblical references, such as the drowning of Pharaoh and his people in the Red Sea and the defeat of Goliath.
[4] Dylan performed the song during Live Aid on July 13, 1985, accompanied by Keith Richards and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones.
[5] The song was performed by the Clancy Brothers at The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, at Madison Square Garden in New York City on October 16, 1992.