"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" by Bob Dylan. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: introspective, rebellious, reflective. Visual style: 1965 vintage painting aesthetic, warm aged tones. Painterly, grainy film texture, muted palette with strategic accent colors. The composition should read left-to-right like a timeline — calm on one side, intensifying toward the other. Strictly no faces, no text, no logos, no literal objects, no band imagery. Pure color-field abstraction with emotional weight. 16:9 editorial format."
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
Bob Dylan
Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
AI-analyzed — check another song
Balanced energy, right in the middle of 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for focus.
135
BPM
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) by Bob Dylan is 135 BPM — Allegro (fast).
Half-time 68 BPM · Double-time 270 BPM · released 1965
Fan image for "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"
An abstract illustration of what this song feels like. Each image is built from a prompt — the text description fed to the image generator. Listeners submit their own prompts, upvote the ones that fit best, and the top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. After 100 image votes, we make a new picture.
Does this image fit the song?
0 agree · 0 not quite · 0/100 toward next regeneration
Prompts in the running for the next image
Upvote the prompts you think best capture the song. The top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. Submit your own at the bottom.
No listener prompts yet. Be the first to submit one below.
How would you describe this song?
One or two sentences. Describe what the song feels like — a scene, a metaphor, a color, a place. Good descriptions are specific and sensory. Your submission becomes a candidate prompt that others can upvote.
Share:
Share on X
Explore from this song · jump to the numbers · FAQ
Find its sonic twinHidden gems like itDial itSongs like thisAll tools
Song DNA
Notes: The acoustic folk arrangement features a tense repeated guitar riff with rhythmic, rapid-fire vocal delivery that builds tension across verses, relieved by simple chorus refrains. Sparse production emphasizes lyrical intensity without harsh distortion or abrupt shifts.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: deep listening emotional release focus
A philosophical folk protest song railing against hypocrisy, consumerism, and societal ills through dense, poetic lyrics delivered in a blues-influenced acoustic style.
affiliate links
Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: introspective, rebellious, reflective
Traditions: folk, protest
Pacing Guide
"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" runs at 135 BPM — cruise pace territory.
For runners: match cadence to BPM and the song does half the work. Texture stays layered; vocals sit dynamic. Nothing in the arrangement asks for your attention mid-stride. Good as a steady-state track; less useful for interval work where you want explicit tempo shifts.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 6/10 means this song moves. Expect a real volume climb between quiet sections and the loudest part of the arrangement — enough that you may want to set the initial volume below where you'd normally land.
Sudden changes: mild. There are one or two transitions worth knowing about, though they're musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
Texture is layered — a full arrangement with clear separation between parts.
Predictability is medium — conventional structure overall, with one or two moments that deviate from what you'd expect.
Vocal style: dynamic vocals.
Where this sits in Bob Dylan's catalog
We have 95 songs from Bob Dylan in the library. Of those, 29 are rated Safe, 60 Moderate, and 6 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 6/10 sits above the artist average of 5.4, making it the #28 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from Bringing It All Back Home
We have 8 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans moderate in sensory profile.
- Mr. Tambourine Man — moderate DR 6
- Subterranean Homesick Blues — intense DR 8
- It's All Over Now, Baby Blue — safe DR 4
- Maggie's Farm — moderate DR 6
- She Belongs to Me — safe DR 3
- Love Minus Zero/No Limit — safe DR 3
- Gates of Eden — moderate DR 5
1965 context
Released in 1965. We have 133 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 5.9/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 1960s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Guides that may help
Why Post-Rock Works for Focus — The Logic of Slow Builds
Why post-rock holds attention that slides off everything else: long builds, few sudden changes, and …
How to Build the Perfect Focus Playlist for Work — A Sensory-Rated Approach
How to Build the Perfect Focus Playlist for Work — A Sensory-Rated Approach — A guide for sensory-se…
Why Video Game Soundtracks Are Perfect for Focus and Study
Why Video Game Soundtracks Are Perfect for Focus and Study — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners…
How fast is "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"?
135 BPM — Fast (workout / running pace)
For running
Slow jog or recovery run pace. Matches a 120-140 stride-per-minute cadence.
For workouts
Running, cycling, aerobic workouts, dance cardio.
For daily life
Driving, getting ready in the morning, light party.
Browse more songs at 135 BPM.
When "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
~
Focus / studying
Maybe — fine for routine work, but the mid-song changes may pull attention during deep focus.
✓
Running / workout
Yes — 135 BPM sits squarely in the running / cardio band. Matches natural stride cadence.
✗
Sleep / winding down
No — contains elements that will keep an awake nervous system engaged.
✓
Driving / road trip
Yes — predictable enough for safe driving attention, interesting enough to stay engaged.
✓
Cooking / dinner background
Yes — sits in the background without demanding attention.
~
Emotional release / catharsis
Not really — it's pleasant but doesn't hit hard enough for cathartic listening.
Related reading
Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.
I rated every Billie Eilish album by emotional intensity
From bedroom ASMR whispers to walls of distortion — a deep sensory dive into all three Billie Eilish studio albums and what each one actuall…
Why lo-fi study beats might be lying to you
Lo-fi hip hop is the default focus soundtrack for millions, but the science is messier than the marketing. Why it can quietly hurt deep work…
Why minor keys aren't actually sad — the music theory lie everyone repeats
The major-equals-happy minor-equals-sad rule falls apart in five minutes of real listening. What actually predicts a song's emotional weight…
Why this rating
We rate this song Moderate because it falls between our Safe and Intense thresholds on at least one dimension. Moderate is the default for most well-produced music that has real arc but no surprise elements. Full rubric: methodology.
This song in the Music Studio
50/100 intensity
See how “It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
Listen on
Spotify and YouTube links go direct to the track when we have the ID; otherwise they search for it. Embed this sensory profile on your site →
For focused listening
Independently chosen tools listed on eBay. We may earn a commission from these links, at no extra cost to you.
Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-13. Reviewed by the Music I Want editorial team against the documented methodology.
Think this rating is wrong? Contact the editor — every message is read and ratings get revised.
By the numbers: how this song compares
Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.
Where it sits in 19,000 songs
On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 62% of songs, calmer than the other 38%. Its intensity reading of 50/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and dynamic vocals. It shares this stretch of the spectrum with thousands of other tracks, so the finer fingerprint below is what really separates it.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 89% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on near-total stillness — steady volume, no surprises, a slow and unhurried pulse — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.
Feels almost identical to
Needles in the Camel's Eye — Brian Eno · 99%Narc — Interpol · 99%French Film Blurred — Wire · 99%Tiny Cities Made of Ashes — Modest Mouse · 99%
Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.
What it’s good for
Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1965 in context
The 133 songs we’ve measured from 1965 average a dynamic range of 5.9/10. At 6/10, this track is right in line with its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
Intensity50
Dynamics56
Tempo53
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" by Bob Dylan?
"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" by Bob Dylan has a tempo of 135 BPM (Allegro (fast)). At half-time that is 68 BPM, and at double-time 270 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" by Bob Dylan?
"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" by Bob Dylan rates as Moderate intensity. Dynamic range 6/10, mild sudden changes, layered texture. Moderate is the default for well-produced music with real arc but no surprise elements.
How loud is "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" — what is its dynamic range?
"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" has a dynamic range of 6/10. Noticeable climb from quiet sections to loudest point. Set opening volume slightly lower than your preferred peak.
Does "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" have sudden or surprising changes?
"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" has mild sudden changes — one or two transitions worth knowing about, but they are musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
What is "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" best for?
In our library "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is recommended for: deep listening, emotional release, focus. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" released?
"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is from 1965, on the album "Bringing It All Back Home". It appears in our 1960s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"?
We tag "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" as introspective, rebellious, reflective. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" good for running?
Yes — at 135 BPM it sits in the running-cadence band (120-180 BPM). Match your stride to the beat and it keeps pace with most recreational runners.
Is "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" good for studying?
Only partially. The song's dynamic range (6/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.
Can I use "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"?
"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is Moderate intensity — fine for most listeners, but with enough dynamic activity that it works best as active listening rather than background.
Songs with the same DNA
layered texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.
Safer alternatives with a similar feel
These songs share similar moods but with a gentler sensory profile.
What this song means to people
No stories yet. Be the first.
Share what this song means to you
Keep exploring
Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.