May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift . . . And may you stay forever young.

These lines come from Bob Dylan’s song “Forever Young,” written in 1973 and released in 1974 on the album *Planet Waves* (credited to Bob Dylan, performed with The Band). Dylan composed the song during a period when he was re-centering his life around family after years of intense touring and public scrutiny. The lyric is widely understood as a benediction—addressed to a child (often linked by listeners to Dylan’s children)—offering protective, moral, and emotional wishes rather than advice about fame or success. The song exists in two album versions (a slower and a faster arrangement), reinforcing its hymn-like, prayerful character.

The speaker offers a blessing for resilience and integrity amid life’s instability. “A strong foundation” suggests inner grounding—values, character, and supportive relationships—so that external “winds of changes” cannot easily uproot one’s sense of self. The closing wish, “may you stay forever young,” is less about literal youth than about preserving openness, hope, curiosity, and moral clarity as time hardens people. The ellipsis-like pause in “shift . . .” heightens the sense of unpredictable upheaval, making the prayer for steadiness and enduring spirit the emotional core of the passage.