 The first song on the Freewheelin ' album , " Blowin ' in the Wind " , partly derived its melody from the traditional slave song , " No More Auction Block " , while its lyrics questioned the social and political status <unk> . The song was widely recorded by other artists and became a hit for Peter , Paul and Mary . Another Freewheelin ' song , " A Hard Rain 's a @-@ Gonna Fall " was based on the folk ballad " Lord Randall " . With veiled references to an impending <unk> , the song gained more resonance when the Cuban Missile Crisis developed a few weeks after Dylan began performing it . Like " Blowin ' in the Wind " , " A Hard Rain 's a @-@ Gonna Fall " marked a new direction in songwriting , blending a stream @-@ of @-@ consciousness , <unk> lyrical attack with traditional folk form . 
