<P> Dylan appears to have written the song in September and October 1963 . He recorded it as a Witmark publishing demo at that time , a version that was later released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1 -- 3 ( Rare & Unreleased ) 1961 -- 1991 . The song was then recorded at the Columbia studios in New York on October 23 and 24 ; the latter session yielded the version that became the title song of Dylan 's third album . The a - in the song title is an archaic intensifying prefix , as in the British songs `` A-Hunting We Will Go '' and `` Here We Come a-Wassailing '' , from the 18th and 19th century . </P>
<P> Dylan appears to have written the song in September and October 1963 . He recorded it as a Witmark publishing demo at that time , a version that was later released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1 -- 3 ( Rare & Unreleased ) 1961 -- 1991 . The song was then recorded at the Columbia studios in New York on October 23 and 24 ; the latter session yielded the version that became the title song of Dylan 's third album . The a - in the song title is an archaic intensifying prefix , as in the British songs `` A-Hunting We Will Go '' and `` Here We Come a-Wassailing '' , from the 18th and 19th century . </P>
when was the times they are a changin written
when was the times they are a changin written
September and October 1963
September and October 1963