A salient feature of Dylan's lyrics is the frequent use the a-verb construction, a remnant of a thousand year-long evolution of the language. The 'a' is the weakened form of the preposition on (in). All together there are 109 different constructions, used 254 times in all. The most common is not the one found in this title, but another that is found in the titles of two different Dylan songs: "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and "Ain't A-Gonna Grieve". It is used 53 times to "a-changin's" five times. The other top contenders are "a-calling" (11), "a-comin'" (10), "a-gamblin'" (8), and "a-singin'" (7). Some of the uncommon ones include "a-puffin'", "a-slidin'", "a-weepin'", and "a-wheezin'".