Of course you know this bit of doggerel verse, everyone does;

...

“There must be some way out of here,” said the joker to the thief

“There’s too much confusion, I can’t get no relief

Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth

None of them along the line know what any of it is worth”

“No reason to get excited,” the thief, he kindly spoke

“There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke

But you and I, we’ve been through that, and this is not our fate

So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late”

All along the watchtower, princes kept the view

While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too

Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl

Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl

...

Have you ever heard it with the lines reversed though?

...

Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl

Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl

While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too

All along the watchtower, princes kept the view

So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late”

But you and I, we’ve been through that, and this is not our fate

“There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke

“No reason to get excited,” the thief, he kindly spoke

None of them along the line know what any of it is worth”

Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth

“There’s too much confusion, I can’t get no relief

“There must be some way out of here,” said the joker to the thief

...

Now you have to admit, that is not the work of someone who doesn't know what they are doing with language, irrespective of whether or not you personally like it.

I think I've heard that song. Interesting what you point out, although I'm not moved to admit what you claim I have to admit. I think the lines are awkward and the writing kind of crude, like Dylan generally. For example, writing "did growl" rather than "growled" in an attempt to add more feet to the line is highschool level. Given all that, the imagery is far more interesting than in the typical rock song, which makes one perk up on first hearing.

I'd assume 'wildcat did growl' was chosen for for the use of staccato to create rhythm from the consonants, which would be absent with 'wildcat growled', rather than to add more feet to the line, but hey, we are just layering ephemera on ephemera here.