Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue"

Early one mornin' the sun was shinin',
I was layin' in bed
Wond'rin' if she'd changed at all
If her hair was still red.
Her folks they said our lives together
Sure was gonna be rough
They never did like Mama's homemade dress
Papa's bankbook wasn't big enough.
And I was standin' on the side of the road
Rain fallin' on my shoes
Heading out for the East Coast
Lord knows I've paid some dues gettin' through,
Tangled up in blue.

She was married when we first met
Soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam, I guess,
But I used a little too much force.
We drove that car as far as we could
Abandoned it out West
Split up on a dark sad night
Both agreeing it was best.
She turned around to look at me
As I was walkin' away
I heard her say over my shoulder,
"We'll meet again someday on the avenue,"
Tangled up in blue.

I had a job in the great north woods
Working as a cook for a spell
But I never did like it all that much
And one day the ax just fell.
So I drifted down to New Orleans
Where I happened to be employed
Workin' for a while on a fishin' boat
Right outside of Delacroix.
But all the while I was alone
The past was close behind,
I seen a lot of women
But she never escaped my mind, and I just grew
Tangled up in blue.

She was workin' in a topless place
And I stopped in for a beer,
I just kept lookin' at the side of her face
In the spotlight so clear.
And later on as the crowd thinned out
I's just about to do the same,
She was standing there in back of my chair
Said to me, "Don't I know your name?"
I muttered somethin' underneath my breath,
She studied the lines on my face.
I must admit I felt a little uneasy
When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe,
Tangled up in blue.

She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
"I thought you'd never say hello," she said
"You look like the silent type."
Then she opened up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century.
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burnin' coal
Pourin' off of every page
Like it was written in my soul from me to you,
Tangled up in blue.

I lived with them on Montague Street
In a basement down the stairs,
There was music in the cafes at night
And revolution in the air.
Then he started into dealing with slaves
And something inside of him died.
She had to sell everything she owned
And froze up inside.
And when finally the bottom fell out
I became withdrawn,
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keepin' on like a bird that flew,
Tangled up in blue.

So now I'm goin' back again,
I got to get to her somehow.
All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now.
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenter's wives.
Don't know how it all got started,
I don't know what they're doin' with their lives.
But me, I'm still on the road
Headin' for another joint
We always did feel the same,
We just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.

But I gotta ask, why the post? Any particular reason?

on Dylan that I just saw. I thought it was great. Part 2 is on tomorrow night on PBS.

I know it isn't political, but indulge me.

I've already ordered a DVD :)

I'm a music journalist. I have these things sent to me. One of the few perks of the gig :)

It was awesome!

Get out and see the man sometime. I'm not out of my 20s yet, and I've seen him half a dozen times, most recently a couple months ago, when he played with Willie Nelson.

Hell, the man's last album was his best work in 30 freaking years!

I listen to some of his older stuff here at home. My mother introduced me to his music. Hard to believe she's a fan since she is so RW.

it is very simple and understated and just moves.

Was it Bill Berg? anybody know?

Thanks, now I gotta go get the CD and listen to it.

Melvin on the Hammond is unbeatable :) That man has some serious soul :)

...although, this IS DU after all! Just finished watching the Scorsese doc as well.

One question for you Yanks: Does your government not give out civilian medals for folks like Dylan? Beyond the usual music biz type awards? I mean, really...he's easily one of the greatest Americans in your country's history. Are there any official accolades given out to civilians? (ie. in Canada, we give out the Order of Canada; Neil Young, Joni Mitchell...even Peter Jennings are recipients. What ALL these folks have in common is their role in affecting historic social change, non?)

So. Will the shrub be handing out a medal to Bob anytime soon?

and first Dylan tune I learned to play. Thanks for that.