Disc 1 | ||||||
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1. |
| 5:11 | ||||
Oh, God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe say, "Man, you must be puttin' me on" God say, "No," Abe say, "What?" God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but The next time you see me comin', you better run" Well, Abe said, "Where do you want this killin' done?" God said, "Out on Highway 61" Well, Georgia Sam, he had a bloody nose Welfare Department, they wouldn't give him no clothes He asked poor Howard, "Where can I go?" Howard said, "There's only one place I know" Sam said, "Tell me quick, man, I got to run" 0h, Howard just pointed with his gun And said, "That way down on Highway 61" Well, Mack the Finger said to Louie the King "I got forty red white and blue shoe strings And a thousand telephones that don't ring Do you know where I can get rid of these things?" And Louie the King said, "Let me think for a minute, son" And he said, "Yes, I think it can be easily done Just take everything down to Highway 61" Now the fifth daughter on the twelfth night Told the first father that things weren't right "My complexion," she says, "is much too white" He said, "Come here and step into the light" he says, "Hmm, you're right Let me tell the second mother this has been done" But the second mother was with the seventh son And they were both out on Highway 61 Now the rovin' gambler, he was very bored Tryin' to create a next world war He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor He said, "I never engaged in this kind of thing before But yes, I think it can be very easily done We'll just put some bleachers out in the sun And have it on Highway 61" |
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2. |
| 4:54 | ||||
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. Well, I wake in the morning, Fold my hands and pray for rain. I got a head full of ideas That are drivin' me insane. It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor. I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more. No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more. Well, he hands you a nickel, He hands you a dime, He asks you with a grin If you're havin' a good time, Then he fines you every time you slam the door. I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more. I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more. No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more. Well, he puts his cigar Out in your face just for kicks. His bedroom window It is made out of bricks. The National Guard stands around his door. Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more. I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more. No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more. Well, she talks to all the servants About man and God and law. Everybody says She's the brains behind pa. She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four. I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more. I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. Well, I try my best To be just like I am, But everybody wants you To be just like them. They sing while you slave and I just get bored. I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more |
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3. |
| 6:16 | ||||
Been so long since a strange woman has slept in my bed. Look how sweet she sleeps, how free must be her dreams. In another lifetime she must have owned the world, or been faithfully wed To some righteous king who wrote psalms beside moonlit streams. I and I In creation where one's nature neither honors nor forgives. I and I One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives. Think I'll go out and go for a walk, Not much happenin' here, nothin' ever does. Besides, if she wakes up now, she'll just want me to talk I got nothin' to say, 'specially about whatever was. I and I In creation where one's nature neither honors nor forgives. I and I One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives. Took an untrodden path once, where the swift don't win the race, It goes to the worthy, who can divide the word of truth. Took a stranger to teach me, to look into justice's beautiful face And to see an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. I and I In creation where one's nature neither honors nor forgives. I and I One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives. Outside of two men on a train platform there's nobody in sight, They're waiting for spring to come, smoking down the track. The world could come to an end tonight, but that's all right. She should still be there sleepin' when I get back. I and I In creation where one's nature neither honors nor forgives. I and I One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives. Noontime, and I'm still pushin' myself along the road, the darkest part, Into the narrow lanes, I can't stumble or stay put. Someone else is speakin' with my mouth, but I'm listening only to my heart. I've made shoes for everyone, even you, while I still go barefoot. I and I In creation where one's nature neither honors nor forgives. I and I One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives. |
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4. |
| 3:29 | ||||
Man thinks 'cause he rules the earth he can do with it as he please And if things don't change soon, he will. Oh, man has invented his doom, First step was touching the moon. Now, there's a woman on my block, She just sit there as the night grows still. She say who gonna take away his license to kill? Now, they take him and they teach him and they groom him for life And they set him on a path where he's bound to get ill, Then they bury him with stars, Sell his body like they do used cars. Now, there's a woman on my block, She just sit there facin' the hill. She say who gonna take away his license to kill? Now, he's hell-bent for destruction, he's afraid and confused, And his brain has been mismanaged with great skill. All he believes are his eyes And his eyes, they just tell him lies. But there's a woman on my block, Sitting there in a cold chill. She say who gonna take away his license to kill? Ya may be a noisemaker, spirit maker, Heartbreaker, backbreaker, Leave no stone unturned. May be an actor in a plot, That might be all that you got 'Til your error you clearly learn. Now he worships at an altar of a stagnant pool And when he sees his reflection, he's fulfilled. Oh, man is opposed to fair play, He wants it all and he wants it his way. Now, there's a woman on my block, She just sit there as the night grows still. She say who gonna take away his license to kill? |
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5. |
| 5:31 | ||||
Go away from my window Leave at your own chosen speed I'm not the one you want babe I'm not the one you need You say you're lookin' for someone who's never weak but always strong to protect you and defend you whether you are right or wrong Someone to open each and every door But it ain't me, babe no, no, no it ain't me, babe it ain't me youre lookin' for, babe Go lightly from the ledge, babe Go lightly on the ground I'm not the one you want, babe I'll only let you down You say you're lookin' for someone who'll promise never to part someone to close his eyes for you someone to close his heart Someone who will die for you and more But it ain't me, babe no, no, no it ain't me, babe it ain't me you're lookin' for, babe Go melt back in the night Everything inside is made of stone there's nothing in here moving And anyway, I'm not alone you say you're lookin' for someone who'll pick you up each time you fall to gather flowers constantly and to come each time you call a lover for your life and nothing more but it ain't me babe no, no no it aint me babe it ain't me youre lookin for babe |
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6. |
| 7:03 | ||||
Early one mornin' the sun was shinin'. I was laying in bed Wond'rin' if she'd changed it 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 meet. 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 it up on a dark sad night; Both agreein' 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 Workin' as a cook for a spell, But I never did like it all that much And one day the axe just fell. So I drifted down to New Orleans Where I was lucky 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 standin' 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 dealin' with slaves And somethin' 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 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 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. |
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7. |
| 6:36 | ||||
8. |
| 4:11 | ||||
You walk into the room With your pencil in your hand You see somebody naked And you say, "Who is that man?" You try so hard But you don't understand Just what you'll say When you get home Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? You raise up your head And you ask, "Is this where it is?" And somebody points to you and says "It's his" And you say, "What's mine?" And somebody else says, "Where what is?" And you say, "Oh my God Am I here all alone?" Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? You hand in your ticket And you go watch the geek Who immediately walks up to you When he hears you speak And says, "How does it feel To be such a freak?" And you say, "Impossible" As he hands you a bone Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? You have many contacts Among the lumberjacks To get you facts When someone attacks your imagination But nobody has any respect Anyway they already expect you To just give a check To tax-deductible charity organizations You've been with the professors And they've all liked your looks With great lawyers you have Discussed lepers and crooks You've been through all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books You're very well read It's well known Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? Well, the sword swallower, he comes up to you And then he kneels He crosses himself And then he clicks his high heels And without further notice He asks you how it feels And he says, "Here is your throat back Thanks for the loan" Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? Now you see this one-eyed midget Shouting the word "NOW" And you say, "For what reason?" And he says, "How?" And you say, "What does this mean?" And he screams back, "You're a cow Give me some milk Or else go home" Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? Well, you walk into the room Like a camel and then you frown You put your eyes in your pocket And your nose on the ground There ought to be a law Against you comin' around You should be made To wear earphones Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones? |
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9. |
| 4:34 | ||||
TRY Well, if you're travelin' in the north country fair, Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline, Remember me to one who lives there. She once was a true love of mine. Well, if you go when the snowflakes storm, When the rivers freeze and summer ends, Please see if she's wearing a coat so warm, To keep her from the howlin' winds. Please see for me if her hair hangs long, If it rolls and flows all down her breast. Please see for me if her hair hangs long, That's the way I remember her best. I'm a-wonderin' if she remembers me at all. Many times I've often prayed In the darkness of my night, In the brightness of my day. So if you're travelin' in the north country fair, Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline, Remember me to one who lives there. She once was a true love of mine. |
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10. |
| 4:34 | ||||
The sweet pretty things are in bed now of course The city fathers they're trying to endorse The reincarnation of Paul Revere's horse But the town has no need to be nervous The ghost of Belle Starr she hands down her wits To Jezebel the nun she violently knits A bald wig for Jack the Ripper who sits At the head of the chamber of commerce Mama's in the fact'ry She ain't got no shoes Daddy's in the alley He's lookin' for the fuse I'm in the streets With the tombstone blues The hysterical bride in the penny arcade Screaming she moans, "I've just been made" Then sends out for the doctor who pulls down the shade Says, "My advice is to not let the boys in" Now the medicine man comes and he shuffles inside He walks with a swagger and he says to the bride "Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride You will not die, it's not poison" Mama's in the fact'ry She ain't got no shoes Daddy's in the alley He's lookin' for the fuse I'm in the streets With the tombstone blues Well, John the Baptist after torturing a thief Looks up at his hero the Commander-in-Chief Saying, "Tell me great hero, but please make it brief Is there a hole for me to get sick in?" The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly Saying, "Death to all those who would whimper and cry" And dropping a bar bell he points to the sky Saving, "The sun's not yellow it's chicken" Mama's in the fact'ry She ain't got no shoes Daddy's in the alley He's lookin' for the fuse I'm in the streets With the tombstone blues The king of the Philistines his soldiers to save Put jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves Puts the pied pipers in prison and fattens the slaves Then sends them out to the jungle Gypsy Davey with a blowtorch he burns out their camps With his faithful slave Pedro behind him he tramps With a fantastic collection of stamps To win friends and influence his uncle Mama's in the fact'ry She ain't got no shoes Daddy's in the alley He's lookin' for the fuse I'm in the streets With the tombstone blues The geometry of innocence flesh on the bone Causes Galileo's math book to get thrown At Delilah who sits worthlessly alone But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill I would set him in chains at the top of the hill Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille He could die happily ever after Mama's in the fact'ry She ain't got no shoes Daddy's in the alley He's lookin' for the fuse I'm in the streets With the tombstone blues Where Ma Raney and Beethoven once unwrapped their bed roll Tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole And the National Bank at a profit sells road maps for the soul To the old folks home and the college Now I wish I could write you a melody so plain That could hold you dear lady from going insane That could ease you and cool you and cease the pain Of your useless and pointless knowledge Mama's in the fact'ry She ain't got no shoes Daddy's in the alley He's lookin' for the fuse I'm in the streets With the tombstone blues |