Tangled Up in Blue

Tangled Up In Blue

Early one mornin' the sun was shinin',
I was layin' in bed
Wonderin' 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 me
Soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam, I guess,
But I used a little to 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 her 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 something 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 her shoe,
Tangled up in blue.

She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
"I thought you'd neve 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I became withdrawn,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.

Copyright @ 1974 Ram's Horn Music

I dedicate this thread to Zimmerman the Gnome, Matt5, twovirgins and Bob Dylan's grandmother.

Thanks!!!!!! Great song!

It's brilliant work.

Yeah, up there with his finest lyrics I'm sure all the other Bob-meisters will agree

Bob's grandmother?

I was privaliged to hear bob do this in 2000 ! heres to you PBS

Oh, I love this one! One of my faves! Have seen him do it in concert twice now... great song!

Originally Posted by FPSHOT

Bob's grandmother?

FYI: Jimi Hendrix refered to drummer Mitch Mitchell as "Bob Dylan's grandmother" when he introduced the Experience at the Monterrey Pop Festival in 1967.

Aside from a few instances where lyrics need correcting:

"... when she bent down to tie the laces of MY shoe...."

"... I heard her say over MY shoulder we'd meet again someday..."

"... So I drifted down to New Orleans my luck there was to be employed..."

... an awesome song, ideed. One of my all-time faves by anyone.

One of my favorites of Bob's. Ever.

I had the pleasure of hearing him play it live, which brought me to tears just about.

A great Dylan song!

There is so much to love about this song. I love the Bootleg Sessions version best. The way the lyric shifts back and forth between first and third person is just incredible, so that you're never sure how many people the song is really about. Brilliant.

Originally Posted by AMBOISVERT

There is so much to love about this song. I love the Bootleg Sessions version best. The way the lyric shifts back and forth between first and third person is just incredible, so that you're never sure how many people the song is really about. Brilliant.

I like how he changes around the lyrics in certain spots on that version, too...

"I got 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 it just-a-went to hell..."

I looove this song! He played it at the concert I was at, and it was great! I love it! Now I'm going to listen to it...