Tangled Up In Blue

Lyrics: Bob Dylan
Music: Bob Dylan

Early one morning the sun was shinin'
He was layin' in bed
Wondering if she'd changed at all
If her hair was still red
Her folks they said that their lives together
Sure were gonna be rough
They never did like Mama's home-made dress
Papa's bank book wasn't big enough
And he was standing on the side of the road
Rain falling on his shoes
Heading out for the old east coast
Ready now to pay some dues
Getting through
Tangled up in blue

He had a job in the great north woods
Working as a cook for a spell
But he never did like it all that much
And one day the axe just fell
So he drifted down to New Orleans
Where he was lucky to be employed
Workin' for a while on a fishing boat
Right outside of Delacroix
But all the while he was alone
The past was close behind
He saw a lot of women
But she never escaped his mind
And he just grew
Tangled up in blue

She was working in topless place
And he stopped in for a beer
He just kept looking at the side of her face
In the spotlight so clear
And later on when the crowd thinned out
He was just about to do the same
She was standing there in back of my chair
Said tell me don't I know your name
He muttered something underneath his breath
She studied the lines on his face
I must admit he 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 him a pipe
I thought you'd never say hello she said
You look like the silent type
Then open up a book of poems
And handed it to him
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burning coal
Pourin' off of every page
Like it was written in my soul
From me to you
Tangled up in blue

She was married when they first met
Soon to be divorced
He helped her out of a jam I guess
But he used a little too much force
They drove that car as far as they could
Abandoned it out west
Split up on the docks that night
Both agreeing it was best
She turned around to look at him
As he was walking away
He heard her say over her shoulder
We'll meet again some day
On the avenue
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 dealing in slaves
And something inside of him died
She had to sell everything she owned
And froze up inside
And when it all came crashing down
I became withdrawn
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keeping on
Like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue

So now I'm going on 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 carpenters wives
Don't know how it all got started
I don't know what they do 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

Tangled up in blue
Tangled up in blue

+/- Variations (0)

+/- Live Performances (2)

+/- Official Recordings (0)