Bob Dylan...like Him Or Loathe Him?

[pushka]

Well, me and Aristotle got onto the subject of Bob Dylan lyrics during the JBS thread, so decided to create a thread specially for The Man!!

I'll set the ball rolling by saying that I've been a fan of his since 1980, when a boyfriend introduced me to his music, however I then realised that many c/w songs that the likes of Glen Campbell and Johnny Cash had been singing which appealed to me were penned by Bob Dylan too!! Seems I was destined to be a fan one way or the other.

Anyway, I spent the next 20 years or so collecting Dylan albums...had a slight break in this habit when my 2 kids were born...lack of cash! and have been to see him in the UK on about 6 occasions...

I love every era of his music...I appreciate that his voice might be less powerful than it was in the old days...however he is now 64, I believe, so I can forgive him for that Nonetheless, the words he writes today and the his anunciation still appeal to me as much as the first time I ever heard him.

I've already printed the lyrics to one of my most fave. tracks, Forever Young, in the 'just talking' thread, another which is very simple, yet sweet is Simple Twist of Fate...from the Blood on the Tracks album, written whilst he was separated from his first wife Sara...I can recommend the whole album as being one of his best.

SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE

They sat together in the park

As the evening sky grew dark,

She looked at him and he felt a spark tingle to his bones.

'Twas then he felt alone and wished that he'd gone straight

And watched out for a simple twist of fate.

They walked along by the old canal

A little confused, I remember well

And stopped into a strange hotel with a neon burnin' bright.

He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train

Moving with a simple twist of fate.

A saxophone someplace far off played

As she was walkin' by the arcade.

As the light bust through a beat-up shade where he was wakin' up,

She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate

And forgot about a simple twist of fate.

He woke up, the room was bare

He didn't see her anywhere.

He told himself he didn't care, pushed the window open wide,

Felt an emptiness inside to which he just could not relate

Brought on by a simple twist of fate.

He hears the ticking of the clocks

And walks along with a parrot that talks,

Hunts her down by the waterfront docks where the sailers all come in.

Maybe she'll pick him out again, how long must he wait

Once more for a simple twist of fate.

People tell me it's a sin

To know and feel too much within.

I still believe she was my twin, but I lost the ring.

She was born in spring, but I was born too late

Blame it on a simple twist of fate.

Copyright © 1974 Ram's Horn Music

http://bobdylan.com/songs/twist.html

Edited to add the link so that you can hear a sample of the track.

[Christos]

I simply love his music.

Some of his music is even quite Philosophical and really indepth.

[Prend1]

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind...

That's the only song I like. War songs rock!

[pushka]

I agree Christos...would you care to reprint the lyrics of any of your favourites...

www.bobdylan.com is a good site for all of his lyrics...that's where I'm reprinting mine from...sorry I forgot to add the link to the source!

[Prend1]

O forgot that Garth Brooks redid "To Make you feel my love"

I like that one too

[pushka]

Great one Prend! Perhaps you should explore Dylan's back catalogue a little more, you might find more gems you like...not necessarily all the ones that were released as singles either...

[john doe]

I like Bob Dylan's lyrics, but I don't care for his singing voice.

[Lindy]

I like Bob Dylan's lyrics, but I don't care for his singing voice.

I second that one....as a songwriter he is awesome.... just can't quite get the feel for that voice.

[Aristotle]

Wooooooohooooooooooo! ^5 pushka! Glad you opened our topic. :-)

My history of Bob Dylan stems back to my teenage years, when my parents bought me a guitar. I learned how to play from a Dylan songbook.

Just recently, we took a train trip to the Grand Canyon. On board was a cowboy entertainer who sang "Old MacDonald"...Dylan style. What a hoot!

My husband's favorite Dylan song to sing in karaoke is "Just Like a Woman". Mine is "Subterranean Homesick Blues". ;-)

Johnny’s in the basement

Mixing up the medicine

I’m on the pavement

Thinking about the government

The man in the trench coat

Badge out, laid off

Says he’s got a bad cough

Wants to get it paid off

Look out kid

It’s somethin’ you did

God knows when

But you’re doin’ it again

You better duck down the alley way

Lookin’ for a new friend

The man in the coon-skin cap

In the big pen

Wants eleven dollar bills

You only got ten

Maggie comes fleet foot

Face full of black soot

Talkin’ that the heat put

Plants in the bed but

The phone’s tapped anyway

Maggie says that many say

They must bust in early may

Orders from the d. a.

Look out kid

Don’t matter what you did

Walk on your tip toes

Don’t try no doz

Better stay away from those

That carry around a fire hose

Keep a clean nose

Watch the plain clothes

You don’t need a weather man

To know which way the wind blows

Get sick, get well

Hang around a ink well

Ring bell, hard to tell

If anything is goin’ to sell

Try hard, get barred

Get back, write braille

Get jailed, jump bail

Join the army, if you fail

Look out kid

You’re gonna get hit

But losers, cheaters

Six-time users

Hang around the theaters

Girl by the whirlpool

Lookin’ for a new fool

Don’t follow leaders

Watch the parkin’ meters

Ah get born, keep warm

Short pants, romance, learn to dance

Get dressed, get blessed

Try to be a success

Please her, please him, buy gifts

Don’t steal, don’t lift

Twenty years of schoolin’

And they put you on the day shift

Look out kid

They keep it all hid

Better jump down a manhole

Light yourself a candle

Don’t wear sandals

Try to avoid the scandals

Don’t wanna be a bum

You better chew gum

The pump don’t work

’cause the vandals took the handles

Yeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!

[pushka]

You're welcome Aristotle...just couldn't resist the challenge to get it started...I love 'Just like a Woman' and Subterranean Homesick Blues' too...

Perhaps the board would appreciate one of Dylan's later 'religiousy' type songs, Every Grain of Sand...it's beautiful...you know people, you really must try to get hold of these tracks! his voice grows on you...LOL.

Every Grain Of Sand...from Shot of Love album

In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need

When the pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed

There's a dyin' voice within me reaching out somewhere,

Toiling in the danger and in the morals of despair.

Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake,

Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break.

In the fury of the moment I can see the Master's hand

In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand.

Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear,

Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer.

The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way

To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay.

I gaze into the doorway of temptation's angry flame

And every time I pass that way I always hear my name.

Then onward in my journey I come to understand

That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand.

I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night

In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light,

In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space,

In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face.

I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea

Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me.

I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man

Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.

Copyright © 1981 Special Rider Music

http://bobdylan.com/songs/grain.html

If you go to the link I believe you can hear at least a portion of the songs I've been reprinting...here's the link for Aristotle's song:

http://bobdylan.com/songs/subterranean.html

[Aristotle]

That's terrific! Thanks, pushka...

I love Dylan's voice...he's so unique...and what a gifted writer!

My husband would love the song you posted...it looks like we'll need to get a new karaoke CD of his music. LOL

[pushka]

Yippee! I hope you do...there's about 30 albums or more to choose from tho...LOL.

[Aristotle]

My husband sings Dylan songs very well, and people request "Just Like a Woman" in particular. So he'll be happy to get some new material. ;-)

[Christos]

This is one of my favourite Bob Dylan songs, Times have Changed.

My other favourite is "Blowing in the Wind", it reminds me of Ecclesiastes

A worried man with a worried mind

No one in front of me and nothing behind

There's a woman on my lap and she's drinking champagne

Got white skin, got assassin's eyes

I'm looking up into the sapphire tinted skies

I'm well dressed, waiting on the last train

Bridge #1:

Standing on the gallows with my head in a noose

Any minute now I'm expecting all hell to break loose

Chorus

People are crazy and times are strange

I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range

I used to care, but things have changed

This place ain't doing me any good

I'm in the wrong town, I should be in Hollywood

Just for a second there I thought I saw something move

Gonna take dancing lessons do the jitterbug rag

Ain't no shortcuts, gonna dress in drag

Only a fool in here would think he's got anything to prove

Bridge #2

Lot of water under the bridge, Lot of other stuff too

Don't get up gentlemen, I'm only passing through

(chorus)

I've been walking forty miles of bad road

If the bible is right, the world will explode

I've been trying to get as far away from myself as I can

Some things are too hot to touch

The human mind can only stand so much

You can't win with a losing hand

Bridge #3

Feel like falling in love with the first woman I meet

Putting her in a wheel barrow and wheeling her down the street

(chorus)

I hurt easy, I just don't show it

You can hurt someone and not even know it

The next sixty seconds could be like an eternity

Gonna get low down, gonna fly high

All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie

I'm in love with a woman who don't even appeal to me

Bridge #4

Mr. Jinx and Miss Lucy, they jumped in the lake

I'm not that eager to make a mistake

(chorus)

Blowin' in the wind:

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man?

Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand?

Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly

Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist

Before it's washed to the sea?

Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist

Before they're allowed to be free?

Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,

Pretending he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

I actually seem to like all of Dylan's music and I think his voice is good in a distinctive way.

Louis Armstrong had a terrible voice due to nodules building up in his throat but his voice is one of the most distinctive of all time, and I like it :)

[pushka]

Hi Christos! Thanks for reprinting the lyrics to those 2 songs...here's the links to the sound bytes for them.

The first song is actually called Things have Changed:

http://bobdylan.com/songs/thingshave.html

And for Blowing in the Wind:

http://bobdylan.com/songs/blowin.html

One of my all time Faves...they keep cropping up! LOL is Abandoned Love, an outtake from Dylan's Mid 70's albums:

ABANDONED LOVE

I can hear the turning of the key

I've been deceived by the clown inside of me.

I thought that he was righteous but he's vain

Oh, something's a-telling me I wear the ball and chain.

My patron saint is a-fighting with a ghost

He's always off somewhere when I need him most.

The Spanish moon is rising on the hill

But my heart is a-tellin' me I love ya still.

I come back to the town from the flaming moon

I see you in the streets, I begin to swoon.

I love to see you dress before the mirror

Won't you let me in your room one time 'fore I finally disappear?

Everybody's wearing a disguise

To hide what they've got left behind their eyes.

But me, I can't cover what I am

Wherever the children go I'll follow them.

I march in the parade of liberty

But as long as I love you I'm not free.

How long must I suffer such abuse

Won't you let me see you smile one time before I turn you loose?

I've given up the game, I've got to leave,

The pot of gold is only make-believe.

The treasure can't be found by men who search

Whose gods are dead and whose queens are in the church.

We sat in an empty theater and we kissed,

I asked ya please to cross me off-a your list.

My head tells me it's time to make a change

But my heart is telling me I love ya but you're strange.

One more time at midnight, near the wall

Take off your heavy make-up and your shawl.

Won't you descend from the throne, from where you sit?

Let me feel your love one more time before I abandon it.

Copyright © 1975 Ram's Horn Music

http://bobdylan.com/songs/abandoned.html

And yet another...written for his wife shortly after they got back together following their separation in 1974, and a couple of years before they finally divorced in 1977. Sara:

SARA

I laid on a dune, I looked at the sky,

When the children were babies and played on the beach.

You came up behind me, I saw you go by,

You were always so close and still within reach.

Sara, Sara,

Whatever made you want to change your mind?

Sara, Sara,

So easy to look at, so hard to define.

I can still see them playin' with their pails in the sand,

They run to the water their buckets to fill.

I can still see the shells fallin' out of their hands

As they follow each other back up the hill.

Sara, Sara,

Sweet virgin angel, sweet love of my life,

Sara, Sara,

Radiant jewel, mystical wife.

Sleepin' in the woods by a fire in the night,

Drinkin' white rum in a Portugal bar,

Them playin' leapfrog and hearin' about Snow White,

You in the marketplace in Savanna-la-Mar.

Sara, Sara,

It's all so clear, I could never forget,

Sara, Sara,

Lovin' you is the one thing I'll never regret.

I can still hear the sounds of those Methodist bells,

I'd taken the cure and had just gotten through,

Stayin' up for days in the Chelsea Hotel,

Writin' "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" for you.

Sara, Sara,

Wherever we travel we're never apart.

Sara, oh Sara,

Beautiful lady, so dear to my heart.

How did I meet you? I don't know.

A messenger sent me in a tropical storm.

You were there in the winter, moonlight on the snow

And on Lily Pond Lane when the weather was warm.

Sara, oh Sara,

Scorpio Sphinx in a calico dress,

Sara, Sara,

You must forgive me my unworthiness.

Now the beach is deserted except for some kelp

And a piece of an old ship that lies on the shore.

You always responded when I needed your help,

You gimme a map and a key to your door.

Sara, oh Sara,

Glamorous nymph with an arrow and bow,

Sara, oh Sara,

Don't ever leave me, don't ever go.

Copyright © 1975 Ram's Horn Music

http://bobdylan.com/songs/sara.html

I really recommend listening to some of the sound bytes...

[Christos]

Oh okay

It is quite remarkable how many songs one man wrote.

BTW is that a cat in your avatar?

I have my cat on my lap at the moment and she loves me a little too much, she is purring away and digging her claws into me. I'm sure she means well but it hurts

[pushka]

Lol Christos...yes it is my cat Pushka in the pic, with my daughter. We also have a 6 months old kitten, Kitty...and she has a habit of sleeping on my head, tugging at my hair and clawing my scalp! very painful...

I agree re Dylan, it truly is amazing just how many songs he has written and of such varying topics...and yes, his voice is truly unique!!

Let's keep this thread going Christos and Aristotle...and anybody else who's posted their fave tracks...The Man deserves it! LOL

Just for Prend1:

MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE

When the rain is blowing in your face

And the whole world is on your case

I could offer you a warm embrace

To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear

And there is no one there to dry your tears

I could hold you for a million years

To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet

But I would never do you wrong

I've known it from the moment that we met

No doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue

I'd go crawling down the avenue

There's nothing that I wouldn't do

To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rollin' sea

And on the highway of regret

The winds of change are blowing wild and free

You ain't seen nothing like me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true

Nothing that I wouldn't do

Go to the ends of the earth for you

To make you feel my love

Copyright © 1997 Special Rider Music

http://bobdylan.com/songs/makeyou.html

[Aristotle]

Here's one of my all time favorites:

THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN'

Come gather 'round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be drenched to the bone.

If your time to you

Is worth savin'

Then you better start swimmin'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics

Who prophesize with your pen

And keep your eyes wide

The chance won't come again

And don't speak too soon

For the wheel's still in spin

And there's no tellin' who

That it's namin'.

For the loser now

Will be later to win

For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen

Please heed the call

Don't stand in the doorway

Don't block up the hall

For he that gets hurt

Will be he who has stalled

There's a battle outside

And it is ragin'.

It'll soon shake your windows

And rattle your walls

For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers

Throughout the land

And don't criticize

What you can't understand

Your sons and your daughters

Are beyond your command

Your old road is

Rapidly agin'.

Please get out of the new one

If you can't lend your hand

For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn

The curse it is cast

The slow one now

Will later be fast

As the present now

Will later be past

The order is

Rapidly fadin'.

And the first one now

Will later be last

For the times they are a-changin'.

(What a brilliant man!)

P.S. I am also a cat lover...2 at home. ;-)

[pushka]

Well, there's been so many new threads started on this forum over the last weeks, and I've cut down my visits so much that I lost this thread!!

Just thought I'd revive it with another fave of mine...Blind Willy McTell, don't forget to use the link in order to hear a snippet of the song...

Blind Willy McTell

Seen the arrow on the doorpost

Saying, "This land is condemned

All the way from New Orleans

To Jerusalem."

I traveled through East Texas

Where many martyrs fell

And I know no one can sing the blues

Like Blind Willie McTell

Well, I heard the hoot owl singing

As they were taking down the tents

The stars above the barren trees

Were his only audience

Them charcoal gypsy maidens

Can strut their feathers well

But nobody can sing the blues

Like Blind Willie McTell

See them big plantations burning

Hear the cracking of the whips

Smell that sweet magnolia blooming

(And) see the ghosts of slavery ships

I can hear them tribes a-moaning

(I can) hear the undertaker's bell

(Yeah), nobody can sing the blues

Like Blind Willie McTell

There's a woman by the river

With some fine young handsome man

He's dressed up like a squire

Bootlegged whiskey in his hand

There's a chain gang on the highway

I can hear them rebels yell

And I know no one can sing the blues

Like Blind Willie McTell

Well, God is in heaven

And we all want what's his

But power and greed and corruptible seed

Seem to be all that there is

I'm gazing out the window

Of the St. James Hotel

And I know no one can sing the blues

Like Blind Willie McTell

Copyright © 1983 Special Rider Music

http://bobdylan.com/songs/mctell.html

[Aristotle]

Hi, pushka...welcome back! Here's another of my favorites (my hubby and I sing the Cher version as a duet in karaoke!):

ALL I REALLY WANT TO DO

I ain't lookin' to compete with you,

Beat or cheat or mistreat you,

Simplify you, classify you,

Deny, defy or crucify you.

All I really want to do

Is, baby, be friends with you.

No, and I ain't lookin' to fight with you,

Frighten you or uptighten you,

Drag you down or drain you down,

Chain you down or bring you down.

All I really want to do

Is, baby, be friends with you.

I ain't lookin' to block you up

Shock or knock or lock you up,

Analyze you, categorize you,

Finalize you or advertise you.

All I really want to do

Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to straight-face you,

Race or chase you, track or trace you,

Or disgrace you or displace you,

Or define you or confine you.

All I really want to do

Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to meet your kin,

Make you spin or do you in,

Or select you or dissect you,

Or inspect you or reject you.

All I really want to do

Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to fake you out,

Take or shake or forsake you out,

I ain't lookin' for you to feel like me,

See like me or be like me.

All I really want to do

Is, baby, be friends with you.

[pushka]

Ari, that's a great number...great sentiments too!

Well, it's a pity this site has been so contentious of late...as usual, the great Zim has a song that more or less suits the situation...

ONE OF US MUST KNOW (SOONER OR LATER)

I didn't mean to treat you so bad

You shouldn't take it so personal

I didn't mean to make you so sad

You just happened to be there, that's all

When I saw you say "goodbye" to your friends and smile

I thought that it was well understood

That you'd be comin' back in a little while

I didn't know that you were sayin' "goodbye" for good

But, sooner or later, one of us must know

You just did what you're supposed to do

Sooner or later, one of us must know

That I really did try to get close to you

I couldn't see what you could show me

Your scarf had kept your mouth well hid

I couldn't see how you could know me

But you said you knew me and I believed you did

When you whispered in my ear

And asked me if I was leavin' with you or her

I didn't realize just what I did hear

I didn't realize how young you were

But, sooner or later, one of us must know

You just did what you're supposed to do

Sooner or later, one of us must know

That I really did try to get close to you

I couldn't see when it started snowin'

Your voice was all that I heard

I couldn't see where we were goin'

But you said you knew an' I took your word

And then you told me later, as I apologized

That you were just kiddin' me, you weren't really from the farm

An' I told you, as you clawed out my eyes

That I never really meant to do you any harm

But, sooner or later, one of us must know

You just did what you're supposed to do

Sooner or later, one of us must know

That I really did try to get close to you

Copyright © 1966; renewed 1994 Dwarf Music

http://bobdylan.com/songs/sooner.html

link to audio clip of All I Really Wanna Do...

http://bobdylan.com/songs/really.html

[Aristotle]

Hey, pushka...I know what ya mean, so let's keep this topic alive with the good stuffs!

Here's another favorite of mine:

GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY

You may be an ambassador to England or France,

You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,

You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,

You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody,

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage,

You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,

You may be a business man or some high degree thief,

They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody,

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk,

You may be the head of some big TV network,

You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,

You may be living in another country under another name

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody,

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a construction worker working on a home,

You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome,

You might own guns and you might even own tanks,

You might be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody,

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride,

You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,

You may be workin' in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair,

You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody,

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk,

Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk,

You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,

You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody,

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy,

You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy,

You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,

You may call me anything but no matter what you say

You're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody.

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

[pushka]

Thanks for that Ari...a great one indeed...

The one I've chosen to reprint next is perhaps not classed as one of Dylan's greatest songs, but I find it soo beautiful to listen to, very soft and gentle...please listen to the clip:

http://bobdylan.com/songs/dontfall.html

DON'T FALL APART ON ME TONIGHT

Just a minute before you leave, girl,

Just a minute before you touch the door.

What is it that you're trying to achieve, girl?

Do you think we can talk about it some more?

You know, the streets are filled with vipers

Who've lost all ray of hope,

You know, it ain't even safe no more

In the palace of the Pope.

Don't fall apart on me tonight,

I just don't think that I could handle it.

Don't fall apart on me tonight,

Yesterday's just a memory,

Tomorrow is never what it's supposed to be

And I need you, yeah.

Come over here from over there, girl,

Sit down here. You can have my chair.

I can't see us goin' anywhere, girl.

The only place open is a thousand miles away and I can't take you there.

I wish I'd have been a doctor,

Maybe I'd have saved some life that had been lost,

Maybe I'd have done some good in the world

'Stead of burning every bridge I crossed.

Don't fall apart on me tonight,

I just don't think that I could handle it.

Don't fall apart on me tonight,

Yesterday's just a memory,

Tomorrow is never what it's supposed to be

And I need you, oh, yeah.

I ain't too good at conversation, girl,

So you might not know exactly how I feel,

But if I could, I'd bring you to the mountaintop, girl,

And build you a house made out of stainless steel.

But it's like I'm stuck inside a painting

That's hanging in the Louvre,

My throat start to tickle and my nose itches

But I know that I can't move.

Don't fall apart on me tonight,

I just don't think that I could handle it.

Don't fall apart on me tonight,

Yesterday's gone but the past lives on,

Tomorrow's just one step beyond

And I need you, oh, yeah.

Who are these people who are walking towards you?

Do you know them or will there be a fight?

With their humorless smiles so easy to see through,

Can they tell you what's wrong from what's right?

Do you remember St. James Street

Where you blew Jackie P.'s mind?

You were so fine, Clark Gable would have fell at your feet

And laid his life on the line.

Let's try to get beneath the surface waste, girl,

No more booby traps and bombs,

No more decadence and charm,

No more affection that's misplaced, girl,

No more mudcake creatures lying in your arms.

What about that millionaire with the drumsticks in his pants?

He looked so baffled and so bewildered

When he played and we didn't dance.

Don't fall apart on me tonight,

I just don't think that I could handle it.

Don't fall apart on me tonight,

Yesterday's just a memory,

Tomorrow is never what it's supposed to be

And I need you, yeah.

Copyright © 1983 Special Rider Music

Link to Gotta Serve Somebody audio clip:

http://bobdylan.com/songs/serve.html

Btw, Ari...do you have many Dylan albums? I have plenty but I'm not over familiar with his later stuff, which is why I haven't reprinted much, if any, of it...must get listening again!

[Aristotle]

Btw, Ari...do you have many Dylan albums? I have plenty but I'm not over familiar with his later stuff, which is why I haven't reprinted much, if any, of it...must get listening again!

Hi, pushka...

No, we've not many Dylan albums. We used to have the one of his greatest hits, but I'm not sure what happened to it. I want to get more of his updated music so my hubby can learn to sing it in karaoke. If you're free on Sat. at 1, come to our meet in Yahoo and play us a Dylan song. It's really fun to voice chat, and we sing karaoke, too. :)

[pushka]

Ari, do you know what time that converts to for the UK...GMT time?

I did have a set of headphones with a mic, which I might be able to dig out for Saturday...