30 Years Old And Just As Good As When I First Heard It.

[Guest TTK]

The festival was over, and the boys were all plannin' for a fall,

The cabaret was quiet except for the drillin' in the wall.

The curfew had been lifted and the gamblin' wheel shut down,

Anyone with any sense had already left town.

He was standin' in the doorway lookin' like the Jack of Hearts.

He moved across the mirrored room, "Set it up for everyone," he said,

Then everyone commenced to do what they were doin' before he turned their heads.

Then he walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin,

"Could you kindly tell me, friend, what time this show begins?"

Then he moved into the corner, face down like the Jack of Hearts.

Backstage the girls were playin' five-card stud by the stairs,

Lily had two queens, she was hopin' for a third to match her pair.

Outside the streets were fillin' up, the window was open wide,

A gentle breeze was blowin', you could feel it from inside.

Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts.

Big Jim was no one's fool, he owned the town's only diamond mine,

He made his usual entrance lookin' so dandy and so fine.

With his bodyguards and silver cane and every hair in place,

He took whatever he wanted to and he laid it all to waste.

But his bodyguards and silver cane were no match for the Jack of Hearts.

Rosemary combed her hair and took a carriage into town,

She slipped in through the side door lookin' like a queen without a crown.

She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear,

"Sorry, darlin', that I'm late," but he didn't seem to hear.

He was starin' into space over at the Jack of Hearts.

"I know I've seen that face somewhere," Big Jim was thinkin' to himself,

"Maybe down in Mexico or a picture upon somebody's shelf."

But then the crowd began to stamp their feet and the house lights did dim

And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him,

Starin' at the butterfly who just drew the Jack of Hearts.

Lily was a princess, she was fair-skinned and precious as a child,

She did whatever she had to do, she had that certain flash every time she smiled.

She had come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs

With men in every walk of life which took her everywhere.

But she'd never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts.

The hangin' judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined,

The drillin' in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind.

It was known all around that Lily had Jim's ring

And nothing would ever come between Lily and the king.

No, nothin' ever would except maybe the Jack of Hearts.

Rosemary started drinkin' hard and seein' her reflection in the knife,

She was tired of the attention, tired of playin' the role of Big Jim's wife.

She had done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide,

Was lookin' to do just one good deed before she died.

She was gazin' to the future, riding on the Jack of Hearts.

Lily, took her dress off, buried it away.

"Has your luck run out?" she laughed at him, "Well, I guess you must

have known it would someday.

Be careful not to touch the wall, there's a brand-new coat of paint,

I'm glad to see you're still alive, you're lookin' like a saint."

Down the hallway footsteps were comin' for the Jack of Hearts.

The backstage manager was pacing all around by his chair.

"There's something funny going on," he said, "I can just feel it in the air."

He went to get the hangin' judge, but the hangin' judge was drunk,

As the leading actor hurried by in the costume of a monk.

There was no actor anywhere better than the Jack of Hearts.

No one knew the circumstance but they say that it happened pretty quick,

The door to the dressing room burst open and a Colt revolver clicked.

And Big Jim was standin' there, you couldn't say surprised,

Rosemary right beside him, steady in her eyes.

She was with Big Jim but she was leanin' to the Jack of Hearts.

Two doors down the boys finally made it through the wall

And cleaned out the bank safe, it's said that they got off with quite a haul.

In the darkness by the riverbed they waited on the ground

For one more member who had business back in town.

But they couldn't go no further without the Jack of Hearts.

The next day was hangin' day, the sky was overcast and black,

Big Jim lay covered up, killed by a penknife in the back.

And Rosemary on the gallows, she didn't even blink,

The hangin' judge was sober, he hadn't had a drink.

The only person on the scene missin' was the Jack of Hearts.

The cabaret was empty now, a sign said, "Closed for repair,"

Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair.

She was thinkin' 'bout her father, who she very rarely saw,

Thinkin' 'bout Rosemary and thinkin' about the law.

But, most of all she was thinkin' 'bout the Jack of Hearts.

Lily Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts

Edited November 28, 2006 by TTK

[eddhead]

The festival was over, and the boys were all plannin' for a fall,

The cabaret was quiet except for the drillin' in the wall.

The curfew had been lifted and the gamblin' wheel shut down,

Anyone with any sense had already left town.

He was standin' in the doorway lookin' like the Jack of Hearts.

He moved across the mirrored room, "Set it up for everyone," he said,

Then everyone commenced to do what they were doin' before he turned their heads.

Then he walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin,

"Could you kindly tell me, friend, what time this show begins?"

Then he moved into the corner, face down like the Jack of Hearts.

Backstage the girls were playin' five-card stud by the stairs,

Lily had two queens, she was hopin' for a third to match her pair.

Outside the streets were fillin' up, the window was open wide,

A gentle breeze was blowin', you could feel it from inside.

Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts.

Big Jim was no one's fool, he owned the town's only diamond mine,

He made his usual entrance lookin' so dandy and so fine.

With his bodyguards and silver cane and every hair in place,

He took whatever he wanted to and he laid it all to waste.

But his bodyguards and silver cane were no match for the Jack of Hearts.

Rosemary combed her hair and took a carriage into town,

She slipped in through the side door lookin' like a queen without a crown.

She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear,

"Sorry, darlin', that I'm late," but he didn't seem to hear.

He was starin' into space over at the Jack of Hearts.

"I know I've seen that face somewhere," Big Jim was thinkin' to himself,

"Maybe down in Mexico or a picture upon somebody's shelf."

But then the crowd began to stamp their feet and the house lights did dim

And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him,

Starin' at the butterfly who just drew the Jack of Hearts.

Lily was a princess, she was fair-skinned and precious as a child,

She did whatever she had to do, she had that certain flash every time she smiled.

She had come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs

With men in every walk of life which took her everywhere.

But she'd never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts.

The hangin' judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined,

The drillin' in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind.

It was known all around that Lily had Jim's ring

And nothing would ever come between Lily and the king.

No, nothin' ever would except maybe the Jack of Hearts.

Rosemary started drinkin' hard and seein' her reflection in the knife,

She was tired of the attention, tired of playin' the role of Big Jim's wife.

She had done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide,

Was lookin' to do just one good deed before she died.

She was gazin' to the future, riding on the Jack of Hearts.

Lily, took her dress off, buried it away.

"Has your luck run out?" she laughed at him, "Well, I guess you must

have known it would someday.

Be careful not to touch the wall, there's a brand-new coat of paint,

I'm glad to see you're still alive, you're lookin' like a saint."

Down the hallway footsteps were comin' for the Jack of Hearts.

The backstage manager was pacing all around by his chair.

"There's something funny going on," he said, "I can just feel it in the air."

He went to get the hangin' judge, but the hangin' judge was drunk,

As the leading actor hurried by in the costume of a monk.

There was no actor anywhere better than the Jack of Hearts.

No one knew the circumstance but they say that it happened pretty quick,

The door to the dressing room burst open and a Colt revolver clicked.

And Big Jim was standin' there, you couldn't say surprised,

Rosemary right beside him, steady in her eyes.

She was with Big Jim but she was leanin' to the Jack of Hearts.

Two doors down the boys finally made it through the wall

And cleaned out the bank safe, it's said that they got off with quite a haul.

In the darkness by the riverbed they waited on the ground

For one more member who had business back in town.

But they couldn't go no further without the Jack of Hearts.

The next day was hangin' day, the sky was overcast and black,

Big Jim lay covered up, killed by a penknife in the back.

And Rosemary on the gallows, she didn't even blink,

The hangin' judge was sober, he hadn't had a drink.

The only person on the scene missin' was the Jack of Hearts.

The cabaret was empty now, a sign said, "Closed for repair,"

Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair.

She was thinkin' 'bout her father, who she very rarely saw,

Thinkin' 'bout Rosemary and thinkin' about the law.

But, most of all she was thinkin' 'bout the Jack of Hearts.

Lily Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts

I agree. Perhaps my favorite dylan song of all time. In fact, the whole album is awesome.

[eddhead]

Ok Neil, How about this one from the same album:

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.

[ryyannon]

40+ years old and even better than when I first heard it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmK1iiKl-nQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey3qvD1EpXA

Bonus Track (Been there and back):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odGFA4351fI

[eddhead]

40+ years old and even better than when I first heard it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmK1iiKl-nQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey3qvD1EpXA

Bonus Track (Been there and back):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odGFA4351fI

great stuff.