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Bob Dylan, Quotes and Punchlines
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind. |
Blowin' In The Wind |
1963
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan |
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Well, the Lone Ranger and Tonto
They are ridin' down the line
Fixin' ev'rybody's troubles
Ev'rybody's 'cept mine
Somebody musta tol' 'em
That I was doin' fine
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Bob Dylan's Blues |
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I'll know my song well before I start singin' |
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall |
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I gave her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don't think twice, it's all right |
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right |
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I wish, I wish, I wish in vain,
That we could sit simply in that room again.
Ten thousand dollars at the drop of a hat,
I'd give it all gladly if our lives could be like that
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Bob Dylan's Dream |
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Well, ask me why I'm drunk alla time,
It levels my head and eases my mind
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I Shall Be Free |
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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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'.
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The Times They Are A-changin' |
1964
The Times They Are A-Changin' |
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There's seven people dead
On a South Dakota farm
Somewhere in the distance
There's seven new people born
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Ballad Of Hollis Brown |
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It's a restless hungry feeling
That don't mean no one no good,
When ev'rything I'm a-sayin'
You can say it just as good.
You're right from your side,
I'm right from mine.
We're both just too many mornings
An' a thousand miles behind.
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One Too Many Mornings |
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It's not to stand naked under unknowin' eyes,
It's for myself and my friends my stories are sung |
Restless Farewell |
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
An' for each an' ev'ry underdog soldier in the night
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an' forsaked
Tolling for the outcast, burnin' constantly at stake
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
Tolling for the deaf an' blind, tolling for the mute
Tolling for the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chased an' cheated by pursuit
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an' worse
An' for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
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Chimes Of Freedom |
1964
Another Side Of Bob Dylan |
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Yippee! I'm a poet, and I know it.
Hope I don't blow it
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I Shall Be Free No. 10 |
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I've heard you say many times
That you're better 'n no one
And no one is better 'n you.
If you really believe that,
You know you got
Nothing to win and nothing to lose.
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To Ramona |
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I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now
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My Back Pages |
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My friends from the prison, they ask unto me,
"How good, how good does it feel to be free?"
And I answer them most mysteriously,
"Are birds free from the chains of the skyway?"
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Ballad In Plain D |
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows
Don't follow leaders
Watch your parkin' meters
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles
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Subterranean Homesick Blues |
1965
Bringing It All Back Home |
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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 fifty-four
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Maggie's Farm |
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She knows there's no success like failure
And that failure's no success at all
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Love Minus Zero No Limit |
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Well, I might look like Robert Ford
But I feel just like Jesse James
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Outlaw Blues |
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You ask why I don't live here
Hey, how come you don't move?
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On The Road Again |
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I decided to flip a coin
Like either heads or tails
Would let me know if I should go
Back to ship or back to jail
So I hocked my sailor suit
And I got a coin to flip
It came up tails
It rhymed with sails
So I made it back to the ship
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Bob Dylan's 115th Dream |
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My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet,
I have no one to meet
And my ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming.
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Mr Tambourine Man |
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Let me forget about today until tomorrow
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At dawn my lover comes to me
And tells me of her dreams
At times I think there are no words
But these to tell what's true
And there are no truths outside the Gates of Eden
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Gates Of Eden |
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But even the president of the United States
Sometimes must have
To stand naked |
It's Alright, Ma |
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And if my thought-dreams could be seen
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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Nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
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Like A Rolling Stone |
1965
Highway 61 revisited |
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
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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"
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
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Tombstone Blues |
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Now the wintertime is coming,
The windows are filled with frost.
I went to tell everybody,
But I could not get across.
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It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry |
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God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "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 say, "Where do you want this killin' done?"
God say, "Out on Highway 61."
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Highway 61 Revisited |
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I don't have the strength
To get up and take another shot
And my best friend, my doctor
Won't even say what it is I've got
I started out on burgundy
But soon hit the harder stuff
Everybody said they'd stand behind me
When the game got rough
But the joke was on me
There was nobody even there to bluff
I'm going back to New York City
I do believe I've had enough
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Just Like Thumb's Blues |
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Yes, I received your letter yesterday
About the time the door knob broke
When you asked me how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mention
Yes, I know them, they're quite lame
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name
Right now I can't read too good
Don't send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row
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Desolation Row |
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment
I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
You'd know what a drag it is
To see you
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Positively 4th Street |
1965
Highway 61 Outtakes |
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Cursing the dead that can’t answer him back |
Can You Please Crawl Your Window |
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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They'll stone you and then say you are brave.
They'll stone you when you are set down in your grave.
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Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 |
1966
Blonde On Blonde |
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Ev'rybody's gone but me and you
And I can't be the last to leave.
Well, they sent for the ambulance
And one was sent.
Somebody got lucky
But it was an accident.
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Pledging My Time |
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Now all my fathers, they've gone down
True love they've been without it.
But all their daughters put me down
'Cause I don't think about it.
Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit,
He spoke to me, I took his flute.
No, I wasn't very cute to him,
Was I? |
I Want You |
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Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line.
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine.
An' I said, "Oh, I didn't know that,
But then again, there's only one I've met
An' he just smoked my eyelids
An' punched my cigarette."
Now the rainman gave me two cures,
Then he said, "Jump right in."
The one was Texas medicine,
The other was just railroad gin.
An' like a fool I mixed them
An' it strangled up my mind,
An' now people just get uglier
An' I have no sense of time.
An' she says, "Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want."
An' here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice.
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Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again |
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Well, you look so pretty in it
Honey, can I jump on it sometime?
Yes, I just wanna see
If it's really that expensive kind
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Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat |
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Please don't let on that you knew me when
I was hungry and it was your world.
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Just Like A Woman |
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Well, anybody can be just like me, obviously
But then, now again, not too many can be like you, fortunately.
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Absolutely Sweet Marie |
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To live outside the law, you must be honest
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I could make it without you, Honey
If I just did not feel so all alone
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Obviously 5 Believers |
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Now you stand with your thief, you're on his parole
With your holy medallion which your fingertips now did fold,
And your saintlike face and your ghostlike soul,
Who among them could ever think he could destroy you?
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands
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Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowland |
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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I dreamed I saw St. Augustine,
Alive with fiery breath,
And I dreamed I was amongst the ones
That put him out to death.
Oh, I awoke in anger,
So alone and terrified,
I put my fingers against the glass
And bowed my head and cried
|
I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine |
1968
John Wesley Harding |
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Well, the moral of the story,
The moral of this song,
Is simply that one should never be
Where one does not belong.
So when you see your neighbor carryin' somethin',
Help him with his load,
And don't go mistaking Paradise
For that home across the road
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The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest |
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I know you've suffered much,
But in this you are not so unique.
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Dear Landlord |
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If you don't underestimate me,
I won't underestimate you
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I pity the poor immigrant
Who wishes he would've stayed home,
Who uses all his power to do evil
But in the end is always left so alone
Whose heaven is like Ironsides,
Whose tears are like rain,
Who eats but is not satisfied,
Who hears but does not see
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I Pity The Poor Immigrant |
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If ye cannot bring good news, then don't bring any
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The Wicked Messenger |
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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If dogs run free, then what must be,
Must be, and that is all.
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If Dogs Run Free |
1970
New Morning |
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The angels play on their horns all day,
The whole earth in progression seems to pass by.
But does anyone hear the music they play,
Does anyone even try?
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Three Angels |
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young
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Forever Young |
1974
Planet Waves |
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I hate myself for lovin' you and the weakness that it showed
You were just a painted face on a trip down Suicide Road.
I've paid the price of solitude, but at least I'm out of debt
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Dirge |
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It's never been my duty to remake the world at large
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Wedding Song |
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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Time is a jet plane, it moves too fast
A change in the weather is known to be extreme
But what's the sense of changing horses in midstream?
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You're A Big Girl Now |
1975
Blood On The Tracks |
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They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy,
She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me.
I can't help it if I'm lucky.
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Idiot Wind |
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You didn't know it, you didn't think it could be done, in the final end he won the wars
After losin' every battle
You tamed the lion in my cage but it just wasn't enough to change my heart.
What's good is bad, what's bad is good, you'll find out when you reach the top
You're on the bottom
I waited for you on the running boards, near the cypress trees, while the springtime turned slowly into autumn
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You'll never know the hurt I suffered nor the pain I rise above,
And I'll never know the same about you, your holiness or your kind of love,
And it makes me feel so sorry.
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She had done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide
Was lookin’ to do just one good deed before she died
Rosemary on the gallows, she didn’t even blink
The hangin’ judge was sober, he hadn’t had a drink
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Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts |
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Oh, whatever makes her happy, I won't stand in the way
Though the bitter taste still lingers on from the night I tried to make her stay
If she's passin' back this way, I'm not that hard to find
Tell her she can look me up if she's got the time
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If You See Her, Say Hello |
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I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns
I bargained for salvation an' they gave me a lethal dose.
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
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Shelter From The Storm |
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She was born in spring, but I was born too late
Blame it on a simple twist of fate
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Simple Twist Of Fate |
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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I came in from the East with the sun in my eyes
Isis, oh, Isis, you mystical child.
What drives me to you is what drives me insane
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Isis |
1976
Desire |
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Your loyalty is not to me
But to the stars above
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One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below) |
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Time is an ocean but it ends at the shore
You may not see me tomorrow
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Oh, Sister |
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"What time is it?" said the judge to Joey when they met
"Five to ten," said Joey. The judge says, "That's exactly what you get."
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Joey |
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Was that the thunder that I heard?
My head is vibrating, I feel a sharp pain
Come sit by me, don't say a word
Oh, can it be that I am slain?
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Romance In Durango |
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But the desk clerk said, "It happens every day,"
As the stars fell down and the fields burned away
On Black Diamond Bay
It seems there was an earthquake that
Left nothin' but a Panama hat
And a pair of old Greek shoes
Seems like every time you turn around
There's another hard-luck story that you're gonna hear
And there's really nothin' anyone can say
And I never did plan to go anyway
To Black Diamond Bay
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Black Diamond Bay |
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Stayin' up for days in the Chelsea Hotel,
Writin' "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" for you
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Sara |
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Sara, oh Sara,
Glamorous nymph with an arrow and bow,
Sara, oh Sara,
Dont ever leave me, dont ever go
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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The captain is down but still believing that his love will be repaid.
Gentlemen, he said I don't need your organization, I've shined your shoes
I've moved your mountains and marked your cards
But Eden is burning either brace yourself for elimination
Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards
And cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating
Between the King and the Queen of Swords
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Changing Of The Guards |
1978
Street Legal |
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Mercury rules you and destiny fools you
Fools making laws for the breaking of jaws
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No Time To Think |
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Stripped of all virtue as you crawl through the dirt
You can give but you cannot receive.
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Go down to the river, babe
Honey, I will meet you there
Go down to the river, babe
Honey, I will pay your fare
You been hurt so many times
And I know what you're thinking of
Well, I don't have to be no doctor, babe
To see that you're madly in love
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Baby, Stop Crying |
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Do you love me, or are you just extending goodwill?
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Is Your Love In vain? |
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I have dined with kings, I've been offered wings
And I've never been too impressed
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Are you willing to risk it all
Or is your love in vain?
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Well, the last thing I remember before I stripped and kneeled
Was that trainload of fools bogged down in a magnetic field
A gypsy with a broken flag and a flashing ring
He said, Son, this ain't a dream no more it's the real thing
Señor, señor, let's overturn these cables
Disconnect these tables
This place don't make sense to me no more
Can you tell me what we're waiting for, señor?
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Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power) |
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Every day of the year's like playing Russian roulette
I was lying down in the reeds without any oxygen
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True Love Tends To Forget |
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You don't have to be afraid of looking into my face
We've done nothing to each other time will not erase
Oh child, why you wanna hurt me ?
I'm exiled you can't convert me
Be grateful for what we've shared together and be glad
I wish I was a magician
I would wave a wand and tie back the bond
That we've both gone beyond
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We Better Talk This Over |
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She winds back the clock and she turns back the page
Of a book that no one can write
I left town at dawn, with Marcel and St. John
Strong men belittled by doubt
I fought with my twin, that enemy within
’Til both of us fell by the way
If you don’t believe there’s a price for this sweet paradise
Remind me to show you the scars
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Where Are You Tonight?
(Journey Through Dark Heat) |
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QUOTE |
SONG |
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They show me to the door,
They say don't come back no more
'Cause I don't be like they'd like me to,
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I Believe In You |
1979
Slow Train Coming |
And I, I don't mind the pain
Don't mind the driving rain
I know I will sustain
'Cause I believe in you
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You could die down here, be just another accident statistic
They talk about a life of brotherly love, show me someone who knows how to live it
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Slow Train |
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Do you ever wonder just what God requires?
You think He's just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires
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When You Gonna Wake Up |
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You can't take it with you and you know that it's too worthless to be sold,
They tell you, "Time is money" as if your life was worth its weight in gold
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It is only He who can reduce me to tears
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When He Returns |
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How long can I stay drunk on fear out in the wilderness?
He sees your deeds, He knows your needs even before you ask
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It's so hard to find
One rich man in ten with a satisfied mind
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A Satisfied Mind |
1980
Saved |
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I've been broken, shattered like an empty cup.
I'm just waiting on the Lord to rebuild and fill me up
And I know He will do it 'cause He's faithful and He's true,
He must have loved me so much to send me someone as fine as you
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Covenant Woman |
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Many try to stop me, shake me up in my mind,
Say, "Prove to me that He is Lord, show me a sign."
What kind of sign they need when it all come from within,
When what's lost has been found, what's to come has already been?
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Pressing On |
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Say that he's a loser 'cause he got no common sense
Because he don't increase his worth at someone else's expense
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Property Of Jesus |
1981
Shot Of Love |
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He was an outlaw, that's for sure,
More of an outlaw than you ever were
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Lenny Bruce |
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Love that's pure, it don't make no claims,
Intercedes for you 'stead of casting you blame
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Watered-Down Love |
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Try to be pure at heart, they arrest you for robbery,
Mistake your shyness for aloofness, your shyness for snobbery
Tonight you got the power to take it, tomorrow you won't have the power to keep it
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The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar |
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And I'm still carrying the gift you gave,
It's a part of me now, it's been cherished and saved,
It'll be with me unto the grave
And then unto eternity
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In The Summertime |
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You ever feel like you're never alone even when there's nobody else around?
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Trouble |
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In the fury of the moment I can see the Master's hand
In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand
I gaze into the doorway of temptation's angry flame
And every time I pass that way I always hear my name
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand
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Every Grain Of Sand |
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SONG |
ALBUM |
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Well, it’s always been my nature to take chances
My right hand drawing back while my left hand advances
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Angelina |
1981
Shot Of Love Outtakes |
Blood dryin’ in my yellow hair as I go from shore to shore
His eyes were two slits that would make a snake proud
With a face that any painter would paint as he walked through the crowd
Worshipping a god with the body of a woman well endowed
And the head of a hyena
Do I need your permission to turn the other cheek?
If you can read my mind, why must I speak?
I’ve tried my best to love you but I cannot play this game
Your best friend and my worst enemy is one and the same
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In God’s truth tell me what you want and you’ll have it of course
Just step into the arena
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Beat a path of retreat up them spiral staircases
Pass the tree of smoke, pass the angel with four faces
Begging God for mercy and weepin’ in unholy places
Angelina
Oh, Angelina. Oh, Angelina
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See them big plantations burning
Hear the cracking of the whips
Smell that sweet magnolia blooming
See the ghosts of slavery ships
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
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Blind Willie McTell |
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SONG |
ALBUM |
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You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing
Shedding off one more layer of skin,
Keeping one step ahead of the persecutor within
Michelangelo indeed could've carved out your features.
Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space,
Half asleep near the stars with a small dog licking your face
It's a shadowy world, skies are slippery gray,
A woman just gave birth to a prince today and dressed him in scarlet.
He'll put the priest in his pocket, put the blade to the heat,
Take the motherless children off the street
And place them at the feet of a harlot
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Jokerman |
1983
Infidels |
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Just how much abuse will you be able to take?
Well, there's no way to tell by that first kiss
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Sweetheart Like You |
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You can be known as the most beautiful woman
Who ever crawled across cut glass to make a deal
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Man thinks 'cause he rules the earth he can do with it as he please
Man is opposed to fair play,
He wants it all and he wants it his way
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License To Kill |
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He knows just where to touch you, honey, and how you like to be kissed.
He'll put both his arms around you,
You can feel the tender touch of the beast
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Man Of Peace |
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I've made shoes for everyone, even you, while I still go barefoot
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I And I |
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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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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.
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
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Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight |
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QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
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They tell me revenge is sweet and from where they stand, I'm sure it is
Hunger pays a heavy price to the falling gods of speed and steel
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Dark Eyes |
1985
Empire Burlesque |
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Come baby, find me, come baby, remind me of where I once begun
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Emotionally Yours |
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Didn't I, didn't I try to love you?
Didn't I, didn't I try to care?
Didn't I sleep, didn't I weep beside you
With the rain blowing in your hair?
|
I'll Remember You |
|
|
|
I can't go back to what was, baby,
I can't unring the bell
|
Never Gonna Be The Same Again |
|
|
|
I'm tired of this bag of tricks.
At one time there was nothing wrong with me
That you could not fix
|
Seeing The Real You At Last |
|
|
|
What looks large from a distance,
Close up ain't never that big
|
Tight Connection To My Heart
(Has Anybody Seen My Love) |
|
|
|
I can't provide for you no easy answers,
Who are you that I should have to lie?
|
When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky |
|
Stick around, baby, we're not through,
Don't look for me, I'll see you
When the night comes falling from the sky
|
|
|
|
|
Don't trust me to show you the truth
Don't trust me to show you love
When my love may be only lust.
If you want somebody you can trust, trust yourself
|
Trust Yourself |
|
QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
|
Maybe someday you'll be satisfied
When you've lost everything you'll have nothing left to hide
I should have known better, baby, I should have called your bluff.
I guess I was too off the handle, not sentimental enough
Never wanted to go home 'til the last cent was lost
|
Maybe Someday |
1988
Knocked Out Loaded |
|
|
Well, the marshal, now he beat that kid to a bloody pulp
As the dying gunfighter lay in the sun and gasped for his last breath
“Turn him loose, let him go, let him say he outdrew me fair and square
I want him to feel what it’s like to every moment face his death”
Way down in Mexico you went out to find a doctor and you never came back
I would have gone on after you but I didn’t feel like letting my head get blown off
“How far are y’all going?” Ruby asked us with a sigh
“We’re going all the way ’til the wheels fall off and burn
’Til the sun peels the paint and the seat covers fade and the water moccasin dies”
Ruby just smiled and said, “Ah, you know some babies never learn”
Now I’ve always been the kind of person that doesn’t like to trespass
but sometimes you just find yourself over the line
You know, it’s funny how things never turn out the way you had ’em planned
The only thing we knew for sure about Henry Porter is that his name wasn’t Henry Porter
|
Brownsville Girl |
|
Strange how people who suffer together have stronger connections than people who are most content
|
|
|
|
|
I'd like to help you but I'm in a bit of a jam,
I'll call you tomorrow if there's phones where I am
Well the desert is hot, the mountain is cursed,
Pray that I don't die of thirst,
Baby, two feet from the well
|
Under Your Spell |
|
QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
|
I've torn my clothes and I've drained the cup,
Strippin' away at it all,
Thinking of you when the sun comes up
Where teardrops fall
|
Where Teardrops Fall |
1989
Oh Mercy |
|
|
Broken pipes, broken tools,
People bending broken rules
|
Everything Is Broken |
|
|
|
Ring them bells so the world will know
That God is one
|
Ring Them Bells |
|
Oh the lines are long
And the fighting is strong
And they're breaking down the distance
Between right and wrong
|
|
|
|
|
Window wide open, African trees
Bent over backwards from a hurricane breeze
Somebody said from the Bible he'd quote
There was dust on the man
In the long black coat
It ain't easy to swallow, it sticks in the throat,
She gave her heart to the man
In the long black coat
There's smoke on the water, it's been there since June,
Tree trunks uprooted, 'neath the high crescent moon
Feel the pulse and vibration and the rumbling force
Somebody is out there beating a dead horse
|
Man In The Long black Coat |
|
|
|
Most of the time
She ain't even in my mind,
I wouldn't know her if I saw her,
She's that far behind.
Most of the time
I can't even be sure
If she was ever with me
Or if I was with her
Most of the time
I know exactly where it went,
I don't cheat on myself, I don't run and hide,
Hide from the feelings that are buried inside
I can smile in the face of mankind.
Don't even remember what her lips felt like on mine
Most of the time
|
Most Of The Time |
|
|
|
What good am I if I say foolish things
And I laugh in the face of what sorrow brings
And I just turn my back while you silently die,
What good am I?
|
What Good Am I? |
|
|
|
Conceit is a disease
That the doctors got no cure
They've done a lot of research on it,
But what it is, they're still not sure
|
Disease Of Conceit |
|
|
|
Is the scenery changing,
Am I getting it wrong,
Is the whole thing going backwards,
Are they playing our song?
Where were you when it started
Do you want it for free
What was it you wanted
Are you talking to me?
|
What Was It You Wanted? |
|
|
|
Listen to the engine, listen to the bell
As the last fire truck from hell
Goes rolling by, all good people are praying,
|
Shooting Star |
|
It's the last temptation
The last account
The last time you might hear the sermon on the mount,
The last radio is playing
|
|
|
QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
|
My feet are so tired, my brain is so wired
I see, I see lovers in the meadow
I see, I see silhouettes in the window
I watch them ’til they’re gone and they leave me hanging on
To a shadow
|
Love Sick |
1997
Time Out Of Mind |
|
|
Don’t know if I saw you, if I would kiss you or kill you
It probably wouldn’t matter to you anyhow
I’m strumming on my gay guitar
Smoking a cheap cigar
|
Standing In The Doorway |
|
I would be crazy if I took you back
It would go up against every rule
I know I can’t win
But my heart just won’t give in
|
|
|
And even if the flesh falls off of my face
I know someone will be there to care
|
|
|
|
|
You took a part of me that I really miss
I need your love so bad, turn your lamp down low
I need every bit of it for the places that I go
|
Million Miles |
|
|
|
You broke a heart that loved you
Now you can seal up the book and not write anymore
|
Trying To Get To Heaven |
|
When you think that you've lost everything
You find out you can always lose a little more
|
|
|
I’ll close my eyes and I wonder
If everything is as hollow as it seems
I’ve been walking that lonesome valley
Trying to get to heaven before they close the door
|
|
|
|
|
I’ve been hit too hard, I’ve seen too much
Nothing can heal me now, but your touch
Now I feel like I’m coming to the end of my way
But I know God is my shield and he won’t lead me astray
|
Til I Fell In Love With You |
|
I’m gonna win my way to wealth and fame
|
|
|
Well, I’m tired of talking, I’m tired of trying to explain
My attempts to please you were all in vain
|
|
|
|
|
I’ve still got the scars that the sun didn’t heal
I’ve been down on the bottom of a world full of lies
I ain’t looking for nothing in anyone’s eyes
Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear
It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there
|
Not Dark Yet |
|
I can’t even remember what it was I came here to get away from
|
|
|
|
|
It’s such a sad thing to see beauty decay
It’s sadder still to feel your heart torn away
I found my world, found my world in you
But your love just hasn’t proved true
|
Cold Irons Bound |
|
|
|
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
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
|
Make You Feel My Love |
|
|
|
While I’m strolling through the lonely graveyard of my mind
I left my life with you somewhere back there along the line
I thought somehow that I would be spared this fate
But I don’t know how much longer I can wait
|
Can't Wait |
|
|
|
I wish someone would come
And push back the clock for me
I said, "Tell me what I want,"
She say, "You probably want hard boiled eggs."
I say, "That's right, bring me some."
She says, "We ain't got any, you picked the wrong time to come
Some things in life just gets too late to learn
Well, I’m lost somewhere
I must have made a few bad turns
All the young men with their young women looking so good
Well, I’d trade places with any of them
Well, my heart’s in the Highlands at the break of day
Over the hills and far away
There’s a way to get there and I’ll figure it out somehow
But I’m already there in my mind
And that’s good enough for now
|
Highlands |
|
QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
|
Every step of the way we walk the line
days are numbered, so are mine
Time is pilin’ up, we struggle and we scrape
We’re all boxed in, nowhere to escape
|
Mississippi |
2001
Love And Theft |
Got nothin' for you, I had nothin' before
Don’t even have anything for myself anymore
All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime
Could never do you justice in reason or rhyme
|
|
|
I was thinkin’ 'bout the things that Rosie said
I was dreaming I was sleepin' in Rosie’s bed
So many things that we never will undo
I know you’re sorry, I’m sorry too
|
|
|
I need somethin’ strong to distract my mind
I’m gonna look at you ’til my eyes go blind
|
|
|
Well my ship’s been split to splinters and it’s sinkin' fast
I’m drownin’ in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it’s light and it’s free
I’ve got nothin’ but affection for all those who’ve sailed with me
|
|
|
My clothes are wet, tight on my skin
Not as tight as the corner that I painted myself in
|
|
|
Well, the emptiness is endless, cold as the clay
You can always come back, but you can’t come back all the way
|
|
|
|
|
Well I’m drivin’ in the flats in a Cadillac car
The girls all say, “You’re a worn-out star”
My pockets are loaded and I’m spending every dime
What looks good in the day, at night is another thing
She says, “You can’t repeat the past.” I say, “You can’t? What do you mean,you can’t? Of course you can."
I got my hammer ringin’, pretty baby, but the nails ain’t goin’ down
|
Summer Days |
|
Gonna break the roof in—set fire to the place as a parting gift
|
|
|
|
|
I’m singin’ love’s praises with sugar-coated rhyme
Bye and bye, on you I’m casting my eye
Well, I’m scufflin’ and I’m shufflin’ and I’m walkin’ on briars
I’m not even acquainted with my own desires
|
Bye And Bye |
|
I’m tellin’ myself I found true happiness
That I’ve still got a dream that hasn’t been repossessed
|
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|
Well the future for me is already a thing of the past
You were my first love and you will be my last
I’m gonna establish my rule through civil war
Gonna make you see just how loyal and true a man can be
|
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|
|
|
Funny, how the things you have the hardest time parting with
Are the things you need the least
|
Lonesome Day Blues |
|
I see your lover-man comin’—comin’ ’cross the barren field
He’s not a gentleman at all—he’s rotten to the core
He’s a coward and he steals
My captain, he’s decorated—he’s well schooled and he’s skilled
He’s not sentimental—don’t bother him at al
How many of his pals have been killed
|
|
|
You gonna need my help, sweetheart
You can’t make love all by yourself
|
|
|
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|
Romeo, he said to Juliet, “You got a poor complexion
It doesn’t give your appearance a very youthful touch!”
Juliet said back to Romeo, “Why don’t you just shove off
If it bothers you so much”
|
Floater (Too Much To Ask) |
|
My grandfather was a duck trapper
He could do it with just dragnets and ropes
My grandmother could sew new dresses out of old cloth
I don’t know if they had any dreams or hopes
It’s not always easy kicking someone out
Gotta wait a while—it can be an unpleasant task
Sometimes somebody wants you to give something up
And tears or not, it’s too much to ask
|
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|
Say you dancin' with whom they tell you to or you don't dance at all
I can write you poems, make a strong man lose his mind
Don't reach out for me, she said, can't you see I'm drowning too
I asked Fat Nancy for someth'n' to eat, she said take it off the shelf
As great as you are man, you'll never be greater than yourself
I told her I didn't really care
I just can't be happy, love, unless you're happy too
It's bad out there
Highwater everywhere
|
High Water (For Charley Patton) |
|
|
|
I’ll take you cross the river dear
You’ve no need to linger here
I know the kinds of things you like
|
Moonlight |
|
Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief
It takes a thief to catch a thief
|
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|
|
|
Well, I’m stranded in the city that never sleeps
Some of these women they just give me the creeps
I’m avoidin’ the Southside the best I can
These memories I got, they can strangle a man
|
Honest With Me |
|
I’m not sorry for nothin’ I’ve done
I’m glad I fought—I only wish we’d won
|
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|
You say my eyes are pretty and my smile is nice
Well, I’ll sell it to ya at a reduced price
|
|
|
I’m here to create the new imperial empire
I’m going to do whatever circumstances require
I care so much for you—didn’t think that I could
I can’t tell my heart that you’re no good
|
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|
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|
Man comes to the door—I say, “For whom are you looking?”
He says, “Your wife,” I say, “She’s busy in the kitchen cookin’”
Poor boy—where you been?
I already tol’ you—won’t tell you again
|
Po' Boy |
|
Othello told Desdemona, "I’m cold, cover me with a blanket
By the way, what happened to that poison wine?"
She says, "I gave it to you, you drank it"
|
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|
Poor boy, in the hotel called the Palace of Gloom
Calls down to room service, says send up a room
Knockin’ on the door, I say, “Who is it and where are you from?”
Man says, “Freddy!” I say, “Freddy who?” He says, “Freddy or not here I come”
|
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|
|
|
To break a trusting heart like mine was just your style
Well, I cried for you—now it’s your turn to cry awhile
I’m on the fringes of the night, fighting back tears that I can’t control
Some people they ain’t human, they got no heart or soul
|
Cry A While |
|
I’m gonna buy me a barrel of whiskey—I’ll die before I turn senile
|
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|
|
|
I got my back to the sun ’cause the light is too intense
I can see what everybody in the world is up against
You can’t turn back—you can’t come back, sometimes we push too far
One day you’ll open up your eyes and you’ll see where we are
|
Sugar Baby |
|
You always got to be prepared but you never know for what
|
|
|
There ain’t no limit to the amount of trouble women bring
Love is pleasing, love is teasing, love’s not an evil thing
|
|
|
Every moment of existence seems like some dirty trick
|
|
|
Try to make things better for someone, sometimes, you just end up making it a thousand times worse
Your charms have broken many a heart and mine is surely one
You got a way of tearing the world apart. Love, see what you done
|
|
|
QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
|
Today's the day, gonna grab my trombone and blow
Well, there's hot stuff here and it's everywhere I go
Gonna forget about myself for a while, gonna go out and see what others need
Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king
I wouldn't betray your love or any other thing
Shame on your greed, shame on your wicked schemes
I'll say this, I don't give a damn about your dreams
|
Thunder On The Mountain |
2006
Modern Times |
|
|
I'm wild about you, gal
You ought to be a fool about me
I'm as pale as a ghost
Holding a blossom on a stem
You ever seen a ghost? No
But you have heard of them
|
Spirit On The Water |
|
I won’t be with you in paradise
And it seems so unfair
I can't go to paradise no more
I killed a man back there
|
|
|
|
|
Well, I did all I know just to keep you off my mind
Well, I paid and I paid and my sufferin' heart is always on the line
I ain't nobody's house boy, I ain't nobody's well trained maid
Well, I got up this mornin', seen the rising sun return
Sooner or later you too shall burn
I've been conjuring up all these long dead souls from their crumblin' tombs
|
Rollin' And Tumblin' |
|
|
|
My bewildered brain, toils in vain
Through the darkness on the pathways of life
|
When The Deal Goes Down |
|
We live and we die, we know not why
But I'll be with you when the deal goes down
We all wear the same thorny crown
Soul to soul, our shadows roll
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down
|
|
|
I heard the deafening noise, I felt transient joys
I know they're not what they seem
In this earthly domain, full of disappointment and pain
You'll never see me frown
|
|
|
|
|
When I was young, driving was my crave
You drive me so hard, almost to the grave
Living this way ain't a natural thing to do
Why was I born to love you?
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry po' me any more
|
Someday Baby |
|
|
|
Just sitting here trying to keep the hunger from
Creeping it's way into my gut
I'll drag ‘em all down to hell and I'll stand ‘em at the wall
I'll sell ‘em to their enemies
|
Workingman's Blues #2 |
|
Sometimes no one wants what we got
Sometimes you can't give it away
|
|
|
No man, no woman knows
The hour that sorrow will come
I can see for myself that the sun is sinking
How I wish you were here to see
|
|
|
In you, my friend, I find no blame
Wanna look in my eyes, please do
|
|
|
Some people never worked a day in their life
Don't know what work even means
Meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind
Bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the front line
Sing a little bit of these workingman's blues
|
|
|
|
|
Beyond the horizon, in the Springtime or Fall
Love waits forever for one and for all
Beyond the horizon someone prayed for your soul
It's dark and it's dreary
Ive been pleading in vain
I'm old and I'm weary
My repentance is plain
|
Beyond The Horizon |
|
|
|
Gonna travel the world is what I'm gonna do
Then come back and see you
I loved you then and ever shall
But there's no one here that's left to tell
The world has gone black before my eyes
The world of research has gone berserk
Too much paperwork
They say whiskey will kill ya, but I don't think it will
I'm riding with you to the top of the hill
The Judge is coming in, everybody rise
Lift up your eyes
You can do what you please, you don't need my advice
Before you call me any dirty names you better think twice
I'm going to make you come to grips with fate
When I'm through with you, you'll learn to keep your business straight
|
Nettie Moore |
|
I loved you then and ever shall
But there's no one here left to tell
The world has gone black before my eyes
|
|
|
|
|
Put on your cat clothes, Mama, put on your evening dress
A few more years of hard work then there'll be a thousand years of happiness
If it keep on rainin' the levee gonna break
Some people still sleepin', some people are wide awake
|
The Levee's Gonna Break |
|
|
|
As I walked out tonight in the mystic garden
The wounded flowers were dangling from the vines
I was passing by yon cool and crystal fountain
Someone hit me from behind
They say prayer has the power to help
So pray for me, mother
In the human heart an evil spirit can dwell
I'm trying to love my neighbor and do good unto others
But oh, mother, things ain't going well
If I catch my opponents ever sleepin'
I'll just slaughter them where they lie
They will tear your mind away from contemplation
They will jump on your misfortune when you're down
They will crush you with wealth and power
Every waking moment you could crack
|
Ain't Talkin' |
|
I practice a faith that's been long abandoned
Ain't no altars on this long and lonesome road
|
|
|
The fire's gone out but the light is never dying
Who says I can't get heavenly aid?
Walkin' with a toothache in my heel
There's no one here, the gardener is gone
|
|
|
QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
|
Just as long as you stay with me
The whole world is my throne
We'll keep on lovin' pretty baby
For as long as love will last
Beyond here lies nothin'
Nothin' done and nothin' said
|
Beyond Here Lies Nothin' |
2008
Together Through Life |
|
|
I don’t know what's wrong or right
I just know I need strength to fight
I don’t know what's wrong or right
I just know I need strength to fight
Strength to fight that world outside
My dreams are locked and barred
Admitting life is hard
Without you near me
|
Life Is Hard |
|
|
|
There ain’t no way you can put me down
I just wanna say that hell’s my wife’s home town
Make things bad, she can make things worse
She got stuff more potent than a gypsy curse
One of these days I’ll end up on the run
I'm pretty sure she'll make me kill someone
State gone broke, the county's dry
Don't be lookin' at me with that evil eye
|
My Wife's Home Town |
|
|
|
You'll be asking for trouble if you’re looking for a fight
If you ever go to Houston, boy you better walk right
Well I know these streets, I’ve been here before
I nearly got killed here during the Mexican War
Put my tears in a bottle, screw the top on tight
If you ever go to Houston, boy you’d better walk right
|
If You Ever Go To Houston |
|
|
|
Can't take much more
Why can't we love like we did before
|
Forgetful Heart |
|
All night long
I lay awake and listen to the sound of pain
|
|
|
The door has closed thru ever more
If indeed there ever was a door
|
|
|
|
|
You're something nice, I'm gonna bet my dice
I can't say I haven't paid the price
Well I found out the hard way, I've had my fill
You can't fight somebody with his back to a hill
Jolene, Jolene
Baby I am the king and you're the queen
|
Jolene |
|
|
|
How long can I stay
In this nowhere cafe 'fore night turns into day
I'm lost in the crowd, all my tears are gone
All I have and all I know
Is this dream of you which keeps me living on
I'll run this race until my earthly death
|
This Dream Of You |
|
|
|
Dreams never did work for me anyway
Even when they did come true
Some people they tell me
I got the blood of the land in my voice
Everybody got all the flowers
I don't have one single rose
|
I Feel A Change Comin' On |
|
|
|
Wives are leavin' their husbands; they're beginning to roam.
They leave the party and they never get home.
I wouldn't change it even if I could
Brick by brick, they tear you down.
A teacup of water is enough to drown.
Gonna pluck off your beard and blow it in your face.
This time tomorrow I'll be rollin' in your place
|
It's All Good |
|
QUOTE |
SONG |
ALBUM |
|
I can hear a sweet voice gently calling
Must be the Mother of our Lord
You ole rascal, I know exactly where you're goin’
I'll lead you there myself at the break of day
I wake up every morning with that woman in my bed
Everybody telling me she's gone to my head
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowin’
Blowin’ like it's gonna kill me dead
|
Duquesne Whistle |
2012
Tempest |
|
|
I'm searching for phrases
To sing your praises
I need to tell someone
It's soon after midnight
And my day has just begun
|
Soon after Midnight |
|
My heart is cheerful
It's never fearful
I've been down on the killing floors
|
|
|
Mary dresses in green
It's soon after midnight
And I've got a date with a fairy queen
Two Timing Slim
Who's ever heard of him?
I'll drag his corpse through the mud
|
|
|
|
|
I kissed her cheek I dragged your plow
You broke my heart, I was your friend 'til now
We looted and we plundered on distant shores
Why is my share not equal to yours
This is hard country to stay alive in
Blades are everywhere and they're breaking my skin
I'm armed to the hilt and I'm struggling hard
You won't get out of here unscarred
You got too many lovers waiting at the wall
If I had a thousand tongues, I couldn't count them all
Yesterday I could've thrown them all in the sea
Today, even one may be too much for me
I want to take you on a roller coaster ride
Lay my hands all over you, tie you to my side
Im still hurting from an arrow that pierced my chest
I'm gonna have to take my head and bury it between your breasts
|
Narrow Way |
|
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I can't work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
|
|
|
|
|
Last night I heard you talkin in your sleep
Saying things you shouldn't say, oh baby
You just may have to go to jail someday
I ain't seen my family in twenty years
That ain't easy to understand, they may be dead by now
I lost track of them after they lost their land
What are you doing out there in the sun anyway?
Don't you know, the sun can burn your brains right out
He was run down hard and he broke apart
He died in shame, he had an iron heart
|
Long And Wasted Years |
|
I wear dark glasses to cover my eyes
There are secrets in them that I can't disguise
|
|
|
We cried on a cold and frosty morn
We cried because our souls were torn
So much for tears
So much for these long and wasted years
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Sooner or later you'll make a mistake
I'll put you in a chain that you never can break
Legs and arms and body and bone
I pay in blood, but not my own
The more I take, the more I give
The more I die, the more I live
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Pay In Blood |
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Low cards are what I've got
But I'll play this hand whether I like it or not
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You have the same eyes that your mother does
If only you could prove who your father was
I'll give you justice, I'll fatten your purse
Show me your moral virtues first
You've been accused of murder, how do you plead?
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Little Boy Blue come blow your horn
In Scarlet Town where I was born
Put your heart on a platter and see who'll bite
See who'll hold you and kiss you good night
I’m staying up late and I’m making amends
While the smile of heaven descends
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Scarlet Town |
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They're peddlers and they're meddlers, they buy and they sell
They destroyed your city, they'll destroy you as well
I'll dress up your wounds with a blood clotted rag
I ain't afraid to make love to a bitch or a hag
Ding dong daddy, you're coming up short
Gonna put you on trial in a Sicilian court
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Early Roman Kings |
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If you see me go by, put up a prayer
The gun went boom and the shot rang clear
First bullet grazed his ear
Second ball went right straight in
And he bent in the middle like a twisted pin
"All husbands are good men, as all wives know"
Then she pierced him to the heart and his blood did flow
All three lovers together in a heap
Thrown into the grave forever to sleep
Funeral torches blazed away
Through the towns and the villages all night and all day
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Tin Angel |
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The pale moon rose in its glory out on the western town
She told a sad, sad story of the great ship that went down
Lights were holding steady, gliding over the foam
All the lords and ladies heading for their eternal home
Leo took his sketchbook, he was often so inclined
He closed his eyes and painted the scenery in his mind
Cupid struck his bosom and broke it with a snap
The closest woman to him he fell into her lap
He staggered to the quarterdeck. No time now to sleep
Water on the quarterdeck already three foot deep
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Tempest |
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The ship was going under. The universe had opened wide
The roll was called up yonder. The angels turned aside
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The veil was torn asunder 'tween the hours of twelve and one
No change, no sudden wonder could undo what had been done
The watchman lay there dreaming at fourtyfive degrees
He dreamed that the Titanic was sinking dropping to her knees
Brother rose up 'gainst brother in every circumstance
They fought and slaughtered each other in a deadly dance
The bishop left his cabin to help all those in need
Turned his eyes up to the heavens said, "The poor are yours to feed"
Jim Dandy smiled, he'd never learned to swim
Saw the little crippled child and he gave his seat to him
He saw the starlight shining, streaming from the East
Death was on the rampage but his heart was now at peace
Leo said to Cleo, "I think I'm going mad"
But he'd lost his mind already, whatever mind he
had
There were many, many others, nameless here forever more
They'd never sailed the ocean or left their homes before
The Captain, barely breathing kneeling at the wheel
Above him and beneath him fifty thousand tons of steel
He looked over at his compass and he gazed into its face
Needle pointing downward. He knew he'd lost the race
When the Reaper's task had ended sixteen hundred had gone to rest
The good, the bad, the rich, the poor. The loveliest and the best
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They waited at the landing and they tried to understand
But there is no understanding on the judgement of God's hand
The news came over the wires and struck with deadly force
Love had lost its fires, all things had run their course
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They shot him in the back and down he went
I heard the news today, oh boy
They hauled your ship up on the shore
Now the city gone dark, there is no more joy
They tore the heart right out and cut it to the core
Slow down you're moving way too fast
Come together right now over me
Your bones are weary, you're about to breathe your last
Lord, you know how hard that it can be
They'll trap you in an ambush before you know
Too late now to sail back home
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Roll On John |
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