Radio Paradise (mobile)

The sweet pretty things are in bed now, of course
The city fathers, they're trying to endorse
The reincarnation of Paul Revere's horse
But the town has no need to be nervous
The ghost of Belle Starr, she hands down her wits
To Jezebel the nun, she violently knits
A bald wig for Jack the Ripper, who sits
At the head of the Chamber of Commerce
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues
The hysterical bride in the penny arcade
Screaming, she moans, "I've just been made"
Then sends for the doctor who pulls down the shade
And says, "My advice is to not let the boys in"
Now the medicine man comes and he shuffles inside
He walks with a swagger and he says to the bride
"Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride
You will not die, it's not poison"
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues
Well, John the Baptist, after torturing a thief
Looks up at his hero the Commander-in-Chief
Saying, "Tell me, great hero, but please make it brief
Is there a hole for me to get sick in?"
The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly
Saying, "Death to all those who would whimper and cry"
And dropping a barbell, he points to the sky
Saying, "The sun's not yellow, it's chicken"
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues
The king of the Philistines, his soldiers to save
Puts jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves
Puts the pied pipers in prison and fattens the slaves
Then sends them out to the jungle
Gypsy Davey with a blowtorch, he burns out their camps
With his faithful slave Pedro, behind him he tramps
With a fantastic collection of stamps
To win friends and influence his uncle
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food
I'm in trouble with the tombstone blues
The geometry of innocent flesh on the bone
Causes Galileo's math book to get thrown
At Delilah, who's sitting worthlessly alone
But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter
I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
I would set him in chains at the top of the hill
Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
He could die happily ever after
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues
Where Ma Rainey and Beethoven once unwrapped a bed roll
Tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole
And the National Bank, at a profit, sells road maps for the soul
To the old folks home and the college
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
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues

jamesat43 May 18, 2013 - 14:48	sirdroseph wrote: One of my all time favorite song lines; "The suns not yellow, it's just chicken!" I had it on the back of my old car. Only ever had one person tell me they recognized it, so I decided to marry her. Feel free to try that at home: CafePress Dylan Sticker [ Reply ]
davekave Apr 17, 2013 - 07:06	I can't stand his voice! [ Reply ]
vaos Apr 17, 2013 - 07:05	No disrespect to Dylan lovers, but I'm a proud member of the Bob Dylan Sounds Like A Chainsaw Society. [ Reply ]
motobecane Mar 16, 2013 - 20:24	MJdub wrote: I would argue that talent is truly determined by one's ability in comparison to other individuals that have demonstrated great proficiency with their instrument/voice etc. I do believe that Dylan has great songwriting talent, as I've seen what others have done with songs he's written. I just think that in the performance department his talent is lacking. There are millions of people that think what's on the radio is true talent....and the size of the deluded masses doesn't make it true. Comparing Dylan to other accomplished vocalists, I have to conclude personally that he lacks vocal talent. Anyway, I'm glad you're able to enjoy it and agree 100% with the second half of your post. I don't like it but I wouldn't take this song off of RP if I could Cheers. Talent. I don't think that word means what you think it does. This IS talent. 100 if the scale went that high. [ Reply ]
Lazarus Mar 16, 2013 - 20:21	On_The_Beach wrote: Looks good. Thanks for posting. Thank you! Hope you are having a marvelous weekend... everybody in my church be dancing... love this song... [ Reply ]
Highlowsel Feb 13, 2013 - 11:30	The_Enemy wrote: Maybe it's an age thing? "Yellow" meant "Coward" in the 60s. One doesn't hear the word used like that lately. And so Dylan ages, along with the rest of his generation. Some of his stuff will survive and morph into something pertinent to those who listen with fresh ears at some later point in time. Some of it will lose its relevance and pass into the past unremembered. Same as it is for all artists. The jury is still out on how, and if, he'll be remember some 100years from now, but I suspect his memory will grow fainter as the generation he's rooted within fades away. Much the same as all past troubadours, though he did shine bright for a time didn't he? So it goes. Highlow American Net'Zen [ Reply ]
Axelito Feb 13, 2013 - 11:24	It is endless? How many PSD am i gonna have to throw?!! [ Reply ]
gemtag Sep 10, 2012 - 10:31	joelbb wrote: Bite me, Gemtag. You've never written a sentence that clever, much less put it into a blues number. Such blind aggression. You should have that looked at. [ Reply ]
On_The_Beach Sep 09, 2012 - 11:37	romeotuma wrote: Dylan has a brand new album out called Tempest that has received a five star rating from RollingStone — you can see more data about the new album here... Looks good. Thanks for posting. [ Reply ]
rustie Sep 09, 2012 - 11:33	If you could only give one song an eleven this might be it. Let's see, it's1965 and you hear this: "the geometry of innocent flesh on the bone, causes Galileo's math book to get thrown" -guess you had to be there. [ Reply ]
(former member) Sep 09, 2012 - 11:24	joelbb wrote: And they should, Romeo. THIS is the Dylan that made him famous. His lyrics were just spectacular. And this album sounds like a greatest hits collection: every cut is historic. Dylan has a brand new album out called Tempest that has received a five star rating from RollingStone — you can see more data about the new album here... [ Reply ]
joelbb Sep 09, 2012 - 11:21	gemtag wrote: The sun is not yellow, it's chicken? Give me a break. Bite me, Gemtag. You've never written a sentence that clever, much less put it into a blues number. [ Reply ]
gemtag Sep 09, 2012 - 11:19	The sun is not yellow, it's chicken? Give me a break. [ Reply ]
joelbb Sep 09, 2012 - 11:19	romeotuma wrote: Everybody in my hotel room loves this song... And they should, Romeo. THIS is the Dylan that made him famous. His lyrics were just spectacular. And this album sounds like a greatest hits collection: every cut is historic. That's Mike Bloomfield playing guitar, in case you wondered where those outstanding licks came from back in the mid-60s. [ Reply ]
GalileoCoffeeCo Sep 09, 2012 - 11:19	Bob! [ Reply ]
(former member) Sep 09, 2012 - 11:16	Everybody in my hotel room loves this song... [ Reply ]
Proclivities Dec 31, 2011 - 06:16	The_Enemy wrote: Maybe it's an age thing? "Yellow" meant "Coward" in the 60s. One doesn't hear the word used like that lately. That's funny how that term isn't used much since the 60's. If you watch movies from the 1930's and 40's, you'll hear it a lot. "What's a'matter, are ya' yella or somethin'? [ Reply ]
unclehud Nov 29, 2011 - 14:28	You know, the only Dylan tunes I really like are the "spoken" ones like this and, say, 115th Dream . Perhaps it's because they accentuate his storytelling abilty without the distraction of his ... ahem ... singing ability. [ Reply ]
LowPhreak Jul 26, 2011 - 11:02	duffy11 wrote: and I know of at least one person who's elevated him to near-deity status musically, ... Just an FYI: Zimmy has been Full Deity Status for quite some time now. [ Reply ]
midreaming May 24, 2011 - 08:58	The_Enemy wrote: Maybe it's an age thing? "Yellow" meant "Coward" in the 60s. One doesn't hear the word used like that lately. Anybody who listens to Dylan takes something different from his stuff. But I'm pretty sure chicken does not equal "coward" here. To me that sounds too pedestrian for Dylan's poetic nature. Dylan confessed to a fascination with the Carnivals that blew through Minnesota when he was young, caught by something unexplainable when he saw a character dressed as "Napoleon in black face" makeup. When he got to New York he found himself surrounded by a theater of the absurd in the Basket Houses he played and hung out in. The absurd was growing all around him and everybody at that time, in art and politics. I'd say the absurd in Art questioned the absurd in politics, especially in Dylan's case. Dylan is sometimes silly and sometimes personal and introspective. It's up to listeners to decide which and when. I think they call that Art. [ Reply ]