 Highway 61 Revisited (1965) [ larger cover art ] |
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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 (Cary, North Carolina) | Posted: 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 |
| davekave | Posted: Apr 17, 2013 - 07:06 I can't stand his voice! |
| vaos (maastricht / liège) | Posted: 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. |
| motobecane | Posted: 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. |
| Lazarus (Bethany) | Posted: 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... |
| Highlowsel (New York City) | Posted: 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 |
| Axelito (France) | Posted: Feb 13, 2013 - 11:24 It is endless? How many PSD am i gonna have to throw?!! |
| gemtag (Texas) | Posted: 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. |
| On_The_Beach (The Blue Planet) | Posted: 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. |
| rustie (Temecula, CA) | Posted: 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. |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: 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... |
| joelbb | Posted: 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. |
| gemtag (Texas) | Posted: Sep 09, 2012 - 11:19 The sun is not yellow, it's chicken? Give me a break. |
| joelbb | Posted: 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. |
| GalileoCoffeeCo | Posted: Sep 09, 2012 - 11:19 Bob! |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Sep 09, 2012 - 11:16 Everybody in my hotel room loves this song... |
| Proclivities (Carrboro, NC) | Posted: 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'? |
| unclehud (300 feet above the planet) | Posted: 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. |
| LowPhreak (United Corporate States of Neo-Feudal Amurika, Inc.) | Posted: 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.  |
| midreaming | Posted: 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. 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. |
| The_Enemy (...is within) | Posted: May 24, 2011 - 07:40 impediguy wrote: My parents used to ask my cousin why he liked Bob Dylan so much when "he can't sing"? My cousin would reply "it's his lyrics"! But I wonder what he was really "thinking" when I hear lyrics like "the sun's not yellow; it's chicken"? Maybe it's an age thing? "Yellow" meant "Coward" in the 60s. One doesn't hear the word used like that lately. |
| The_Enemy (...is within) | Posted: May 24, 2011 - 07:38 10! 10! 10!!!!! |
| a_genuine_find (not me, Radio P) (3rd stone, sol, orion belt, milkyway) | Posted: May 24, 2011 - 07:35    |
| wrangler (swamps of jersey) | Posted: May 24, 2011 - 07:32 happy birthday bob!  |
| davedog (Twin Cities, MN) | Posted: May 24, 2011 - 07:32 Happy Birthday Bob! |
| impediguy | Posted: Apr 22, 2011 - 18:38 sirdroseph wrote: That is actually one of my favorite lyrics of all time! I guess I wasn't "old enough" to understand, or something like that.  |
| sirdroseph (Yes) | Posted: Apr 22, 2011 - 18:27 impediguy wrote: My parents used to ask my cousin why he liked Bob Dylan so much when "he can't sing"? My cousin would reply "it's his lyrics"! But I wonder what he was really "thinking" when I hear lyrics like "the sun's not yellow; it's chicken"? That is actually one of my favorite lyrics of all time! |
| impediguy | Posted: Apr 22, 2011 - 18:23 My parents used to ask my cousin why he liked Bob Dylan so much when "he can't sing"? My cousin would reply "it's his lyrics"! But I wonder what he was really "thinking" when I hear lyrics like "the sun's not yellow; it's chicken"? |
| Lumpy13 | Posted: Apr 22, 2011 - 18:22 Love this song, one of Dylan's best, but I have always thought the drum beat was a little off (too fast). Anyone else hear that? Maybe it was done on purpose? |
| sirdroseph (Yes) | Posted: Mar 22, 2011 - 05:09 9 -> 10. What was I thinking?? |
| On_The_Beach (Vancouver BC, Bud) | Posted: Feb 18, 2011 - 19:30 midreaming wrote: A single hook to rest your hat. (see full post below) Great post, midreaming. Bob (along with Neil Young, Tom Waits and a very few others) is the last of the "real" artists in a plastic, airbrushed, Auto-Tuned world. Yes, there is plenty of interesting new music out there, as RP demonstrates on a daily basis, but there will never be another Dylan, of that we can be sure. |
| midreaming | Posted: Jan 18, 2011 - 14:51 jeff303 wrote: So, maybe I'm strange but I've never heard any Dylan I enjoyed. I find most of his songs to be annoying and uninteresting (including this one). This is a bit alarming to me since he is so highly renowned, and I like nearly almost everything else played on RP. So, anyone have recommendations for noobie-friendly Dylan? A single hook to rest your hat. the rest are up to you cause after all that's half the fun and frankly I don't think you're gonna get it anyway..... in a world pre-occupied with surface level everything and glamorous appearance, in the new and perfect or beyond perfect even - conspicuously unreal it's so perfect - Dylan's voice and inflection are sincere and real, like a hard rain or a broken wheel . There's no lie, no hidden mtv agenda, no false appearance. I don't have to wonder who or what's behind it, like every time I see Keanu Reeves in a movie that would have been great otherwise. I'm not even old enough to be jaded but already I'm sick of the done-up world, the commercial slick that's everywhere. The modern world hasn't made life easier it's only changed the game. Getting by in life isn't about anything real anymore. It's about your hair color, the size of your boobs, the car you drive, or the people you tolerate on Saturday afternoon who, if they're in their "right" mind are also lead by their hair color, the size of their boobs and the car they drive. It's circular insanity. The closer I get to what's considered proper functionality in this world the further I find myself from knowing what it is to be a decent grounded human being. Dylan said listening to Woodie Guthrie he could learn how to live in this world. I would suggest Dylan is on a short list of artists, along w/ W.G, who can and could (then and now) express the human spirit without the world's superficial affectations glommed on like the smarmy boss you catch looking down your shirt or constantly has his hand on your butt. Dylan's sincerity, with his poetry, can place your mind at the middle of your soul and make that an ok place to be. I'd pay to go there over Disneyland anyday. Goodluck with that ..oh, i guess instead of the fish I gave you the fishing pole.. yea well.. like i said, good luck |
| MJdub (California) | Posted: Jan 18, 2011 - 14:40 MilSF1 wrote: Ah but there is the crux. Talent is only determined by the opinion of others. The consensus opinion is that he has talent, ipso facto, he has talent. 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. |
| MilSF1 (Arkadelphia, AR) | Posted: Jan 18, 2011 - 14:24 Canlistener wrote: Another rambling, inane pile of crap from a guy who some how duped a lot of people into thinking he had talent. Ah but there is the crux. Talent is only determined by the opinion of others. The consensus opinion is that he has talent, ipso facto, he has talent. That does not make the obverse false of course; there is no objective truth in such a subjective question. To promulgate the idea that we have been "duped" is tantamount to espousing the fallacy that one opinion is "more true" than another.In summation, dude, chill. It's o.k. for others to like him and it's o.k. for you to hate him. We know what we feel, and you know what you feel. It's all o.k. —MDG |
| MJdub (California) | Posted: Jan 18, 2011 - 14:03 I've never understood the appeal of Bob Dylan. Easily one of the worst singers I've ever heard and that automatically precludes me from enjoying it. I assume the appeal is from the lyrics...I'm sure there's something deep in the lyrics somewhere...I just can't get past the sound of it. I don't understand why he wouldn't just write a book of poetry instead. Even the music is quite mediocre, so when I tune out the vocals it's not any more interesting.  |
| duffy11 | Posted: Jan 18, 2011 - 13:49 jeff303 wrote: So, maybe I'm strange but I've never heard any Dylan I enjoyed. I find most of his songs to be annoying and uninteresting (including this one). This is a bit alarming to me since he is so highly renowned, and I like nearly almost everything else played on RP. So, anyone have recommendations for noobie-friendly Dylan? Gotta say I'm with you here. I know he's well-regarded, and I know of at least one person who's elevated him to near-deity status musically, but I've yet to hear anything of his that I'd buy. Go figure. |
| DarkGlobe (The House of Love, E17) | Posted: Jan 18, 2011 - 13:44 So cool |
| Bazooka (Honolulu, HI USA) | Posted: Dec 18, 2010 - 04:06 ok, this is pretty cool...but, oh i forgot...? |
| The_Enemy (...is within) | Posted: Nov 16, 2010 - 10:26 10 |
| bobcat1963 (the netherlands) | Posted: Jun 10, 2010 - 05:07 what a fine combination of Rockabilly - Mike Bloomfield on guitar - with the vocals of Bob, great R'N'R voice at that time > love it! |
| Frater_Kork (Uppsala, Sweden) | Posted: Jun 10, 2010 - 05:06 Highway 61 Revisited should be reference materiel in Social Commentary 101. |
| On_The_Beach (Vancouver BC, Bud) | Posted: Apr 07, 2010 - 18:30 Art_Carnage wrote: I feel sorry for those that don't get it. I don't; there's plenty of Nickelback and Twisted Sister to keep them happy. ; ) |
| duchamp (Hardwood Hammock) | Posted: Apr 07, 2010 - 18:07 all these years and I still enjoy this one. |
| Canlistener (Ontario Canada) | Posted: Apr 07, 2010 - 18:03 Another rambling, inane pile of crap from a guy who some how duped a lot of people into thinking he had talent. |
| Paul_in_Australia (Melbourne) | Posted: Mar 07, 2010 - 02:58 dogpound wrote: from the church of the overrated. ...to the graveyard of opinion? |
| dogpound (the island on which I belong) | Posted: Feb 03, 2010 - 15:12 from the church of the overrated. |
| papaman (Downstate New Mexico) | Posted: Feb 03, 2010 - 15:10 whatever. |
| sirdroseph (Outer Mongolia) | Posted: Feb 03, 2010 - 15:07 One of my all time favorite song lines; "The suns not yellow, it's just chicken!" |
| toterola (Further) | Posted: Nov 01, 2009 - 10:54 j7 wrote: If Bob Dylan hadn't been born, we'd have one less horrible singer in the world. I'm getting the sinking suspicion that this "j7" is kin to Excelsior. It bears watching. I was listening to this the other day, thinking about how Dylan switched it into overdrive at this point in his career. Unreal. |
| Art_Carnage (DeepintheheartofTexas) | Posted: Nov 01, 2009 - 10:42 I feel sorry for those that don't get it. |