Bob Dylan — Desolation Row
Album: Highway 61 RevisitedAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 3306
Length: 11:18
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They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tightrope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad, they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row
Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pocket
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning
"You belong to me, I believe"
And someone says, "You're in the wrong place, my friend
You'd better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row
Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortune telling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody's making love
Or else expecting rain
And the good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival
Tonight on Desolation Row
Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her 22nd birthday
She already is an old maid
To her death is quite romantic
She wears an ironed vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking into
Desolation Row
Einstein disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
Now he looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
You would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row
Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They are trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have mercy on his soul"
They all play on the penny whistle
You can hear them blow
If you lean your head out far enough
From Desolation Row
Across the street they've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready for the feast
The phantom of the opera
In a perfect image of a priest
They are spoon-feeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the phantom shouting to skinny girls
"Get out of here if you don't know"
Casanova is just being punished
For going to Desolation Row
At midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
And they bring them to the factory
Where their heart attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row
Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
Everybody's shouting
"Which side are you on?"
And Ezra Pound and T.S. Elliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row
Yes, I received your letter yesterday
About the time the doorknob broke
When you asked me how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mentioned
Yes, I know them, they are 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
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tightrope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad, they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row
Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pocket
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning
"You belong to me, I believe"
And someone says, "You're in the wrong place, my friend
You'd better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row
Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortune telling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody's making love
Or else expecting rain
And the good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival
Tonight on Desolation Row
Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her 22nd birthday
She already is an old maid
To her death is quite romantic
She wears an ironed vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking into
Desolation Row
Einstein disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
Now he looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
You would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row
Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They are trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have mercy on his soul"
They all play on the penny whistle
You can hear them blow
If you lean your head out far enough
From Desolation Row
Across the street they've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready for the feast
The phantom of the opera
In a perfect image of a priest
They are spoon-feeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the phantom shouting to skinny girls
"Get out of here if you don't know"
Casanova is just being punished
For going to Desolation Row
At midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
And they bring them to the factory
Where their heart attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row
Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
Everybody's shouting
"Which side are you on?"
And Ezra Pound and T.S. Elliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row
Yes, I received your letter yesterday
About the time the doorknob broke
When you asked me how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mentioned
Yes, I know them, they are 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
Comments (781)add comment
…10. love love the way this sounds. why I show up here in the first place. 
Uh oh.
This song reminds me. Time to take a day road trip on Highway 61 in Oct 2024. Get lost in that strange NE Missouri notch.
The colors are out!
This song reminds me. Time to take a day road trip on Highway 61 in Oct 2024. Get lost in that strange NE Missouri notch.
The colors are out!
apsteinmetz wrote:
Oh grow the eff up. If you want a pleasant singing voice then there's plenty of pop music for you to choose from. Dylan is a poet, a storyteller, who chooses to do so set to music. Same as his idol/mentor Woody Guthrie before him.
now go back to your Britney Spears channel...
ugh. Stop it, already. Before water boarding, the CIA used Dylan songs on VC prisoners. It was effective, but Dylan was offended on two levels, insulted and didn’t want to help the war machine. He was mollified when the CIA offered him royalties.
Oh grow the eff up. If you want a pleasant singing voice then there's plenty of pop music for you to choose from. Dylan is a poet, a storyteller, who chooses to do so set to music. Same as his idol/mentor Woody Guthrie before him.
now go back to your Britney Spears channel...
Oldfastbowler wrote:
Many decades ago, WBCN FM, 104.1, The Rock of Boston. RP reminds me of that radio pioneer and its 43-year legacy that finally petered out in 2009.
Always liked this track........but has anyone heard it on the radio? Well done RP!!!
Many decades ago, WBCN FM, 104.1, The Rock of Boston. RP reminds me of that radio pioneer and its 43-year legacy that finally petered out in 2009.
idiot_wind wrote:
Yes, amen to this!!!
Ahhhh.
The master at the top of his game. No one else can touch him. Unbelievable.
Masterpiece. Nobel masterpiece.
Yes, amen to this!!!
My Chemical Romance
https://youtu.be/FOuSxal8pf4?s...
https://youtu.be/FOuSxal8pf4?s...
I really like the slower tempo "alternate take" of Desolation Row from The Bootleg Series Vol. 7. Definitely worth a listen if you enjoy this song.
I agree with Bill's introduction to this song, "it's not probably the best, it is the best"...
Probably one of the best things ever created by human genius.
17.5/10.
17.5/10.
ugh. Stop it, already. Before water boarding, the CIA used Dylan songs on VC prisoners. It was effective, but Dylan was offended on two levels, insulted and didn’t want to help the war machine. He was mollified when the CIA offered him royalties.
matt pless, modern day bob dylan - nero
the way "desolation row" is sung here is the way matt sings "rome burn down"
the way "desolation row" is sung here is the way matt sings "rome burn down"
He deserved a Nobel just for remembering all those dang lyrics...
Ahhhh.
The master at the top of his game. No one else can touch him. Unbelievable.
Masterpiece. Nobel masterpiece.
And this Summer 2024 he's touring with Willie, Mellencamp, Robert Plant.
Go see him. Them.
The master at the top of his game. No one else can touch him. Unbelievable.
Masterpiece. Nobel masterpiece.
And this Summer 2024 he's touring with Willie, Mellencamp, Robert Plant.
Go see him. Them.
Some lovely guitar work in there, either
Mike Bloomfield – electric guitar
OR Charlie McCoy – guitar ("Desolation Row")
Mike Bloomfield – electric guitar
OR Charlie McCoy – guitar ("Desolation Row")
I've been sanding the new parque floor I installed in the companionway of my sportfisherman and listening to RP...it makes the chore a little easier. When this song or another classic comes on I have to stop, take a break and just listen, really hear the song. Thanks William!
Songs like this -- essentially a poem of disaffection set to a repeat melody -- is why Dylan is the only American songwriter to receive a Pulitzer Prize for "lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power". This lyrics here are genius. That is all.
Only 6.6...sad. Guess to really understand you had to be there. So happy I was.
Major kudos to you folks who can listen to this without running for the PSD. For me, this guy has brilliant lyrics, but I cringe at his delivery.
Roguewarer wrote:
Checking the comments, it seems you post this rant over and over... go get some therapy, we heard you the first time.
I’m a lover not a hater,
BUT!!… for this endless, repetitive, boring-ass ditty, I’ll make an exception.
ugh! If I could PSD, I would, but my Sonos app won’t let me. So it’s SNOOZE for the duration, 😡
I generally appreciate BD, but not this one. Don’t hate. We cool?
Checking the comments, it seems you post this rant over and over... go get some therapy, we heard you the first time.
12% 1's. This is a solid 8 from me!
I’m a lover not a hater,
BUT!!… for this endless, repetitive, boring-ass ditty, I’ll make an exception.
ugh! If I could PSD, I would, but my Sonos app won’t let me. So it’s SNOOZE for the duration, 😡
I generally appreciate BD, but not this one. Don’t hate. We cool?
BUT!!… for this endless, repetitive, boring-ass ditty, I’ll make an exception.
ugh! If I could PSD, I would, but my Sonos app won’t let me. So it’s SNOOZE for the duration, 😡
I generally appreciate BD, but not this one. Don’t hate. We cool?
Ooops. I forgot.
It's Dec 10, 2023. This is one of Bob's Christmas songs.
It's Dec 10, 2023. This is one of Bob's Christmas songs.
wastemyday1 wrote:
Oh looky.
We got an expert.
Thanks for figuring that one out.
It's time for Bob to give back that there Nobel prize.
Poetry ? No
Poetry is cohen
This is rhyming
Oh looky.
We got an expert.
Thanks for figuring that one out.
It's time for Bob to give back that there Nobel prize.
Poetry ? No
Poetry is cohen
This is rhyming
Poetry is cohen
This is rhyming
11 minutes of a sweet and powerful poison. I could listen to it on repeat.
... yes the poetry is brilliant.
but my god.
☝😩
he sure loves whalin on that harmonica don't he?
but my god.
☝😩
he sure loves whalin on that harmonica don't he?
9 -> 10. After all these years it just hit me this time around. Not just great. Godlike.
Great cover photo too!
Where's the eleven?
Oh my.
Saw dear ole Bob last week in concert. Twice. In KC and STL. Each venue was an opera house. You could hear everything.
Unusual set list. Not alot of classic hits. But god, was he good. His voice was great, surprisingly.
At times...the entire audience was spell bound. So quiet, you could hear a pin drop.
And brother Bob was magnificent. Hypnotizing. Mezmerizing.
And what doesn't get noticed enough is his piano playing; which he did all night. He has developed a "Monk" type style.
He's touring like a madman this year. You all should go see him.
Saw dear ole Bob last week in concert. Twice. In KC and STL. Each venue was an opera house. You could hear everything.
Unusual set list. Not alot of classic hits. But god, was he good. His voice was great, surprisingly.
At times...the entire audience was spell bound. So quiet, you could hear a pin drop.
And brother Bob was magnificent. Hypnotizing. Mezmerizing.
And what doesn't get noticed enough is his piano playing; which he did all night. He has developed a "Monk" type style.
He's touring like a madman this year. You all should go see him.
Sheer poetic brilliance 😊
Anyone giving this a 1 should lose the right to vote. Complete lunacy.
Might not be for everyone but just respect it for what it is and go back to enjoying whatever it is you might enjoy, I anticipate the list is limited.
Might not be for everyone but just respect it for what it is and go back to enjoying whatever it is you might enjoy, I anticipate the list is limited.
no,
Still no, Muted.
By all means, enjoy it at your will.
it’s a cringe tune for me.
Still no, Muted.
By all means, enjoy it at your will.
it’s a cringe tune for me.
Liked Williams' post song comment about hearing this song done by a street player on the banjo. After the song William said he gave him 20 bucks. I would have given him 30 bucks to stop...
brilliant. phenomenal. timeless
Cant help but think of Bullwinkle everytime I hear Dylan!
I saw a post on FB with Bob Dylan in a photo with others in the We Are The World photo shoot. Moments later, this starts, coincidence?
LLRP
LLRP
Wow.
Imagine getting a ice tea at a gas station along Hhy 61 and bumping into Brother Bob and Allen Ginsberg.
And Allen wants to take your photo. You and Bob pose.
That would have been sublime.
Imagine getting a ice tea at a gas station along Hhy 61 and bumping into Brother Bob and Allen Ginsberg.
And Allen wants to take your photo. You and Bob pose.
That would have been sublime.
jjbix37 wrote:
They say the same thing about the actual Highway 61.
But once you get on it, start to drive it with the windows down...and then realize you're in Keokuk, Iowa...only then can you fully appreciate that damn harp playing at the end of this song.
And that feeling is double for Hannibal, MO. But at least they got fireworks stands, open 12 months a year. Not 11.
Ain't nothing like shooting off rockets and fountains and roman candles up into the night sky and of course, cursing the duds. Those darn duds.
i know it's Dylan and he's great and all that , but this song is tedious IMHO
They say the same thing about the actual Highway 61.
But once you get on it, start to drive it with the windows down...and then realize you're in Keokuk, Iowa...only then can you fully appreciate that damn harp playing at the end of this song.
And that feeling is double for Hannibal, MO. But at least they got fireworks stands, open 12 months a year. Not 11.
Ain't nothing like shooting off rockets and fountains and roman candles up into the night sky and of course, cursing the duds. Those darn duds.
He's pretty good this guy, isn't he.
jjbix37 wrote:
and don't forget...he's not a good harp player
and he looks kind of weird
and hes hard to understand sometimes
oh my!
i know it's Dylan and he's great and all that , but this song is tedious IMHO
and don't forget...he's not a good harp player
and he looks kind of weird
and hes hard to understand sometimes
oh my!
i know it's Dylan and he's great and all that , but this song is tedious IMHO
do do do do...do do...do do do do
mattenuttall wrote:
Just Googled "Desolation Row Painting". Found two different versions, one is interactive. So much for my "original" idea from 3 years ago.
If I had skill as a painter, I'd paint the vignettes from this song onto one great big rollicking canvas.... An easy 10 for me.
Just Googled "Desolation Row Painting". Found two different versions, one is interactive. So much for my "original" idea from 3 years ago.
Sorry, Dylan fans: "Poetry schmoetry!"
I usually don't mind me some Dylan, but THIS ditty is tired, repetitive, monotonous, plodding, & inane.
Always catch myself thinking, "My god! When will these verses STOP!?
ENOUGH, already!"
oh well.... thanks for asking for my feedback!!
I usually don't mind me some Dylan, but THIS ditty is tired, repetitive, monotonous, plodding, & inane.
Always catch myself thinking, "My god! When will these verses STOP!?
ENOUGH, already!"
oh well.... thanks for asking for my feedback!!
Really not a fan of the Harmonica.
If you've ever been to desolation row, This song will hit you like a freight train.
dwlangham wrote:
Pardon the fuck out of us Philistines. What you see in this is beyond me.
Pardon the fuck out of us Philistines. What you see in this is beyond me.
DW4554 wrote:
Ditto to BnR for the myriad thanks, and dang I would love to drop a Benji or two in that Busker's guitar case l.
Long Live RP and short live desolation.
Bill, thank you for your comments and being who you are. Wish I had been with you on that day outside Seattle when the busker remembered all the lyrics to Desolation Row. No small feat. Would have gladly matched your donation. We'd have made his day!
You have truly hit your stride. Playing it close to the vest for so many years and as of late opening up was a long time coming but a most welcome breath of fresh air.
When I attended Berklee in Boston you could hear WBCN playing from anywhere on campus. The DJ's were infamous for opening their hearts and souls to the world while on-air and making it feel like a true shared community experience. You and Rebecca have brought that reality to streaming radio.
Thank you many times over.
Ditto to BnR for the myriad thanks, and dang I would love to drop a Benji or two in that Busker's guitar case l.
Long Live RP and short live desolation.
could it be time?
time to get on the road?
travel down again on Hwy 61, in SE Iowa
a revisit by any other name
time to get on the road?
travel down again on Hwy 61, in SE Iowa
a revisit by any other name
CoYoT51 wrote:
see...this is one of them super insightful listeners I keep sporadically reading about
NOBEL! NOBEL! NOBEL!
Well, not for me. Nobel of easy stuff, maybe.
see...this is one of them super insightful listeners I keep sporadically reading about
NOBEL! NOBEL! NOBEL!
Well, not for me. Nobel of easy stuff, maybe.
Well, not for me. Nobel of easy stuff, maybe.
Bill, thank you for your comments and being who you are. Wish I had been with you on that day outside Seattle when the busker remembered all the lyrics to Desolation Row. No small feat. Would have gladly matched your donation. We'd have made his day!
You have truly hit your stride. Playing it close to the vest for so many years and as of late opening up was a long time coming but a most welcome breath of fresh air.
When I attended Berklee in Boston you could hear WBCN playing from anywhere on campus. The DJ's were infamous for opening their hearts and souls to the world while on-air and making it feel like a true shared community experience. You and Rebecca have brought that reality to streaming radio.
Thank you many times over.
You have truly hit your stride. Playing it close to the vest for so many years and as of late opening up was a long time coming but a most welcome breath of fresh air.
When I attended Berklee in Boston you could hear WBCN playing from anywhere on campus. The DJ's were infamous for opening their hearts and souls to the world while on-air and making it feel like a true shared community experience. You and Rebecca have brought that reality to streaming radio.
Thank you many times over.
Nothing changes does it? Could be written about Tory Britain 2022...
Each to own I suppose; but 12% of voters have expressed their dislike with a 1.
Whow. These folk must be so busy that they don't have the time to sit and listen to Dylan's genius. It's their loss.
Whow. These folk must be so busy that they don't have the time to sit and listen to Dylan's genius. It's their loss.
Make. It. Stop.
Please.
Please.
like the Bainbridge Island story Bill. Cool place not far from where I live and listen!
I have a theory that he is my birth father. He was in my birth mother's high school class. He looks kind of funny (so do I), he has an untraditional singing voice (I can't sing), he is a poet (I have an English minor and started a creative writing magazine in undergrad). He has lots of illegitimate children, apparently. Hi, Dad!
It was...st Bob
Dylan's a genius but I can also get Gen Z asking, what kind of drugs were y'all on back in the 60s?
I think I'm expecting rain.
nomnol wrote:
According to Wikipedia, it was Charlie McCoy.
"The Highway 61 Revisited version was recorded at an overdub session on August 4, 1965, in Columbia's Studio A in New York City. Nashville-based guitarist Charlie McCoy, who happened to be in New York, was invited by producer Bob Johnston to contribute an improvised acoustic guitar part and Russ Savakus played bass guitar."
Who is doing the picking on this? Sorta reminds me of Gordon Lightfoot who always had a great guitarist picking away in the right channel. No credits though. Both great imo.
According to Wikipedia, it was Charlie McCoy.
"The Highway 61 Revisited version was recorded at an overdub session on August 4, 1965, in Columbia's Studio A in New York City. Nashville-based guitarist Charlie McCoy, who happened to be in New York, was invited by producer Bob Johnston to contribute an improvised acoustic guitar part and Russ Savakus played bass guitar."
Who is doing the picking on this? Sorta reminds me of Gordon Lightfoot who always had a great guitarist picking away in the right channel. No credits though. Both great imo.
zimmy!! gonna see zimmy next week, woot!
superbly typical Dylan
Oldfastbowler wrote:
Back in the day, when WNEW-FM was New York's best and (other than the commercials) similar to the free flowing offerings of RP, YES!
Always liked this track........but has anyone heard it on the radio? Well done RP!!!
Back in the day, when WNEW-FM was New York's best and (other than the commercials) similar to the free flowing offerings of RP, YES!
sfoster66 wrote:
They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tightrope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad, they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row
Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pocket
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning
"You belong to me, I believe"
And someone says, "You're in the wrong place, my friend
You'd better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row
Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortune telling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody's making love
Or else expecting rain
And the good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival
Tonight on Desolation Row
Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her 22nd birthday
She already is an old maid
To her death is quite romantic
She wears an ironed vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking into
Desolation Row
Einstein disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
Now he looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
You would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row
Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They are trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have mercy on his soul"
They all play on the penny whistle
You can hear them blow
If you lean your head out far enough
From Desolation Row
Across the street they've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready for the feast
The phantom of the opera
In a perfect image of a priest
They are spoon-feeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the phantom shouting to skinny girls
"Get out of here if you don't know"
Casanova is just being punished
For going to Desolation Row
At midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
And they bring them to the factory
Where their heart attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row
Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
Everybody's shouting
"Which side are you on?"
And Ezra Pound and T.S. Elliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row
Yes, I received your letter yesterday
About the time the doorknob broke
When you asked me how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mentioned
Yes, I know them, they are 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
Could we all please agree, given the current "lyrics included" format of RP, to NOT post lyrics. It's a giant pain to have to scroll past them again and again. And just for craps and grins, how 'bout going back and deleting them if you have them posted on any song. Cheers...
They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tightrope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad, they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row
Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pocket
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning
"You belong to me, I believe"
And someone says, "You're in the wrong place, my friend
You'd better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row
Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortune telling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody's making love
Or else expecting rain
And the good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival
Tonight on Desolation Row
Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her 22nd birthday
She already is an old maid
To her death is quite romantic
She wears an ironed vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking into
Desolation Row
Einstein disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
Now he looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
You would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row
Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They are trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have mercy on his soul"
They all play on the penny whistle
You can hear them blow
If you lean your head out far enough
From Desolation Row
Across the street they've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready for the feast
The phantom of the opera
In a perfect image of a priest
They are spoon-feeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the phantom shouting to skinny girls
"Get out of here if you don't know"
Casanova is just being punished
For going to Desolation Row
At midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
And they bring them to the factory
Where their heart attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row
Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
Everybody's shouting
"Which side are you on?"
And Ezra Pound and T.S. Elliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row
Yes, I received your letter yesterday
About the time the doorknob broke
When you asked me how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mentioned
Yes, I know them, they are 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
This song could have ended a few minutes ago and I would've been ok with that.
reading these lyrics and enjoying this - it’s overwhelmingly beautiful poetry and a state of affairs in its time
dwlangham wrote:
Pardon the fuck out of us Philistines. What you see in this is beyond me.
Beyond some others, also! Some can't tolerate his voice. Takes absolutely NOTHING away from the man's skills. Don't appreciate the artist, whoever it may be, PSD please, and don't berate others. Mama said..."can't say something nice....." 'Nuff said.
Pardon the fuck out of us Philistines. What you see in this is beyond me.
sfoster66 wrote:
Yeah....hate to have to suffer carpal tunnel from scrolling past "unworthy" posts! Sheesh!
Could we all please agree, given the current "lyrics included" format of RP, to NOT post lyrics. It's a giant pain to have to scroll past them again and again. And just for craps and grins, how 'bout going back and deleting them if you have them posted on any song. Cheers...
now this is a song for the holiday season
Is Bob's stuff easy? Nope. Neither is the language in Shakespearean plays. And if you're not willing to try...well, it will always be noise to you. But, if you can get there, it'll be quite the moment when it happens...
And people were surprised when Dylan was awarded the Nobel for Poetry. In the time it has taken to type this he has delivered a two dozen peerless lines. Most people who call themselves poets couldn't match in their lifetimes what Dylan has written in this one song.
Could we all please agree, given the current "lyrics included" format of RP, to NOT post lyrics. It's a giant pain to have to scroll past them again and again. And just for craps and grins, how 'bout going back and deleting them if you have them posted on any song. Cheers...
i dont know...
this may be his masterpiece
this may be his masterpiece
its always fun to speak dylan lyrics with, to, and around people
life is a better place because of brother bob
life is a better place because of brother bob
kevrey wrote:
Not prose, poetry!
Quite the lyrics. How his brain put out line after line after line, creating pages of prose, was quite amazing.
Not prose, poetry!
One of my favorite songs for decades now, but still squeezing new feelings out on rehearing. Just the penultimate verse - so much going on in that one micro-story:
Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
Everybody's shouting
"Which side are you on?"
And Ezra Pound and T.S. Elliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row
I would recount my thought and feeling interpretations, but instead I will follow the advice of the Boss "...the poets down here don't write nothin' at all, they just stand back and let it all be."
Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
Everybody's shouting
"Which side are you on?"
And Ezra Pound and T.S. Elliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row
I would recount my thought and feeling interpretations, but instead I will follow the advice of the Boss "...the poets down here don't write nothin' at all, they just stand back and let it all be."
One of the many reasons I love RP is because Bill and Rebecca play songs even when they get low overall average ratings - Bombino at 6.3 followed by Dylan at 6.5 (albeit Dylan seems to bring out the most polarizing of ratings).
Let's face it - a music station's survival depends on having listeners that stay on board, yet RP plays songs that potentially alienate some listeners. This speaks to an integrity of the song choosers that is sorely lacking on so many other stations.
Keep on being bold and honest, B & R!
Let's face it - a music station's survival depends on having listeners that stay on board, yet RP plays songs that potentially alienate some listeners. This speaks to an integrity of the song choosers that is sorely lacking on so many other stations.
Keep on being bold and honest, B & R!
ok ok
the nobel ain't for his harp playing
got it
the nobel ain't for his harp playing
got it
11:20
If there was a chance to give 11 to a song, this woud be it.
That people rate this 1 makes you realise what is wrong with the world. Unbelievable foolery. Just listen and enjoy, the world would be a far better place
6.5? That's staggering. 10 for me, genius is genius.
C'mon brother Bob.
Tour the Midwest this Summer.
Get on the Highway 61 and play a few shows in Hannibal or Keokuk, or even Keosaqua.
Tour the Midwest this Summer.
Get on the Highway 61 and play a few shows in Hannibal or Keokuk, or even Keosaqua.
Nobel prize?
Freaking yes.
Freaking yes.
its all been said before:
Make the best out of the bad, and just laugh it off.
You didn't have to come here anyway.
Just remember...every picture tells a story, don't it?
Make the best out of the bad, and just laugh it off.
You didn't have to come here anyway.
Just remember...every picture tells a story, don't it?
Quite the lyrics. How his brain put out line after line after line, creating pages of prose, was quite amazing.
cycleman wrote:
Chris Smither's cover of this is fantastic. Makes the song much darker, sadder.
This is a classic Dylan song...not played very often....I heard Chris Smither do this live at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale, NY 2 years ago...it was a moving cover of the song.
Chris Smither's cover of this is fantastic. Makes the song much darker, sadder.
Laptopdog wrote:
Pardon the fuck out of us Philistines. What you see in this is beyond me.
Bunch of whiners! This is poetry. This is music history. This is classic Dylan. If you don't like it, move along, you unappreciative neanderthals.
Pardon the fuck out of us Philistines. What you see in this is beyond me.
SwimsALot wrote:
What about "Ugly Bags of Mostly Water"?
Don't insult the Neanderthals, after all some of us are descendants. Perhaps troglodytes?
Laptopdog wrote:
Laptopdog wrote:
Bunch of whiners! This is poetry. This is music history. This is classic Dylan. If you don't like it, move along, you unappreciative neanderthals.
What about "Ugly Bags of Mostly Water"?
Tippster wrote:
Your observation is duly noted.
Desolation Row sure is long, monotonous, and dreary.
Your observation is duly noted.
probably my favourite Bobbie Dylan track. No idea what it’s about, but it’s a thought banquet of reflections and references.
zacharybnowak wrote:
I understand the sentiment; but I feel that; if you write something, you are entitled to arrange it any way you want. If you like covers better, that's OK; but the writer gets first cut.
My most-skipped artist. Some poets should just...write poetry.
I understand the sentiment; but I feel that; if you write something, you are entitled to arrange it any way you want. If you like covers better, that's OK; but the writer gets first cut.
My most-skipped artist. Some poets should just...write poetry.
Laptopdog wrote:
What have you got against neanderthals?
Surely one of Dylan's Top 10. Or 20. It's not so easy to winnow such a songography to a few mere lyrics or titles.
Bunch of whiners! This is poetry. This is music history. This is classic Dylan. If you don't like it, move along, you unappreciative neanderthals.
What have you got against neanderthals?
Surely one of Dylan's Top 10. Or 20. It's not so easy to winnow such a songography to a few mere lyrics or titles.
Desolation Row sure is long, monotonous, and dreary.
On_The_Beach wrote:
Heaven exists for the victims of mediocre minds.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
- A.E.
- A.E.
Heaven exists for the victims of mediocre minds.
I prefer the alternate version of "Desolation Row" from The Bootleg Series Vol. 7. It's a bit more subdued, if that's possible; the lyrics are front and center and the flamenco-style guitar fills aren't there, nor are they missed.
Now I know where The Old 97's got the inspiration for their song "Champaign, Illinois." Much prefer that over this.
I-L-L!!!
I-L-L!!!
Timeless brilliance.
Perfect RP. Thank you.
Perfect RP. Thank you.
tonyinnj wrote:
Wendy O Williams usta chainsaw TV's when she was with The Plasmatics...
I'm not ashamed to say I was in the front row for one of those WOW shows!
Wendy O Williams usta chainsaw TV's when she was with The Plasmatics...
I'm not ashamed to say I was in the front row for one of those WOW shows!
Too long with no variation.
Good poetry, not Nobel Prize stuff in my opinion, but quite solid.
Fascinating interpretations of the lyrics of this song (one of Dylan's best IMHO) here:
Desolation Row
Take your pick!
Desolation Row
Take your pick!
Don't insult the Neanderthals, after all some of us are descendants. Perhaps troglodytes?
Laptopdog wrote:
Laptopdog wrote:
Bunch of whiners! This is poetry. This is music history. This is classic Dylan. If you don't like it, move along, you unappreciative neanderthals.
A neighbour gave me this LP circa 1967. 11, 12 year old me had a little trouble dialing in.
Don't worry. By the time I was 19, I fully understood how absolutely, stunningly brilliant Dylan was.
Don't worry. By the time I was 19, I fully understood how absolutely, stunningly brilliant Dylan was.
shtevie wrote:
Great song but that's n0t Bloomfield on this track. Its CHARLIE McCOY! One of the reasons Blonde on Blonde was recorded in Nashville. :-)
joelbb wrote:
I'm with you, Tony. The song does have a lot of verses, but every damn one of them contains some of the best R&R lyrics ever written. And with Mike Bloomfield plating guitar, it does move along. A contender for the title Bob Dylan's Greatest Hit.
dwlangham wrote:
Classy.
Did your Kid Rock 8-track fall in the spittoon?
God All Mighty, SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY.
Classy.
Did your Kid Rock 8-track fall in the spittoon?
Sure, you Philistines diss Dylan, but where else have you ever heard "Noah's Great Rainbow"? Anywhere, not only in a song lyric? I think the Nobel committee did the right thing. Another 100 years will see if this choice lasts, but we'll (not) see.
Curious that the lyrics should be so complex and the music so simple.
I am sure the lyrics are wonderful, but the music along with it makes this song completely unlistenable.
One of the great things about Bob Dylan...is his ability to allow the listener to greatly anticipate whatever the hell comes next in succession.
Laptopdog wrote:
You're right, it is classic Dylan.
Bunch of whiners! This is poetry. This is music history. This is classic Dylan. If you don't like it, move along, you unappreciative neanderthals.
You're right, it is classic Dylan.
Genius he might be but his voice is a whiny same every song too long endurance test.
Laptopdog wrote:
Wow! That’s a lot name calling. Not sure it’s helpful, but I’ll take the bait you self-important arbiter of all that is worthy. It may be poetry, but I listen to the radio to hear music, and this along with most of Dylan’s early stuff isn’t very musical. I actually prefer his mid-to-late career stuff better when he learned to write a song.
Oh yeah, and I do skip this song every time it comes on. Thanks again to RP for giving us this option.
Bunch of whiners! This is poetry. This is music history. This is classic Dylan. If you don't like it, move along, you unappreciative neanderthals.
Wow! That’s a lot name calling. Not sure it’s helpful, but I’ll take the bait you self-important arbiter of all that is worthy. It may be poetry, but I listen to the radio to hear music, and this along with most of Dylan’s early stuff isn’t very musical. I actually prefer his mid-to-late career stuff better when he learned to write a song.
Oh yeah, and I do skip this song every time it comes on. Thanks again to RP for giving us this option.