Murder Most Foul

Album: Rough And Rowdy Ways (2020)
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  • Twas a dark day in Dallas, November '63
    A day that will live on in infamy
    President Kennedy was a-ridin' high
    Good day to be livin' and a good day to die
    Being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb
    He said, "Wait a minute, boys, you know who I am?"
    "Of course we do, we know who you are"
    Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car
    Shot down like a dog in broad daylight
    Was a matter of timing and the timing was right
    You got unpaid debts, we've come to collect
    We're gonna kill you with hatred, without any respect
    We'll mock you and shock you and we'll put it in your face
    We've already got someone here to take your place
    The day they blew out the brains of the king
    Thousands were watchin', no one saw a thing
    It happened so quickly, so quick, by surprise
    Right there in front of everyone's eyes
    Greatest magic trick ever under the sun
    Perfectly executed, skillfully done
    Wolfman, oh Wolfman, oh Wolfman, howl
    Rub-a-dub-dub, it's a murder most foul

    Hush, little children, you'll understand
    The Beatles are comin', they're gonna hold your hand
    Slide down the banister, go get your coat
    Ferry 'cross the Mersey and go for the throat
    There's three bums comin' all dressed in rags
    Pick up the pieces and lower the flags
    I'm goin' to Woodstock, it's the Aquarian Age
    Then I'll go to Altamont and sit near the stage
    Put your head out the window, let the good times roll
    There's a party goin' on behind the Grassy Knoll
    Stack up the bricks, pour the cement
    Don't say Dallas don't love you, Mr. President
    Put your foot in the tank and step on the gas
    Try to make it to the triple underpass
    Blackface singer, whiteface clown
    Better not show your faces after the sun goes down
    I'm in the red-light district, like a cop on the beat
    Livin' in a nightmare on Elm Street
    When you're down in Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoe
    Don't ask what your country can do for you
    Cash on the barrelhead, money to burn
    Dealey Plaza, make a left-hand turn
    I'm goin' down to the crossroads, gonna flag a ride
    The place where faith, hope, and charity died
    Shoot him while he runs, boy, shoot him while you can
    See if you can shoot the invisible man
    Goodbye, Charlie, goodbye, Uncle Sam
    Frankly, Miss Scarlet, I don't give a damn
    What is the truth, and where did it go?
    Ask Oswald and Ruby, they oughta know
    "Shut your mouth," said the wise old owl
    Business is business, and it's a murder most foul

    Tommy, can you hear me? I'm the Acid Queen
    I'm riding in a long, black Lincoln limousine
    Riding in the backseat next to my wife
    Heading straight on in to the afterlife
    I'm leaning to the left, I got my head in her lap
    Hold on, I've been led into some kind of a trap
    Where we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we give
    We're right down the street from the street where you live
    They mutilated his body and they took out his brain
    What more could they do? They piled on the pain
    But his soul's not there where it was supposed to be at
    For the last fifty years they've been searchin' for that
    Freedom, oh freedom, freedom over me
    I hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are free
    Send me some lovin', tell me no lies
    Throw the gun in the gutter and walk on by
    Wake up, little Suzie, let's go for a drive
    Cross the Trinity River, let's keep hope alive
    Turn the radio on, don't touch the dials
    Parkland hospital, only six more miles
    You got me dizzy, Miss Lizzy, you filled me with lead
    That magic bullet of yours has gone to my head
    I'm just a patsy like Patsy Cline
    Never shot anyone from in front or behind
    Got blood in my eye, got blood in my ear
    I'm never gonna make it to the new frontier
    Zapruder's film, I've seen that before
    Seen it thirty-three times, maybe more
    It's vile and deceitful, it's cruel and it's mean
    Ugliest thing that you ever have seen
    They killed him once and they killed him twice
    Killed him like a human sacrifice
    The day that they killed him, someone said to me, "Son
    The age of the Antichrist has just only begun"
    Air Force One comin' in through the gate
    Johnson sworn in at 2:38
    Let me know when you decide to throw in the towel
    It is what it is, and it's murder most foul

    What's new, pussycat? What'd I say?
    I said the soul of a nation been torn away
    And it's beginning to go into a slow decay
    And that it's thirty-six hours past Judgment Day
    Wolfman Jack, he's speaking in tongues
    He's going on and on at the top of his lungs
    Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack
    Play it for me in my long Cadillac
    Play me that, "Only The Good Die Young"
    Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hung
    Play, "St. James Infirmary" and, "The Port of King James"
    If you want to remember, you better write down the names
    Play Etta James, too, play "I'd Rather Go Blind"
    Play it for the man with the telepathic mind
    Play John Lee Hooker, play "Scratch My Back"
    Play it for that strip club owner named Jack
    Guitar Slim going down slow
    Play it for me and for Marilyn Monroe

    Play, "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
    Play it for the First Lady, she ain't feeling any good
    Play Don Henley, play Glenn Frey
    Take it to the limit and let it go by
    Play it for Carl Wilson, too
    Looking far, far away down Gower Avenue
    Play, "Tragedy" play, "Twilight Time"
    Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crime
    Play another one and, "Another One Bites the Dust"
    Play, "The Old Rugged Cross" and, "In God We Trust"
    Ride the pink horse down that long, lonesome road
    Stand there and wait for his head to explode
    Play, "Mystery Train" for Mr. Mystery
    The man who fell down dead like a rootless tree
    Play it for the Reverend, play it for the Pastor
    Play it for the dog that got no master
    Play Oscar Peterson, play Stan Getz
    Play, "Blue Sky", play Dickey Betts
    Play Hot Pepper, Thelonious Monk
    Charlie Parker and all that junk
    All that junk and, "All That Jazz"
    Play something for the Birdman of Alcatraz
    Play Buster Keaton, play Harold Lloyd
    Play Bugsy Siegel, play Pretty Boy Floyd
    Play the numbers , play the odds
    Play, "Cry Me A River" for the Lord of the gods
    Play Number Nine, play Number Six
    Play it for Lindsey and Stevie Nicks
    Play Nat King Cole, play, "Nature Boy"
    Play, "Down In The Boondocks" for Terry Malloy
    Play, "It Happened One Night" and, "One Night of Sin"
    There's twelve million souls that are listening in
    Play, "Merchant to Venice" play, "Merchants of Death"
    Play, "Stella by Starlight" for Lady Macbeth

    Don't worry, Mr. President, help's on the way
    Your brothers are coming, there'll be hell to pay
    Brothers? What brothers? What's this about hell?
    Tell them, "We're waiting, keep coming"
    We'll get them as well
    Love Field is where his plane touched down
    But it never did get back up off the ground
    Was a hard act to follow, second to none
    They killed him on the altar of the rising sun
    Play, "Misty" for me and, "That Old Devil Moon"
    Play, "Anything Goes" and, "Memphis in June"
    Play, "Lonely At the Top" and, "Lonely Are the Brave"
    Play it for Houdini spinning around his grave
    Play Jelly Roll Morton, play, "Lucille"
    Play, "Deep In a Dream" and play "Driving Wheel"
    Play, "Moonlight Sonata" in F-sharp
    And, "A Key To The Highway" for the king of the harp
    Play, "Marching Through Georgia" and, "Dumbaroton's Drums"
    Play, "Darkness" and death will come when it comes
    Play, "Love Me Or Leave Me" by the great Bud Powell
    Play, "The Blood-stained Banner" play, "Murder Most Foul" Writer/s: Bob Dylan
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 5

  • Theciadidit from IowaSeems logical that the nightmare on elm street reference plays on the fact that the assassination took place on elm street.
  • Dave from Ithaca New YorkAs Larry pointed out, the Gower Avenue lyric is likely a reference to the Warren Zevon song "Desperadoes Under the Eaves." Further strengthening that connection, Beach Boy Carl Wilson, who is mentioned in the lyric as being the one looking far away down Gower Avenue, sang backup on the song. That is some deep knowledge by Dylan!
  • John Howley from Castlebar, IrelandAll that junk and "All That Jazz" may refer to a NY TIMES contribution of the same name, by record producer/A&R man, TOM WILSON. Wilson worked with Bob on 3 albums at Columbia most notably on "BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME" and is widely accredited for helping Bob transition into his Folk-Rock phase.
    Coincidentally, I imagine, this article was published on Sunday Oct. 20, 1968, the same day Jacqueline Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis
  • James Simon from 33901I'm just a patsy like Patsy Cline is a reference to an Oswald quote when he was in custody. He said he was just a patsy being set up for the assaination
  • Larry Johnson from Oakland, CaThe reference to "Gower Avenue" is probably a shout-out to singer/songwriter Warren Zevon, for whom Dylan apparently had a great deal of respect. In his song Desperadoes Under the Eaves, Zevon sings "Look away down Gower Avenue". The quote is far too specific to be about anyone else.
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