Tombstone Blues

Album: Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
Play Video
  • 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 out 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 innocence, 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 their bedroll
    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

    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

    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, oh right Writer/s: Bob Dylan
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.