WORDS FILL MY HEAD
Shadow Kingdom. The Early Songs of Bob Dylan,
[Source: revised lyrics as sung by Bob Dylan in the
concert film, transcribed by Daniel
Mackay with song names used in the film.]
Oh, the streets of Rome are filled with rubble
Ancient footprints are everywhere
You can almost think that you’re seein’ double
On a cold, dark night by the Spanish Stair
Got to hurry on back to my hotel room
Gonna wash my clothes, scrape off all the grease
Gonna lock the doors and turn my back on the world for awhile
Gonna stay right there ‘till I paint my masterpiece
Well, the hours I’ve spent inside the Coliseum
Dodgin’ lions with a mean and hungry look
Those mighty kings of the jungle, I could hardly stand to see ’em
I could see ‘em comin’, I could read their faces like a book
Train wheels runnin’ through the back of my memory
When I ran on the hilltop followin’ a pack of wild geese
Someday, everything going to be different
When I paint, when I paint my masterpiece
Sailin’ round the world full of crimson and clover
Sometime I feel just like my cup is runnin’ over
I left Rome and I pulled into Brussels
On a plane ride so bumpy that it made me ill
Clergymen in uniform and young girls pullin’ muscles
Everyone was there to meet me comin’ down the hill
Newspapermen eatin’ candy
Had to be held back by big police
Someday, everything is going to be beautiful
When I paint my masterpiece
You say you love me
You’re thinkin’ of me
You know you could be wrong
You say you told me that ya
Wanna hold me but ya
You know you’re not that strong
I can’t do what I’ve done before
I just can’t beg you anymore
I’m gonna let you pass
I’ll go last
And then time will tell just who has fell
And who’s been left behind
When you go your way and I go mine
You say you [garbled]
And you don’t deserve me
You know sometimes you lie
Say ya got some shakin’
You’re always breakin’ but ya
You know sometimes you lie
I [garbled] get so hard to please
You got me this time on your knees
I’m gonna let you pass
Yes, and I’ll go last
And then time will tell just who has fell
And who’s been left behind
When you go your way and I go mine
Well, the judge, he holds a grudge
He’s gonna call on you
But he’s badly built
And he walks on stilts
Watch out he don’t fall on you
You say you’re sorry
For tellin’ me stories
That you know I believe are true
Say ya got some other
Other kind of lover
And yes, I believe you do
You say my kisses aren’t like his
I’m not gonna tell you this time why that is
I’m just gonna let you pass
Yes, and I’ll go last
And then time will tell just who has fell
And who’s been left behind
When you go your way and I go mine
When your mother sent back all your invitations
And your father to your sister he explains
That you’re tired of yourself and all of your creations
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Now when all the flower ladies want back what they have lent you
And the smell of their roses does not remain
And all of your children start to resent you
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
When all the clowns that you have commissioned
Have died in battle or in vain
And you’re sick of all this repetition
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Now when all of your advisers start to neglect you
And you cannot convince them of your pain
And ya want someone to protect you
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
When all the bandits that ya turn your other cheek to
All lay down their bandanas and complain
And ya want someone you don’t have to speak to
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Shut the light, shut the door
Don’t have to worry anymore
I’ll be your baby tonight
Shut the light, shut the shade
You don’t have to be afraid
I’ll be your baby tonight
Well, that mockingbird is gonna sail away
We’re gonna let it
That big, fat moon gonna shine like a spoon
We’re gonna let it
And you won’t regret it
Kick your shoes off, have no fear
Bring that bottle over here
I’ll be your baby tonight
Well, that mockingbird gonna sail away
We’re gonna let it
That big, fat moon gonna shine like a spoon
We’re gonna let it
You won’t regret it
Kick your shoes off, have no fear
Bring that bottle over here
I’ll be your baby tonight
When you’re lost in the rain in Juarez
And it’s Eastertime too
And your gravity fails
Negativity don’t pull ya through
Don’t put on any airs
When you’re down on Rue Morgue Avenue
They got some hungry women there
And they really make a mess outta you
If you see Saint Annie
Please tell her thanks a lot
I can’t move too good
My fingers all in a knot
I don’t have the strength
To get up and take another shot
And my best friend, the doctor
Won’t even tell me what it is I’ve got
Sweet Melinda
Peasants call her the goddess of gloom
She speaks good English
Invites you up into her room
And you’re so kind
And careful not to go to her too soon
And she takes your voice
And leaves you howlin’ at the moon
Up on Housing Project Hill
It’s either fortune or fame
You must pick one or the other
Neither of them are what they claim
If you’re lookin’ to get silly
You better go back to from where you came
Because the cops don’t need you
And man they expect the same
All the authorities
They just stand around and boast
How they blackmailed the sergeant-at-arms
Gettin’ up and leavin’ his post
And pickin’ up Angel
Who just arrived from the coast
Who looked so fine at first
But left lookin’ just like a ghost
I started out on burgundy
But soon hit the harder stuff
Everybody said they’re
right behind me
When the game got rough
But the joke was on me
There was no one even there to call my bluff
I’m goin’ back to New York City
I do believe I’ve had enough
Well, the sweet pretty things are in bed now of course
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 fact’ry
She ain’t got no shoes
Daddy’s in the alley
Lookin’ for the fuse
I’m in the kitchen
With the tombstone blues
The hysterical bride in the penny arcade
Screamin’ she moans, “I’ve just been made”
Sends for the doctor who pull down the shade
Sayin’, “My advice is not to 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 won’t die, it’s not poison”
Mama’s in the fact’ry
She ain’t got no shoes
Daddy’s in the alley
Lookin’ for the fuse
I’m in the kitchen
With the tombstone blues
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
Sayin’, “The sun not yellow it’s chicken”
Mama’s in the fact’ry
She ain’t got no shoes
Daddy’s in the alley
Lookin’ for the fuse
I’m in the kitchen
With the tombstone blues
The geometry of innocent flesh on the bone
Causes Galileo’s math book to get thrown
At Delilah who sits there worthlessly alone
But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter
I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
I’d set him in chains at the top of the hill
Send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
He could die happily ever after
Mama’s in the fact’ry
She ain’t got no shoes
Daddy’s in the alley
Lookin’ for the fuse
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
I wish I could write you a melody so plain
That could hold you dear lady from goin’ insane
That could ease you and cool you and cease the pain
Of your useless and pointless knowledge
Mama’s in the fact’ry
She ain’t got no shoes
Daddy’s in the alley
Lookin’ for the fuse
I’m in the kitchen
With the tombstone blues
To be alone with you
Just you and I
Under the moon
‘Neath the star-spangled sky
I know you’re alive
And I am too
My one desire
Is to be alone with you
To be alone with you
Even for just an hour
In a castle high
In an ivory tower
Some people don’t get it
They just don’t have a clue
They wouldn’t know what it’s like
To be alone with you
They say that nighttime is the right time
To hold each other tight
All our worldly cares will disappear
And everything will come out right
I wish the night was here
Make me scream and shout
I’d fall into your arms
I’ll let it all hang out
I’ll hound you to death
That’s just what I’ll do
I won’t sleep a wink
Till I’m alone with you
I’m collecting my thoughts in a pattern
Movin’ from place to place
Steppin’ out into the dark night
Steppin’ out into space
What happened to me, darlin’?
What was it you saw?
Did I kill somebody?
Did I escape the law?
Got my heart in my mouth
My eyes are still blue
My mortal bliss
Is to be alone with you
My mortal bliss
Is to be alone with you
What was it you wanted?
Tell me again so I’ll know
What’s happening in there?
What’s going on in your show?
What was it you wanted?
Could you say it again?
I’ll be back in a minute
You can tell me then
What was it you wanted?
You can tell me, I’m back
We can start it all over
Get it back on the track
You got my attention
Go ahead, speak
What was it you wanted
When you were kissing my cheek?
Was there somebody looking
When you give me that kiss?
Someone there in the shadows
Someone I might have missed?
Is there something you needed?
Somethin’ I don’t understand?
What was it you wanted
When you were holdin’ my hand?
Whatever you wanted
Slipped out of my mind
Would you remind me again
If you’d be so kind?
Has the record been breakin’?
Did the needle just skip?
Is there somebody waitin’?
Was there a slip of the lip?
What was it you wanted?
I ain’t keeping score
Are you the same person
That was here before?
Is it something important?
Or is it not?
What was it you wanted?
Tell me again I forgot
Whatever you wanted
What could it be?
Did somebody tell ya
That you could get it from me?
Somethin’ come natural?
Is it easy to say?
Why do you want it?
And who are you anyway?
Is the scenery changing?
Am I gettin’ it wrong?
Is the whole thing goin’ backwards?
Are they playin’ our song?
Where were you when it started?
Did you want it for free?
What was it you wanted?
Are you talkin’ to me?
May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
And may you stay forever young
May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
And may you stay forever young
May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
And may you stay forever young
Well, early in the mornin’
’Til late at night
I got a poison headache
But I feel all right
I’m pledging my time to you
Hopin’ you’ll come through, too
Well, the hobo jumped up
Came down naturally
After he stole my baby
He wanted to steal me
But I’m pledging my time to you
Hopin’ you’ll come through, too
Won’t you come with me, baby?
I’ll take ya where ya wanna go
If it don’t work out
You’ll be the first to know
I’m pledging my time to you
Hopin’ you’ll come through, too
The room is so stuffy
I can hardly breathe
Ev’rybody’s gone but me and you
I can’t be the last to leave
I’m pledging my time to you
Hopin’ you’ll come through, too
Well, they sent for the ambulance
And one got sent
Somebody got lucky
But it was an accident
I’m pledging my time to you
Hopin’ you’ll come through, too
There was a wicked messenger
From Eli he did come
With a mind that multiplied the smallest matter
When questioned who had sent for him
He answered with his thumb
For his tongue it couldn’t speak, but only flatter
He stayed behind the assembly hall
‘Twas there he made his bed
Oftentimes he could be seen returning
Until one day he just appeared
With a note in his hand which read
“The soles of my feet, I swear they’re burning”
Ah, the leaves began a-fallin’
The seas began to part
And the people that confronted him were many
And he was told but these few words
Which opened up his heart
“If ya cannot bring good news, don’t bring any”
What’s the matter with me?
Don’t have much to say
Daylight sneakin’ through the window
I’m still in this all-night café
Walkin’ to and fro beneath the moon
Where the trucks are rollin’ slow
Sit on this bank of sand
And watch the river flow
Wish I was back in the city
In my true love’s arms
She likes older men
They can’t resist her charms
If I had wings and I could fly
I know where I would go
Right now I’ll sit right here
Watch the river flow
People disappearin’ everywhere you look
Don’t know where to draw the line
Only yesterday I seen somebody
Who was really in a bind
This ol’ river keep a-rollin’, though
Where it stop and where the wind might blow
I sit right here
And watch the river flow
People disappearing everywhere you look
Ever stop and wonder why?
Only yesterday I seen somebody
Too sad to cry
This ol’ river keep a-rollin’, though
Where it stop and where the wind might blow
I sit right here
And watch the river flow
Well, you must leave now, take what you need, you think will last
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun
Cryin’ like a fire in the sun
Look out the saints are comin’ through
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue
Well, the highway is for gamblers, better use your sense
Take what you have gathered from coincidence
The empty-handed painter from your streets
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets
The sky, too, is folding over you
Yes, and it’s all over now, Baby Blue
All your seasick sailors, they’re all rowin’ home
All your reindeer armies, they’re all goin’ home
The lover who has just walked out your door
Has taken all of his blankets from the floor
The carpet, too, is movin’ under you
Yes, and it’s all over now, Baby Blue
Leave your steppin’ stones behind, something calls for you
Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you
The vagabond who’s rappin’ at your door
Is standin’ in the clothes that you once wore
Strike another match, go start anew
Yes, and it’s all over now, Baby Blue