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Indigo Girls — Tangled Up In Blue
Album: 1200 Curfews
Avg rating:
6.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 482









Released: 1995
Length: 7:52
Plays (last 30 days): 0
early one morning the sun was shining
i was laying in bed
wondering if she'd changed at all
if her hair was still red
her folks they said our lives together
sure was gonna be rough
they never did like mama's homemade dress
papa's bank book wasn't big enough
me i'm standing on the side of the road
rain falling on my shoes
i'm heading out to the east coast
lord knows i've paid some dues
getting through
tangled up in blue

she was married when we first met
soon to be divorced
i helped her out of a jam i guess
but i used a little too much force
and we drove that car as far as we could
abandoned it out west
we split up on a sad dark night
both agreeing it was best
she turned around and looked at me
as i was walking away
then i heard her say over my shoulder
we'll meet again someday
on the avenue
tangled up in blue

i was living in the great north woods
working as a cook for a spell
i never did like it all that much
and one day the axe just fell
so i drifted down to new orleans
where i happened to be employed
yeah i was working for a while on a fishing boat
right outside of de la croix
and all the while i was alone
the past was close behind
i'd seen a lot of women
but she never escaped my mind
and i just grew
tangled up in blue

she was working at a topless bar
and i stopped in for a beer
i just kept looking at the side of her face
in the spotlight so clear
now later on as the crowd thinned out
and i was just about to do the same
yeah but she was standing there at the back of my chair
she said don't i know your name
well i muttered something underneath my breath
she studied the lines on my face
i must admit i felt a little uneasy
when she bent down to tie the laces
of my shoes
we were tangled up in blue
i know i know i know

she lit a burner on the stove
and offered me a pipe
i thought you'd never say hello she said
you look like the silent type
and then she opened up a book of poems
and handed it to me
written by an italian poet
from the 13th century
every one of his words rang true
and glowed like burning coal
pouring off every page
like it was written in my soul
from me to you
tangled up in blue
yeah yeah

i lived with them on montague street
in a basement down the stairs yeah
there was music in the cafes at night
and revolution in the air
that's when he started into dealing with slaves yeah
something inside of her died just died
and she had to sell everything she owned
and she froze up inside
finally the bottom fell out
i became withdrawn
the only thing i knew how to do
was to keep on keepin' on
like a bird that flew
tangled up in blue
oh yeah

now i'm headed back again
i gotta get to her somehow
and all the people we used to know
they're an illusion to me now
some are mathematicians
some are carpenter's wives
i don't know how they all got started
i don't know what they're doing with their lives
but me i'm still on the road
headed for another joint
we always did feel the same
we just saw it from a different point
of view
tangled up in blue
i know i know i know
yeah yeah oh yeah
Comments (67)add comment
 murdog wrote:

not one to criticize; just think  piezo guitar pickups date anything to the 80s


This was released in 1995.
I'm just now realizing I'm a carpenter's wife. 
Looking at some of the comments, I'd be pretty over the moon to be surprised with this live in concert. 
 lizardking wrote:
Well I  might wait to rate this version of this great song.  I'm kinda liking the sped up vocals, though I've always found it odd when gender-specific songs are sung by the other gender, and now I'm listening to the break which is good, the guitar work sounded like Sister Hazel to me, oh dear, call it a 6 for now....Long Live RP and BD songs sung by him or others!!
 

well they're both lesbians, so the gender-specificity still works...
not one to criticize; just think  piezo guitar pickups date anything to the 80s

No.
enjoyable medley tour
 alain.brault wrote:
Many successfully covered Dylan's songs. This is the first time I hear a failure because the singer sang it 'à la Dylan', voice & all....
 

Huh? 
Some time ago, I gave this an impulsive easy 7, but today I am getting pulled in and feel arsed to bump it to an 8...  
Not a fan of this, or the dylan version, but the Whitlams cover is something I enjoy.
Not fan of this
Saw Joan Osborne live last year. She did this and in the middle of it I suddenly felt what musicians want: some sort of engagement, transcendence, emotion. Thought it was just me.

It wraps up and she goes, “whew. THAT went someplace special...”

So forgive me Indigo Gals. This ain’t that.
 lizardking wrote:
Well I  might wait to rate this version of this great song.  I'm kinda liking the sped up vocals, though I've always found it odd when gender-specific songs are sung by the other gender, and now I'm listening to the break which is good, the guitar work sounded like Sister Hazel to me, oh dear, call it a 6 for now....Long Live RP and BD songs sung by him or others!!
 
I usually like IG but you pointed out the Sister Hazel sound and I can't unhear it
 westslope wrote:
Nice cover!  

Gutsy.  I believe the IGs pulled it off.
 

+1 to 7 today cuz of the gutsiness, plus that sax sounds like Bob's harmonica, and the tempo change at the bridge is badass too...almost an 8...maybe next time...LLRP!!
 Grammarcop wrote:
Dylan or nobody. 
 
As far as his singing, I'd prefer the latter.
 Hoosfoos wrote:
Atrocious. I'd rather listen to a dentist's drill than that violin.
 
Don't agree, but funny nonetheless.
 4wel wrote:
covering Dylan has no sense  )
 
Tell that to the Byrds, Manfred Mann, Joan Baez and thousands of others. Surely covering someone else’s song is the greatest compliment you can pay
Atrocious. I'd rather listen to a dentist's drill than that violin.
Nice cover!  

Gutsy.  I believe the IGs pulled it off.
I get the point that opinions about art are purely subjective and anyone in this forum is free to like or dislike anything. But the antipathy expressed for this version of a brilliant composition is puzzling. Sure, it's a distinct take on the sang, but they tried to see the piece from a different point of view. It's pretty decent to me.
{#Headache}
 
Where's the barf emoji when I need it?
covering Dylan has no sense  )
Many successfully covered Dylan's songs. This is the first time I hear a failure because the singer sang it 'à la Dylan', voice & all....
To those that have indicated "Dylan or no one" with regard to this song:  closed minds are the death of all civilizations.

Besides, sung by two women who love women ... well, that puts a terrific spin on it!
PSD = Please Stick (with) Dylan
God this is dreadful
This song is one of the few of Dylan's that I prefer as performed by Dylan.
Dylan or nobody. 
I guess it's interesting to hear what the tune is SUPPOSED to be, but I still don't think I'd want to listen to this song on a regular basis...
Well I  might wait to rate this version of this great song.  I'm kinda liking the sped up vocals, though I've always found it odd when gender-specific songs are sung by the other gender, and now I'm listening to the break which is good, the guitar work sounded like Sister Hazel to me, oh dear, call it a 6 for now....Long Live RP and BD songs sung by him or others!!
Fantastic version of a great song.
God this is terrible, love the original, but im listening to half strangled chickens
Terrific cover of the Dylan Classic!!
I was gonna say something unkind about the Indigo Girls droning Dylan, but was saved by the Allman Bros' Midnight Rider that, unrelated to the playlist seemingly, came up when I asked Alexa to skip anything Indigo Girls. Georgia was redeemed. I can stand down. 
 KevinM wrote:
The cover is just as crappy as the original
 
ah, sorry but these girls can sing
Bill. Check out the Hoodoo Rhythm Devils version. My favorite rendition of this song.
I could go for another 8 minutes!
I often skip this song when I don't feel like listening to the same thing for eight minutes and five seconds. It's very long. But it's a good version, I like it, and it's so superior to the Dylan version that I don't even know how to express it properly. He should send them a nice fruitbasket in thanks.
Pee-yew! Maybe entertaining one time live but to actually record this and replay it? Ugh.
Great Dylon song, but this has no heart. Boring.
OOOWW! This is hurting my ears! They\'ve butchered one of my favorite Dylan songs! I\'ve come to like a few of the IG songs, but this is BAD. Nothing better than Bob\'s original version...
Why,why,why? This is a horrible version of one of the greatest songs of all time. I would give the Indigo\'s some credit if it was done out of respect for Dylan, but the old adage \"leave well enough alone\" certainly applies here. I would be ecstatic if I knew I would never have to hear this garbage again. Thanks to RP for getting me fired up!
Agree with Phaedra and Closede. Indigoes are trying, but they add rockin'-out passages that are discordant with the mood of the song; especially hate the brass section. Having a "live" version is perfect for Indigo Girls, but not for the song, which is not suited to them, or vice versa. Whether you liked the original or not, this violates it. The very worst is the horns, which if I could I would wrap around the players' necks. The second worst is the tuneless shouting. Yes, girls can be as tasteless as boys if they try.
A great song can take a lot of different covers and tell you something new with each one. I really like this one. Love their bluesy vocals and passionate singing and playing. These \"girls\" really impress me with the chances they are willing to take.
I use to think that Dylan\'s writings were \"artist proof\", but I guess I was wrong.
Covering a song is bad enough, but playing it to an audience is even worse. Why not play the original cut.
I guess RP is on a roll for me today. This is yet another CD that I bought because I heard this song on RP.
Another view of a great vista.
This is a great cover of a great song! Thanks, Bill!
I was enjoying it until the weird interjection near the end, but that stuff was just plain wrong.
The cover is just as crappy as the original
Originally Posted by Zanardi_Fan: Sounds like Sheryl Crow joins them on this song? Anyone know if I'm right?
No, she does not... I once heard Ani DiFranco does. :)
good, but better left to Bob.
For obscure but great covers, try to find an album by a one-time California band called the Hoo Doo Rhythm Devils. They did a great cover of this on one of their albums. They had a great vocalist and a dynamite rhythm section.
Good to hear Indigo Girls on RP -- definitely one of the most underrated (and underplayed) bands out there. How about some of their originals?
Though I\'m not a Dylan fan, this song I love. It\'s nice to hear an alternative rendition, slower, but not at all bad. Never heard of these girls before now. Thanks Radio Paradise !!! :)