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Total ratings: 2968
Length: 7:00
Plays (last 30 days): 2
Up and down the block.
I'd ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don't talk.
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape,
But deep inside my heart
I know I can't escape.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Well, Shakespeare, he's in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells,
Speaking to some French girl,
Who says she knows me well.
And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked,
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line.
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine.
An' I said, "Oh, I didn't know that,
But then again, there's only one I've met
An' he just smoked my eyelids
An' punched my cigarette."
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Grandpa died last week
And now he's buried in the rocks,
But everybody still talks about
How badly they were shocked.
But me, I expected it to happen,
I knew he'd lost control
When he built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the senator came down here
Showing ev'ryone his gun,
Handing out free tickets
To the wedding of his son.
An' me, I nearly got busted
An' wouldn't it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket
And be discovered beneath a truck.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the preacher looked so baffled
When I asked him why he dressed
With twenty pounds of headlines
Stapled to his chest.
But he cursed me when I proved it to him,
Then I whispered, "Not even you can hide.
You see, you're just like me,
I hope you're satisfied."
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the rainman gave me two cures,
Then he said, "Jump right in."
The one was Texas medicine,
The other was just railroad gin.
An' like a fool I mixed them
An' it strangled up my mind,
An' now people just get uglier
An' I have no sense of time.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
When Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon,
Where I can watch her waltz for free
'Neath her Panamanian moon.
An' I say, "Aw come on now,
You must know about my debutante."
An' she says, "Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want."
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the bricks lay on Grand Street
Where the neon madmen climb.
They all fall there so perfectly,
It all seems so well timed.
An' here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
The entire Blonde on Blonde album is worthy of a Nobel Prize for Literature all by itself, nevermind his vast body of work which garnered the actual award
'for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition'.
Hang tough warrior, you are much loved.
You are a very smart and enlightened person.
And applying your logic, Dylan is due for four more Nobels for: Blood on the Tracks, Highway 61, Freewheeling, and Bringing it all back home.
And yes...it's an outrage that he's been snubbed for so long! Oh the injustice! Oh the humanity!
Simply horrific.
As Curly of The Stooges would say: "ohhhh, a music lover!"
An' I say, "Aw come on now,
You must know about my debutante."
An' she says, "Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want."
I love Bob Dylan, Talking Heads, and Opera. (but I don't get Neil Diamond or Elvis Costello and to a lesser extent the Beatles -I'm working on my flaws)
Y'all got some catchin' up to do. Happy trails pard, well worth the effort.
'for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition'.
Hang tough warrior, you are much loved.
Too bad is all I can say. I LOVE this song. Maybe you just had to be there.. or actually lived some of this.. hard to explain, but I love that RP plays things like this. But I sort of get it - I don't get Talking Heads.. or Opera..
I love Bob Dylan, Talking Heads, and Opera. (but I don't get Neil Diamond or Elvis Costello and to a lesser extent the Beatles -I'm working on my flaws)
gawd. I feel like b-slapping him until he sings not like a moron. Just. Awful.
Clueless fool. May someone have mercy on your wicked soul.
Almost broke my neck lunging for the PSD button.
Misguided but LOL
gawd. I feel like b-slapping him until he sings not like a moron. Just. Awful.
until he "sings not like a moron". What a "charming" turn of phrase.
People don't like his vocals!
I wonder if he cares? I bet he changes his vocals after knowing that.
Too bad is all I can say. I LOVE this song. Maybe you just had to be there.. or actually lived some of this.. hard to explain, but I love that RP plays things like this. But I sort of get it - I don't get Talking Heads.. or Opera..
he doesn't get you either
Sounds like Mr. Burns singing

Dylan sings like an amputee - can't hold a note, can't carry a tune.
Legendary song.
Eh. Tangled Up In Blue is legendary. Hurricane is legendary. This is bordering on self-caricature.
see you are touring in spring 2022
you need to come back to midwest
tell me its not "hopeless and forlorn"
"So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.”
"An' here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice."
Legendary song.
Absolutely. I’m astonished the average rating is below 7.
Sounds like Mr. Burns singing
Thanks for the compliment
he just smoked my eyelids, and punched my cigarette
saw dylan with the dead in ... 86? don't remember much of the show. well I mean, I remember everything, but nothing I remember actually happened.. you deadheads will understand.
anyway I do remember this song, and the line above. plus the lines
"one was texas medicine, the other was just railroad gin, like a fool I mixed them, and it strangled up my mind".. perfectly apt.
one of the worst dead shows I ever saw though. not gonna lie.
RP more Dylan please!
you see...
the smartest people listen to RP
just give the man another Nobel prize
That's it!
His shows are always special, but for the two I'm gonna see in October, I'm gonna search for debutantes.
I once had a young female chorus sitting behind me, singing "blowin in the wind", while he was singing it on stage.
They sounded and looked like angels. Or maybe...debutantes.
Like this? Helplessly Hoping - SYA
What is he singing about?
power and fortune
It's a mutation
A true classic Dylan song worth a 9 every day.
Well, sure, but whenever someone posts a negative comment, they get shouted down. So looks like a bunch of people (understandably) don't like this, hit 1, and moved on.
This is definitely not one of Dylan's best.
Every time he says it, I get my hopes up that it's almost over.
Yet it goes on and on, interminably so.
Feels like I'm getting trolled simultaneously by both the artist and the DJ.

A true classic Dylan song worth a 9 every day.
I gave it a ten, always a ten.
A true classic Dylan song worth a 9 every day.
I suppose this is how my wife feels about Phish.
Yes... it is.
His shows are always special, but for the two I'm gonna see in October, I'm gonna search for debutantes.
I once had a young female chorus sitting behind me, singing "blowin in the wind", while he was singing it on stage.
They sounded and looked like angels. Or maybe...debutantes.
Get your ass back here for Summer tour!
Geeeez, Summer is almost 1/2 over!
I suppose this is how my wife feels about Phish.

By "of the time", do you mean it sounds like it was recorded in 1966? I'm not sure which cadence you mean by "between the refrains". I assume by "refrain" you mean the chorus ("Oh, mama, can this really be the end.......with the Memphis blues again") The parts between them (the verses) sound like the phrasing of a lot of Dylan's stuff and that other folk singers of that time.
I've always thought part of Bob's brilliance was how his timing and phrasing changes subtlety throughout a song (esp. on this cut) and the use of that technique provides part of the story of the song. Repeating the chorus in this song many times is sort of an expression of the idea of being 'stuck' and yet even when one is stuck things can change, if ever so slightly, and that to me is the beauty of this song. I'm sure my discussion here is not well expressed...and my guess is that 'experts' have written A LOT about this exact idea already. Still....that's how my ears/brain feel it and that's the whole point, right? LONG LIVE RP and Bob Dylan!! 10→11!!
By "of the time", do you mean it sounds like it was recorded in 1966? I'm not sure which cadence you you mean by "between the refrains". I assume by "refrain" you mean the chorus ("Oh, mama, can this really be the end.......with the Memphis blues again") The parts between them (the verses) sound like the phrasing of a lot of Dylan's stuff and that other folk singers of that time.
Bill, I played this on my radio show last Friday. Are you listening?
you and I might be the few 10 raters for this track, apparently not so many also like BD; an overall 6.5 rating, seriously?
What I think is amazing about BD the performer, is not just how many freaking songs he knows, but that he can (for the most part) remember the lyrics to all of them. That's some crazy lifelong obsession to music there (or as he has stated, a soul selling deal with the devil allows him all these talents) and I for one appreciate the hell out of his music.
Long Live RP and Bob Dylan!
PS - When BD dies in the next decade or so, I hope to be able to attend his funeral. And no other famous person has ever elicited that sort of reaction from me (since Jim M died before I was born :-( )
Me too on the PS. Always enjoy your comments, and will track you down at the funeral! Have always loved this song, BTW.

Yes, that title "Blonde on Blonde" probably meant something different then than it does now so he would get lots of click bait on Youtube!
Wow...that's never happen before. I'm sure Bob will change his musical approach as to stay trendy and perhaps get some tweets, and get mentioned on various forms of social media.

Wow...that's never happen before. I'm sure Bob will change his musical approach as to stay trendy and perhaps get some tweets, and get mentioned on various forms of social media.

Key words here "no one". The rest of us notice.

However, he did have a grammy showcase on his piano.
Gosh...what an ego!
But how would a person figure out what she wants and not need?
Ahhhhh....the age old insights raised by Bob Dylan.
Perhaps Bob will do more of this at his upcoming Nobel Prize event.
you and I might be the few 10 raters for this track, apparently not so many also like BD; an overall 6.5 rating, seriously?
What I think is amazing about BD the performer, is not just how many freaking songs he knows, but that he can (for the most part) remember the lyrics to all of them. That's some crazy lifelong obsession to music there (or as he has stated, a soul selling deal with the devil allows him all these talents) and I for one appreciate the hell out of his music.
Long Live RP and Bob Dylan!
PS - When BD dies in the next decade or so, I hope to be able to attend his funeral. And no other famous person has ever elicited that sort of reaction from me (since Jim M died before I was born :-( )
Mr. Dylan’s lecture
Super Artist : )
Agreed.
Bob's music is not for the simple-minded.
Neither did I until I was challenged by a writing teacher.
Sometime, go stand on a corner and try to write allegories or metaphors to fit your observations. Afterwards, I expect you'll have a new appreciation.
But how would a person figure out what she wants and not need?
Ahhhhh....the age old insights raised by Bob Dylan.
Perhaps Bob will do more of this at his upcoming Nobel Prize event.
Too bad is all I can say. I LOVE this song. Maybe you just had to be there.. or actually lived some of this.. hard to explain, but I love that RP plays things like this. But I sort of get it - I don't get Talking Heads.. or Opera..
Agreed! Maybe Dylan is the real voice-over for Mr Burns?
Burns giving advice to Homer, playing Golf, when Homer is stuck in a bunker: "Use an open-faced club - a sand wedge" . Homer: "Mmm, open-faced club sandwich!"



Agreed! Maybe Dylan is the real voice-over for Mr Burns?
Burns giving advice to Homer, playing Golf, when Homer is stuck in a bunker: "Use an open-faced club - a sand wedge" . Homer: "Mmm, open-faced club sandwich!"
LMAO! Ugh! My ears. Make it stop.

Nice sum up. Commenting on Dylan's singing is like, well, commenting Leonard Cohen's singing, What's the point? That's not what they are about or what they bring to the table IMO.
Spot on Marklaw - one has to "see" beyond the voice which surprisingly, on such an eclectic station, so many appear to not have this ability
How does it feel? To be stuck in inside of Abilene with the Dylan blues again?.
Gotta agree with you.
"...when 'as (sic, I suppose) he built a fire on main street and shot it full holes." is what I suspect is the blown/missed lyric referred to. I've always noticed this odd vocal gap. Considering that this happened after numerous takes, I guess it was seen as acceptable, even though 40+ years later the oddity still remains. What I find odd is the strong dislike this song elicits from so many listeners to this eclectic station. In a world where Arrowsmith songs still pollute the air in apparent perpetuity, I feel there is no shame in appreciating genuinely transgressive music. So there, you PSD types!
Nice sum up. Commenting on Dylan's singing is like, well, commenting Leonard Cohen's singing, What's the point? That's not what they are about or what they bring to the table IMO.
Thanks for the thumbs up, tkosh.
Just listened to it again on some vinyl...where's the "blown lyric"?
"...when 'as (sic, I suppose) he built a fire on main street and shot it full holes." is what I suspect is the blown/missed lyric referred to. I've always noticed this odd vocal gap. Considering that this happened after numerous takes, I guess it was seen as acceptable, even though 40+ years later the oddity still remains. What I find odd is the strong dislike this song elicits from so many listeners to this eclectic station. In a world where Arrowsmith songs still pollute the air in apparent perpetuity, I feel there is no shame in appreciating genuinely transgressive music. So there, you PSD types!
Same here. I understand the poetry but not how he manages to pass off as a singer at all.
Mr. Zimmerman is definitely an acquired taste. I had a guitar teacher years ago that was a Bob Dylan wack a doo. He spent more time talking about ol Bob than teaching guitar. Drove me nuts and back to my drum kit.

I always thought, too, because of the one blown lyric, this was recorded in one take. Very interesting!
Thanks for the thumbs up, tkosh.
Just listened to it again on some vinyl...where's the "blown lyric"?
for information about Bob Dylan's album that was released 46 years after this song, look here...
According to Wiki, they recorded this song 20 times...BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
>>All twenty takes of "Stuck Inside of Mobile" were recorded on February 17, 1966, in Columbia's Music Row Studios in Nashville. Earlier that day, Dylan had been writing, and he continued to do so in the studio, revising lyrics and changing the song's structure as he recorded different takes. Eventually, a master take, the twentieth and final take, was chosen after recording the song for three hours. Take five would eventually be released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 7.
I always thought, too, because of the one blown lyric, this was recorded in one take. Very interesting!

I am seriously going crazy every time you play this song. (also it's a very long song...)
Go do something else. I ran to my computer to turn up the volume so I could enjoy this incredible song one more time (of many dozens). Thanks RP for playing great music.
Ah come on now....
According to Wiki, they recorded this song 20 times...BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
>>All twenty takes of "Stuck Inside of Mobile" were recorded on February 17, 1966, in Columbia's Music Row Studios in Nashville. Earlier that day, Dylan had been writing, and he continued to do so in the studio, revising lyrics and changing the song's structure as he recorded different takes. Eventually, a master take, the twentieth and final take, was chosen after recording the song for three hours. Take five would eventually be released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 7.
Hard to believe he could come up 20 takes as bob has that nasal tone perfected

I've always thought part of Bob's brilliance was how his timing and phrasing changes subtlety throughout a song (esp. on this cut) and the use of that technique provides part of the story of the song. Repeating the chorus in this song many times is sort of an expression of the idea of being 'stuck' and yet even when one is stuck things can change, if ever so slightly, and that to me is the beauty of this song. I'm sure my discussion here is not well expressed...and my guess is that 'experts' have written A LOT about this exact idea already. Still....that's how my ears/brain feel it and that's the whole point, right? LONG LIVE RP and Bob Dylan!! 10→11!!
I understand why you're saying. Well put.