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Bob Dylan — Tombstone Blues
Album: Highway 61 Revisited
Avg rating:
6.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1319









Released: 1965
Length: 5:53
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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 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 innocent 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 a bed roll
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 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
Comments (166)add comment
 vaos wrote:

No disrespect to Dylan lovers, but I'm a proud member of the Bob Dylan Sounds Like A Chainsaw Society.



Where does one apply for membership?
 vaos wrote:

No disrespect to Dylan lovers, but I'm a proud member of the Bob Dylan Sounds Like A Chainsaw Society.



lol
Wasn't he pretty back then. Little Bobby Zimmerman. My Dad gifted me with this album. Still have it!
 dwhayslett wrote:

That's weird, I'm listening to it right now.

Maybe it's a little better this time around. Suffering through it.
Mike Bloomfield on guitar! 
So is Brother Bob,
Over your head, or
Under your radar
save that sermon

we can all sing it on all days of the week
preach on, brother bob
 DJJJJ wrote:

Zero talent Bob Dylan. He's the Nicholas Cage of music.



Does Nicholas Cage* have a Nobel Prize in Literature? A Grammy, at least? No and no?
Obviously a very bad comparison. But making your insane point was kinda' doomed from the start, wasn't it?

*Nothing against Mr. Cage, I've enjoyed many of his movie performances. Fine actor.
 ExploitingChaos wrote:

Both are very talented and unique. Guess we will always kill the messengers. 
 
He isn't much of a singer, neither is Neil  Young. But they are both great poets and lyricists. And you have talent when so many people record your songs. To say Dylan has no talent is like saying Martin makes a shitty guitar. The greatest talents in every art form are the most unique talents. 
America's greatest Musician/Poet.
Typical Dylan poetic nonsense; wonderful. Solid 9.
 DJJJJ wrote:
Zero talent Bob Dylan. He's the Nicholas Cage of music.
 
Both are very talented and unique. Guess we will always kill the messengers. 
Bob should have spent more time in his garage.

This rocks!
Zero talent Bob Dylan. He's the Nicholas Cage of music.
Is the guitarist from The Count Five sitting in on this session?
Don't know what the hell he is talking about but I'm sure it's deep! It's at least fascinating. 
Meh. I'm a sixty-something and I'm still not old enough to appreciate this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUQDzj6R3p4

Weird Al's "Bob"
[and other palindromes]
Pity we don't get lyrics like this anymore. This is why he has been referred to as the Shakespeare of those times. Look past the voice and appreciate what your hearing or better yet..reading.
Dylan played this in his concert last week at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor. He rearranged it to accent the "driving" beat. It was really, really good. 
 mread wrote:
Less than a masterpiece.
 
So is 99% of everything.  That's why masterpieces are called masterpieces.  It's really, really good, though.
Ya know...

some day, everything is going be different 
when I paint my masterpiece

Less than a masterpiece.
 oldviolin wrote:

Please try harder
 

I can understand your problem but what a brilliant story teller.
The ying of his immense songwriting talent is sadly offset by the yang of his dreadful voice ... pity so many won't just admit it! If someone unknown appeared with a voice like this all those who claim to love Dylan's voice would be slagging them off for fun!
C'mom Bob. Get back on Highway 61 and do some midwest touring. 

What the heck do those snobbish Europeans know?  
Cool to side-by-side compare his pic on the 1969 album cover to the 2010 Wikipedia Pic that shows up on the RP page. Same tilt of the head, same enigmatic look. 
 kbennin009 wrote:
Landreth, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Hendrix, and Dylan. This set is relentless and I'm loving it! Nothing better to get me through working late.
{#Bananajam}{#Dancingbanana_2}{#Bananapiano}{#Guitarist}{#Drummer}{#Dancingbanana}

 
Amen!  {#Bananasplit}
Ahhhh....one of Dylans's dance songs.  Use your imagination. 
Shutthefuckup, he's a Nobel Prize winner, just like I knew he would, I wish I could tell you more, but I really must be going  ...
This was my first Bob Dylan album.  Cannot whether I bought it or received it as a gift.
This is probably one more fantabulously well-written masterpiece by this fantabulous artist whom I respect to the utmost, but once again there's nothing I can do about disliking his voice - even by trying really, really hard.
 dwlangham wrote:
God, this is unlistenable.
 
That's weird, I'm listening to it right now.
Dylan loved raw direct music. often in one take.  Some musicians were upset at that.  He was also into switching bands and never doing it quite the same to keep it fresh.  Photographic memory.  He admitted once slyly "I have a facile mind"
 MJMJ wrote:
sound and fury signifying nothing

 
Death to all those who would whimper and cry.
 dwlangham wrote:
God, this is unlistenable.
 
Stop all this weeping. Swallow your pride.
You will not die. It's not poison.
Landreth, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Hendrix, and Dylan. This set is relentless and I'm loving it! Nothing better to get me through working late.

{#Bananajam}{#Dancingbanana_2}{#Bananapiano}{#Guitarist}{#Drummer}{#Dancingbanana}
 MJMJ wrote:
sound and fury signifying nothing
 
All the artists you rate 10 would point out what a moronic comment that is.
sound and fury signifying nothing
 joelbb wrote:
And they should, Romeo.  THIS is the Dylan that made him famous.  His lyrics were just spectacular.  And this album sounds like a greatest hits collection:  every cut is historic.  That's Mike Bloomfield playing guitar, in case you wondered where those outstanding licks came from back in the mid-60s.
 
Well said, joelbb...  everybody in my hotel room still loves this classic song, and this historic album...  we be dancing like happy hippies...  time flies when we're having fun...
 Internazionale wrote:
great guitar performance

 

                             Mike Bloomfiled on guitar {#Roflol}


.
 dwlangham wrote:
God, this is unlistenable.
 
Is there a hole for me to get sick in? {#Sick}

This is one of Zimmy's best. BTW he does a great version of it on his MTV Unplugged album.
52 years later......and they said it wouldn't last!!!{#Dance}
God, this is unlistenable.
great guitar performance
 davekave wrote:
I can't stand his voice!
 
Please try harder
 vaos wrote:
No disrespect to Dylan lovers, but I'm a proud member of the Bob Dylan Sounds Like A Chainsaw Society.

 
Many members?
 jamesat43 wrote:

I had it on the back of my old car.  

Only ever had one person tell me they recognized it, so I decided to marry her.  

Feel free to try that at home:  CafePress Dylan Sticker


 
Good taste! 

You must not try this in your home
Seuss's lawyers will make you moan
Cease-and-desist in a letter
Though your parody may be better:

Dylan Hears a Who
 midreaming wrote:
 Anybody who listens to Dylan takes something different from his stuff. But I'm pretty sure chicken does not equal "coward" here. To me that sounds too pedestrian for Dylan's poetic nature.

Dylan confessed to a fascination with the Carnivals that blew through Minnesota when he was young, caught by something unexplainable when he saw a character dressed as "Napoleon in black face" makeup. When he got to New York he found himself surrounded by a theater of the absurd in the Basket Houses he played and hung out in. The absurd was growing all around him and everybody at that time, in art and politics. I'd say the absurd in Art questioned the absurd in politics, especially in Dylan's case. Dylan is sometimes silly and sometimes personal and introspective. It's up to listeners to decide which and when. I think they call that Art.


Maybe but the yellow/chicken/coward play seems the most obvious and fun interpretation.

Without that metaphor, the lyric is nonsense but not absurd or fun. Absurdity needs something to be contrasted against or judged inappropriate against.

brilliant song...  love it...  love this album...
 
{#Bananapiano}.......when bob was god........his music, and influence on music will live forever, he changed the whole idea of what "popular music" could be.no one else comes close, if voice was all, squeal young wouldn't sell a tune.............
excellent, worth posting to celebrate!

i also like the fantastic collection of stamps to win friends and influence his uncle
Damn it!

So much for getting any work done around here...

{#Dancingbanana} 
 sirdroseph wrote:
One of my all time favorite song lines; "The suns not yellow, it's just chicken!"{#Sunny}


 
I had it on the back of my old car.  

Only ever had one person tell me they recognized it, so I decided to marry her.  

Feel free to try that at home:  CafePress Dylan Sticker






I can't stand his voice!
No disrespect to Dylan lovers, but I'm a proud member of the Bob Dylan Sounds Like A Chainsaw Society.
 MJdub wrote:

I would argue that talent is truly determined by one's ability in comparison to other individuals that have demonstrated great proficiency with their instrument/voice etc.  I do believe that Dylan has great songwriting talent, as I've seen what others have done with songs he's written.  I just think that in the performance department his talent is lacking.  There are millions of people that think what's on the radio is true talent....and the size of the deluded masses doesn't make it true.  Comparing Dylan to other accomplished vocalists, I have to conclude personally that he lacks vocal talent.  Anyway, I'm glad you're able to enjoy it and agree 100% with the second half of your post.  I don't like it but I wouldn't take this song off of RP if I could {#Cheers}  Cheers.

 
Talent.  I don't think that word means what you think it does.

This IS talent.  100 if the scale went that high. 
 On_The_Beach wrote:

Looks good. Thanks for posting.
 

Thank you!  Hope you are having a marvelous weekend...

everybody in my church be dancing...  love this song...
 
 The_Enemy wrote:

Maybe it's an age thing? "Yellow" meant "Coward" in the 60s.  One doesn't hear the word used like that lately.
 
And so Dylan ages, along with the rest of his generation.  Some of his stuff will survive and morph into something pertinent to those who listen with fresh ears at some later point in time.  Some of it will lose its relevance and pass into the past unremembered.  Same as it is for all artists.  The jury is still out on how, and if, he'll be remember some 100years from now, but I suspect his memory will grow fainter as the generation he's rooted within fades away.  Much the same as all past troubadours, though he did shine bright for a time didn't he? 

So it goes.

Highlow
American Net'Zen
It is endless?
How many PSD am i gonna have to throw?!!
 joelbb wrote:

Bite me, Gemtag.  You've never written a sentence that clever, much less put it into a blues number.
 
Such blind aggression. You should have that looked at.

 
 romeotuma wrote:
Dylan has a brand new album out called Tempest that has received a five star rating from RollingStone—  you can see more data about the new album here...
 
Looks good. Thanks for posting.
If you could only give one song an eleven this might be it. Let's see, it's1965 and you hear this: "the geometry of innocent flesh on the bone, causes Galileo's math book to get thrown" -guess you had to be there.
 gemtag wrote:
The sun is not yellow, it's chicken?

Give me a break.  
 
Bite me, Gemtag.  You've never written a sentence that clever, much less put it into a blues number.
The sun is not yellow, it's chicken?

Give me a break.  
 romeotuma wrote:


Everybody in my hotel room loves this song...

 
 
And they should, Romeo.  THIS is the Dylan that made him famous.  His lyrics were just spectacular.  And this album sounds like a greatest hits collection:  every cut is historic.  That's Mike Bloomfield playing guitar, in case you wondered where those outstanding licks came from back in the mid-60s.
Bob!
 The_Enemy wrote:

Maybe it's an age thing? "Yellow" meant "Coward" in the 60s.  One doesn't hear the word used like that lately.
 
That's funny how that term isn't used much since the 60's.  If you watch movies from the 1930's and 40's, you'll hear it a lot.  "What's a'matter, are ya' yella or somethin'?

You know, the only Dylan tunes I really like are the "spoken" ones like this and, say, 115th Dream.  Perhaps it's because they accentuate his storytelling abilty without the distraction of his ... ahem ... singing ability.
 duffy11 wrote:

and I know of at least one person who's elevated him to near-deity status musically, ...

 
Just an FYI: Zimmy has been Full Deity Status for quite some time now.  {#Naughty}

 The_Enemy wrote:

Maybe it's an age thing? "Yellow" meant "Coward" in the 60s.  One doesn't hear the word used like that lately.
  Anybody who listens to Dylan takes something different from his stuff. But I'm pretty sure chicken does not equal "coward" here. To me that sounds too pedestrian for Dylan's poetic nature.

Dylan confessed to a fascination with the Carnivals that blew through Minnesota when he was young, caught by something unexplainable when he saw a character dressed as "Napoleon in black face" makeup. When he got to New York he found himself surrounded by a theater of the absurd in the Basket Houses he played and hung out in. The absurd was growing all around him and everybody at that time, in art and politics. I'd say the absurd in Art questioned the absurd in politics, especially in Dylan's case. Dylan is sometimes silly and sometimes personal and introspective. It's up to listeners to decide which and when. I think they call that Art.



 impediguy wrote:
My parents used to ask my cousin why he liked Bob Dylan so much when "he can't sing"? My cousin would reply "it's his lyrics"! But I wonder what he was really "thinking" when I hear lyrics like "the sun's not yellow; it's chicken"?
 
Maybe it's an age thing? "Yellow" meant "Coward" in the 60s.  One doesn't hear the word used like that lately.
10! 10! 10!!!!!
{#Frustrated}{#Crowded}{#Wall}
happy birthday bob!  {#Cowboy}
Happy Birthday Bob!
 sirdroseph wrote:

That is actually one of my favorite lyrics of all time!

 
I guess I wasn't "old enough" to understand, or something like that. {#Rolleyes}
 impediguy wrote:
My parents used to ask my cousin why he liked Bob Dylan so much when "he can't sing"? My cousin would reply "it's his lyrics"! But I wonder what he was really "thinking" when I hear lyrics like "the sun's not yellow; it's chicken"?
 
That is actually one of my favorite lyrics of all time!

My parents used to ask my cousin why he liked Bob Dylan so much when "he can't sing"? My cousin would reply "it's his lyrics"! But I wonder what he was really "thinking" when I hear lyrics like "the sun's not yellow; it's chicken"?
Love this song, one of Dylan's best, but I have always thought the drum beat was a little off (too fast).  Anyone else hear that?  Maybe it was done on purpose?
9 -> 10. What was I thinking?{#Cowboy}
 jeff303 wrote:
So, maybe I'm strange but I've never heard any Dylan I enjoyed.  I find most of his songs to be annoying and uninteresting (including this one).  This is a bit alarming to me since he is so highly renowned, and I like nearly almost everything else played on RP.  So, anyone have recommendations for noobie-friendly Dylan?
    A single hook to rest your hat. the rest are up to you cause after all that's half the fun and frankly I don't think you're gonna get it anyway...

.. in a world pre-occupied with surface level everything and glamorous appearance, in the new and perfect or beyond perfect even - conspicuously unreal it's so perfect - Dylan's voice and inflection are sincere and real, like a hard rain or a broken wheel . There's no lie, no hidden mtv agenda, no false appearance. I don't have to wonder who or what's behind it, like every time I see Keanu Reeves in a movie that would have been great otherwise.  I'm not even old enough to be jaded but already I'm sick of the done-up world, the commercial slick that's everywhere. The modern world hasn't made life easier it's only changed the game. Getting by in life isn't about anything real anymore. It's about your hair color, the size of your boobs, the car you drive, or the people you tolerate on Saturday afternoon who, if they're in their "right" mind are also lead by their hair color, the size of their boobs and the car they drive. It's circular insanity. The closer I get to what's considered proper functionality in this world the further I find myself from knowing what it is to be a decent grounded human being.

Dylan said listening to Woodie Guthrie he could learn how to live in this world. I would suggest Dylan is on a short list of artists, along w/ W.G, who can and could (then and now) express the human spirit without the world's superficial affectations glommed on like the smarmy boss you catch looking down your shirt or constantly has his hand on your butt. Dylan's sincerity, with his poetry, can place your mind at the middle of your soul and make that an ok place to be.  I'd pay to go there over Disneyland anyday. Goodluck with that ..oh, i guess instead of the fish I gave you the fishing pole.. yea well.. like i said, good luck



 MilSF1 wrote:

Ah but there is the crux. Talent is only determined by the opinion of others. The consensus opinion is that he has talent, ipso facto, he has talent.
 
I would argue that talent is truly determined by one's ability in comparison to other individuals that have demonstrated great proficiency with their instrument/voice etc.  I do believe that Dylan has great songwriting talent, as I've seen what others have done with songs he's written.  I just think that in the performance department his talent is lacking.  There are millions of people that think what's on the radio is true talent....and the size of the deluded masses doesn't make it true.  Comparing Dylan to other accomplished vocalists, I have to conclude personally that he lacks vocal talent.  Anyway, I'm glad you're able to enjoy it and agree 100% with the second half of your post.  I don't like it but I wouldn't take this song off of RP if I could {#Cheers}  Cheers.

 Canlistener wrote:
Another rambling, inane pile of crap from a guy who some how duped a lot of people into thinking he had talent.  
 
Ah but there is the crux. Talent is only determined by the opinion of others. The consensus opinion is that he has talent, ipso facto, he has talent. That does not make the obverse false of course; there is no objective truth in such a subjective question. To promulgate the idea that we have been "duped" is tantamount to espousing the fallacy that one opinion is "more true" than another.In summation, dude, chill. It's o.k. for others to like him and it's o.k. for you to hate him. We know what we feel, and you know what you feel. It's all o.k.

—MDG 
I've never understood the appeal of Bob Dylan.  Easily one of the worst singers I've ever heard and that automatically precludes me from enjoying it.  I assume the appeal is from the lyrics...I'm sure there's something deep in the lyrics somewhere...I just can't get past the sound of it.  I don't understand why he wouldn't just write a book of poetry instead.  Even the music is quite mediocre, so when I tune out the vocals it's not any more interesting.  {#Stupid}
 jeff303 wrote:
So, maybe I'm strange but I've never heard any Dylan I enjoyed.  I find most of his songs to be annoying and uninteresting (including this one).  This is a bit alarming to me since he is so highly renowned, and I like nearly almost everything else played on RP.  So, anyone have recommendations for noobie-friendly Dylan?
 
Gotta say I'm with you here.  I know he's well-regarded, and I know of at least one person who's elevated him to near-deity status musically, but I've yet to hear anything of his that I'd buy.  Go figure.

So cool {#Cowboy}
ok, this is pretty cool...but, oh i forgot...?
10
what a fine combination
of Rockabilly - Mike Bloomfield on guitar - with the vocals of Bob,
great R'N'R voice at that time > love it!

Highway 61 Revisited should be reference materiel in Social Commentary 101.


 Art_Carnage wrote:
I feel sorry for those that don't get it.
 
I don't; there's plenty of Nickelback and Twisted Sister to keep them happy.  ; )

all these years and I still enjoy  this one.
Another rambling, inane pile of crap from a guy who some how duped a lot of people into thinking he had talent.  
 dogpound wrote:
from the church of the overrated.
 
...to the graveyard of opinion?
from the church of the overrated.
whatever.
One of my all time favorite song lines; "The suns not yellow, it's just chicken!"{#Sunny}

 j7 wrote:

If Bob Dylan hadn't been born, we'd have one less horrible singer in the world.

 

I'm getting the sinking suspicion that this "j7" is kin to Excelsior. It bears watching.

I was listening to this the other day, thinking about how Dylan switched it into overdrive at this point in his career. Unreal.
I feel sorry for those that don't get it.
 zenhead wrote:
if bob dylan had not been born, we'd have had to create him. great stuff.
 
If Bob Dylan hadn't been born, we'd have one less horrible singer in the world.

Relentless awesomeness in this one.
Such a GOOD and CLASSIC song.
 jjbix wrote:
just because it's dylan doesn't mean it's Good or a Classic, take this song for example . . .

 
yup

 jeff303 wrote:
So, maybe I'm strange but I've never heard any Dylan I enjoyed.  I find most of his songs to be annoying and uninteresting (including this one).  This is a bit alarming to me since he is so highly renowned, and I like nearly almost everything else played on RP.  So, anyone have recommendations for noobie-friendly Dylan?
 
here's some, listen to the lyrics.

 countyman wrote:
Over six years later and it has a 7.5 rating.
Keep playing it Bill and really p*ss lrbc off.

 
lbrc wrote:
look at the 5.1 rating and stop playing this song!
 
 
Thats allright! Songs like this and also Bills feeling for  new good stuff, thats the reason because i like RP so MUCH!!!!


Over six years later and it has a 7.5 rating.
Keep playing it Bill and really p*ss lrbc off.

 
lbrc wrote:
look at the 5.1 rating and stop playing this song!
 


if bob dylan had not been born, we'd have had to create him. great stuff.
 aronson wrote:
This is the worst crap ever.
Yeah, well, what could you expect from a 24-year-old?
Terrific song from a terrific album.  I particularly love this:

And dropping a barbell he points to the sky
Saying the sun's not yellow, it's chicken!
 jeff303 wrote:
So, maybe I'm strange but I've never heard any Dylan I enjoyed.  I find most of his songs to be annoying and uninteresting (including this one).  This is a bit alarming to me since he is so highly renowned, and I like nearly almost everything else played on RP.  So, anyone have recommendations for noobie-friendly Dylan?
 
Complete agree with you Jeff
So, maybe I'm strange but I've never heard any Dylan I enjoyed.  I find most of his songs to be annoying and uninteresting (including this one).  This is a bit alarming to me since he is so highly renowned, and I like nearly almost everything else played on RP.  So, anyone have recommendations for noobie-friendly Dylan?
Nice to have this retrospective work in the mix today.
just because it's dylan doesn't mean it's Good or a Classic, take this song for example . . .

 WonderLizard wrote:
Like the Wilburys?
 
Then you would also get the advantage of Jeff Lynne's production. Only problem I see is the number of Wilburys who are metabolically challenged.

the sun's not yellow it's chicken...ah, classic Bob. Gotta be one of my favorite lines of his.
Cruithne3753 wrote:
Wanna buy some mandies, Bob?
Now there is a nickname not often heard these days ... And I ain't talking about Mandy Rice Davies, either ....
Geez, I'd forgotten the rawness of Bloomfield's guitar work on this album. Compare it, if you will, to his work with Butterfield or The Electric Flag, greatly more polished.
tombstone blues... I burned my pizza?