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i became withdrawn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


words and music bob dylan
copyright 1974 ram's horn music